It is a tribute to Hawthorne's acting ability that the audience guesses this just far enough ahead of the doctor to marvel at the subtlety of Bennett's language. Hawthorne is particularly brilliant in the last half of the second act, when it slowly dawns on the main doctor treating him that George is recovering faster than he has been letting on. But following the descent into madness, Hawthorne must spew the random gibberings of a man who has lost all control. "I am the verb, sir, not the object," he tells a subject.
King"), George III is nonetheless indisputably in charge. Plainspoken, fair and with a sense of humor (he calls the Queen "Mrs. In his moments of lucidity, Bennett's king embodies the "Farmer George" image. But Hawthorne is impressive precisely because he eschews that well-trod path toward theatrical legend in favor of a performance that actually convinces you that Bennett's conception of George III is plausible. Nigel Hawthorne has received so much acclaim for his portrayal of George III that one expects a showy, scenery chewing performance-and, indeed, much of the role could lend itself to that. The cast is exceptional and Bennett's play makes the most of it. That they can, and that a play which often seems like a cross between King Lear and a Monty Python episode can somehow enmesh its audience emotionally is a tribute to the exceptional work of the Royal National Theatre's repertory company. Everything you've heard is true-this is a phenomenal play and will probably never receive a performance as rich as the one it is now getting.īennett's play is Shakespearean in its scope and reach A straightforward account of the king's descent into and recovery from madness becomes a political and social commentary through Bennett's devastating use of language: Doctors feud over whether blisters or induced vomiting is the most effective treatment, politicians conspire over the raving body of the king-the twenty odd characters in The Madness of George III are involved in so many different intrigues it's a wonder that the audience can see straight. Adding to the gallons of ink spent on both sides of the Atlantic praising Alan Bennett's writing and Nigel Hawthorne's performance as the title character would be tedious if the accolades were not so richly deserved. So much has been written about Alan Bennett's new play, The Madness of George III, that going to see it may almost seem redundant.
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