Play: Everyman

Chiwetel Ejiofor in Everyman at the National

The play, Everyman, is being staged in an astonishingly energetic and inspirational production at the National Theatre. It is in origin a mediaeval morality play, not as well known as The Mysteries, which theatregoers have experienced more often in the last few years, and which are now staged annually on wagons around the towns such as York, Chester and Wakefield. Interestingly, morality plays, in the 15th and 16th centuries, with their moralising allegorical structure, had greater significance for mainstream theatre and influenced writers like Ben Johnson and Marlowe.

Everyman has been updated brilliantly by Carol Ann Duffy and played magnificently by a large cast, with Everyman (Ev) played by Chiwetel Ejiofor. God (and Good Deeds) is Kate Duchene, who we first see as the Female Cleaner, preparing the room for Ev's 40th birthday party. After the excesses of the party, with endless lines of coke snorted and bottles of booze emptied, Ev is left lying comatose on a table, as God summons Death and requires of Ev a reckoning of his life. The emphasis is - you never know when, you never know where, you are going to die sometime - and you are going to have to make a reckoning to God of your life.

Ev then goes on a journey to seek companions to talk to God on his behalf: His friends? No way! His family? No, he's not supported them, not been there for them; how can they intercede to God? His good deeds? They are so weak, they cannot come with him. His wealth and possessions - he sends a shower of credit cards over golden actors (representing Goods); but they wilt away. Finally he sees himself as a young boy who shares his scooter with him and notably, thanks him; he reflects on how he thought he always gave thanks but now realises how little he did appreciate everything around him. He has let himself down with his life-style, but he has also let down the Earth; there is a substantial sequence concerning abuse of the planet, global warming, environmental damage, tsunamis, with a powerful message for us, too.

God says: "The Angels weep to see the ruin of the Earth: the gathered waters, which I called the Seas, unclean, choking on themselves. The dry land - fractured, fracked. The Firmament so full of filth, my two Great Lights, to rule the day and night, have tears in their eyes.... Behold, it was all good, all good. And now? All trashed. For why? For Everyman liveth only for his pleasure. Therefore, I will have Reckoning with Everyman."

And now, death is there. Sitting on a bench, Ev tells us that, drunk as a skunk at the end of his party, he fell 20 storeys to his death; that brings us back full circle to the beginning of the play when a body - who we now realise was Ev - slowly sinks down from the flies. So now, Ev comes inevitably to the end; he cannot get out of his predicament with money; he has to meet Death and his Maker alone.

I saw the play on Wednesday evening, and on Thursday morning, the Daily Service was reflecting on this very subject. The reading for the day was the Parable of the Talents. You must make the most of what you have because there will be a Reckoning. The leader of the Service, John Forrester, asked us to remember a gifted actor colleague who only a few weeks after they had worked together on a film, died in the Lockerbie air crash.

We don't know when, we don't know where; it reminds us to make the most and the best of what we've got. Carpe Diem.

Everyman runs at the National Theatre until 30 August 2015

See earlier report: ICN 16 June 2015 - Everyman - in context www.indcatholicnews.com/news.php?viewStory=27703