In the dimly lit underbelly of London's theatre world, two unnamed actors wait endlessly for their moment in the spotlight. Petty Men, the debut production from Buzz Studios, unfolds in the understudies' lair of a West End production of Julius Caesar, offering a poignant and darkly comic exploration of ambition and frustration.
The Glamourless Reality of Understudy Life
Forget luxurious dressing rooms filled with champagne and flowers. This space features a dying pot plant and a leaky bucket, creating a stark contrast to the glamour typically associated with West End theatre. Night after night, Understudy Brutus and Understudy Cassius - played by John Chisham and Adam Goodbody respectively - listen to the show's Tannoy, reminded of the performances passing them by.
The two actors marking the production's 100th performance with party hats and microwave popcorn rather than champagne celebrations. They run through lines for a play they may never perform professionally, their desperation growing with each passing show where the lead actors remain healthy.
From Comradeship to Competition
Goodbody's Understudy Cassius arrives meticulously prepared, knowing every line perfectly, while Chisham's Understudy Brutus slouches through rehearsals, spiking his tea with whisky for comfort. As they work through Shakespeare's text with varying dedication - sometimes paraphrasing, other times offering casual commentary - their relationship mirrors that of the characters they understudy.
The production, devised by the actors alongside director Júlia Levai, cleverly identifies how camaraderie turns competitive in Julius Caesar. The assassination scene represents both the peak of Brutus and Cassius's alliance and the beginning of its deterioration.
In Levai's inventive staging, Tomás Palmer's drab set design occasionally fractures to reveal haunting visions and nightmares, with captioning that breaks from convention to match the psychological unraveling.
Political Ambition in a Personal Context
While bold in its formal experimentation, Petty Men presents a somewhat narrow interpretation of Shakespeare's work, focusing predominantly on personal ambition rather than political conviction. The production raises questions about whether the high stakes of theatre can ever truly compare to the fate of nations, even as it demonstrates how intensely personal such artistic endeavours become for those involved.
The play continues at Arcola theatre in London until 20 December, offering theatre enthusiasts a unique perspective on the often-unseen world of understudies and the complex dynamics that develop backstage.
