by Chris Dobson.
Writer Howard Brenton’s new play, Cancelling Socrates, is short, consisting of only four scenes across two acts. Tom Littler, Jermyn Street Theatre’s artistic director, directs the play, which could be summed up as a philosophic tragicomedy. The stage is relatively bare, initially consisting of just a couple of marble columns and a bench.
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Jonathan Hyde in Cancelling Socrates. Photo: Steve Gregson |
They are worried for good reason; Socrates’ determination to uncover the true meaning of things has led him to question even the gods, a dangerous endeavour in ancient Greece. Not that Socrates is particularly worried; he is calmly confident that a jury of his Athenian peers will acquit him of his alleged crimes, which include corrupting the young.
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Cancelling Socrates at Jermyn Street Theatre. Photo: Steve Gregson |
Unsurprisingly, for a play so concerned with philosophy, Cancelling Socrates remains elusive at times, with daemons and dream sequences which might leave audience members scratching their heads. This is part of the play’s charm, although it isn’t perfect; more could have been made of Socrates’ queerness, rather than reducing his relationships with boys to just a joke, and the play descends into soap opera-esque melodrama when Xanthippe confronts Aspasia about her relationship with Socrates.
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Cancelling Socrates at Jermyn Street Theatre. Photo: Steve Gregson |
Cancelling Socrates is at Jermyn Street Theatre until 2 July.
Chris Dobson is a freelance journalist from the North of England. He now lives in North London and is passionate about theatre, film and literature.