Hugo Weaving: Theatre, The Alchemist, Ben Jonson, Geoffrey Rush,
 
Hugo Weaving, Alchemist, Beard 2000
 

n.  Hugo Weaving 

~ The Alchemist  by Ben Jonson

1996 Belvoir St Theatre 
Face ~ flash, charismatic, suave, amoral, vain, opportunistic & quick-witted clothes-horse, manipulator and master of disguise
Lungs ~ dull, hardworking alchemist's technician/dogsbody
Jeremy ~ reliable, honest manservant and housekeeper
Cast: Geoffrey Rush   Subtle, Hugo Weaving   Face/Lungs/Jeremy , Gillian Jones Doll Common, Max CullenSir Epicure Mammon
Dir: Neil Armfield

Hugo Weaving: The Alchemist Plot/Comments:

The Alchemist is a bawdy, moderately filthy farce which is highly accessible to a modern audience: Alchemist's Eleven or Lock Stock and Two Smoking Compounds.
The plot, though highly convoluted, is never confusing; the language witty and less dense than many other Jacobean plays.

The plot largely focuses on a scamming fellowship of characters who exploit the greed of others for easy gain. Literally the 'face' behind the scams, Face (Hugo Weaving) is a swaggering, witty, dashing man-about-town and self made Captain: he is flash, charismatic, suave, amoral, vain, and opportunistic; a quick-witted clothes-horse, manipulator and master of disguise . Face's charisma, bonhomie and apparent sincerity make him perfect for finding and securing possible 'marks'. 
These 'marks' are then brought to Subtle (Geoffrey Rush) ~ previously a rag-clad "no buttocks" pauper ~ who, through his 'amazing' alchemical skills, will make them richer beyond their wildest dreams, bring them luck at gambling or success with the ladies…for a price. 
       To add authenticity to the apparent science at work, Face will often disguise himself as Lungs, an alchemical apprentice and Subtle's bullied lackey. They are often aided in their scams by Doll, a common tart able to exploit men's baser desires, encouraging them to part more easily with their riches. 
All proceeds are split three ways.

From The White Devil 2000

Two months previously, Face was known as Jeffrey, a reliable servant and moth-eaten housekeeper who was left to look after his Master's house while an outbreak of plague ran its course. Seeing the opportunity to make his fortune, he reinvented himself with the help of Subtle: together they are tying up the loose ends of the summer's work; and as the threads of their scams finally tie together, they become tangled up in their own complexity, leading to a huge 6-scam, 31-point farce at the end (see a simple explanation of the scamsand  the wonderfully plotted, farcical ending).

The Alchemist Scams
The Alchemist End Farce
Next Play: The White Devil
Next Project: True Love & Chaos
Back: The Blind Giant is Dancing
Web Weaving
 
 

Typical Hugo Weaving Quotes:

  • [Recommending Doll's 'skills' to Mammon]:She'll mount you up, like quick-silver, Over the helm, and circulate like oil"
  • [Instructing Doll on how to entertain the Don]:"He shall be brought here, fettered With thy fair looks, before he sees thee; and thrown In a down bed, as dark as any dungeon; Where thou shall keep him waking with they drum ~ Thy drum, my Doll, thy drum ~ till he be tame"
  • [On Dame Pliant]: "She is a delicate dabchick! I must have her"
  • [About Drugger, behind his back]: "A miserable rogue, and lives with cheese, And has the worms. That was the cause indeed Why he came now. He dealt with me in private To get a medicine for 'em"
Comments
  • Geoffrey Rush taught Weaving clowning at NIDA, was also in Frontier , The Magic Pudding , and directed him in The Popular Mechanicals. Neil Armfield directed Weaving in his previous play, The Blind Giant is Dancing and also directed Geoffrey Rush in the same part for the original 1983 version. See The Usual Suspects for a huge list of recurring Weaving co-workers.
  • Bloody hell! The A-Team's Face comes straight from Jonson.
  • Originally performed in 1606 with Richard Burbage as Face.

 

 

While the ending can seem 'soft' to a modern audience, the fact that an incurable sinner and scoundrel (Face) gets away with it would have been scandalous to a Jacobean audience, who were more used to endings steeped in blood, revenge and comeuppance. 

The Alchemist was an inspired choice for Rush and Weaving to do together, offering plenty of opportunity to outdo each other in verbal sparring and multi-characterisation. It is easy to hear and see both actors in these parts, from their heated argument at the beginning ("Cheater" "Bawd" "Cowherd" "Cutpurse" "Witch"), flinging insults like mud, to the final double-double cross.