THE ABDICATION
Pentameters

FEW will have heard of Christina, the 17th-century Queen of Sweden, cardinal seducer, philosopher killer, of androgynous gender and born covered with hair.
But no one leaving the Pentameters will forget this “strange, confused, brilliant creature,” a legend obscured by ambiguity and popular myth – clearly, an inspired choice by director Ruth Wolff.
Born with a caul and skin shrouded by hair, the heir to the throne developed a manly voice, confused sexuality and a radical edge. Refusing to marry and defying her Protestant religion, she abdicated the throne embarking on a pilgrimage to the Vatican where her celibacy would be celebrated and not seen as weakness.
But rumours spread faster than she could travel.
When she arrives in Rome, the dying Pope’s Cardinal is sent to interrogate her. Has she arrived for religious asylum or political advancement?
Christina confesses all. Her past is performed before the audience by the rest of the cast.
We see the pressure of expectation, the torment of a divided self and an apparent curse of asexuality that means she cannot be loved.
But the Cardinal and Christina begin to fall in love – finding virtues in each other they lack themselves.
This love affair is yet another piece of hearsay, gleaned from a steamy correspondence found after Christina’s death.
Perhaps the most appealing aspects of the Christina myth is that she killed off her best friend, the French philosopher Rene Descartes, after he caught her cold and died.
Descartes wrote the celebrated line, “I think therefore I am” – a philosophical statement that punctuates the play.
In contrast to Christina, whose life force profits because she dares to think, the Cardinal, fearful under the eyes of God, aspires to suppressing his thoughts – but discovers that this is not living at all.
The cast was excellent. The affair between Christina (Catherine Bellamy) and the Cardinal (Nigel Tomkins) was extremely convincing, if not a little drawn out. And who could forget the mute dwarf Birgito (Anna Blades), whose impish roguery undoubtedly stole the show.
An inspired subject, sharp script, well performed and attended – another winning formula from Pentameters.

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Until June 11