Everyman (2015)

This is an interesting National Theatre Live entry. A new adaptation of a 15^th-century morality play, the production mixes classic devices with modern flair. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but it’s certainly an experience.

Passed out from his birthday reveries, the eponymous Everyman becomes the subject of a celestial game. God and Death strike a wager for Everyman’s soul, giving him one day to present his case for what he’s done with his life and why he deserves to keep it.

I wasn’t familiar with the original play, which appears to have an unknown author and stem from the late 1400s. The National Theatre version is billed as a new adaptation by Carol Ann Duffy. It retains a lot of trappings from moralities plays of that era—or at least, what I know of them. We have a large chorus that sometimes speaks in unison or does call-and-response-type interactions with Everyman, and things like material wealth and sensuality are given personified representations. There are lots of monologues as Everyman veers from one increasingly desperate gambit to another, realizing that all the foundations he’s put stock in are of the “can’t take it with you” variety.

At the same time, both the production and the play itself are definitely updated for modern audiences. Pounding club beats pulse against the backdrop of Everyman’s birthday party, everyone wears contemporary dress, and there are plenty of modern references: for example, when Everyman is appealing to his material wealth to justify his existence, the scene is set up like a department store, with a sultry chorus member narrating what worldly goods might be found on each “floor.” The dialogue, meanwhile, is in blank verse and slips between older-sounding language and more contemporary vernacular.

On the whole, it’s more of a sermon than a story, but the way it’s told keeps it interesting. There are some bold choices in the direction, which is very stylized and larger-than-life. It helps that Chiwetel Ejiofor plays Everyman. By definition, the character doesn’t have much dimension on his own, so the production relies on Ejiofor’s charm and passion to make him come alive. Ejiofor’s Everyman is someone who seemingly “has it all” but is slowly realizing that his life is little more than an empty vessel, and he’s by turns cocky, frantic, and sympathetic. The show also features Sharon Clarke (Grace from the Thirteen era of Doctor Who) as Everyman’s mother.

Warnings

Sexual references, drinking/drug use, and thematic elements.