Baal | Courtyard Theatre

Baal is the first full length play created by the famous playwright Bertolt Brecht in 1918, when he was just 20 years old. Baal became one of Brecht's most fascinating pieces, exploring the themes of artistic freedom, manipulation, morality, responsibility, power and society. In this English translation by Peter Tegel which is produced by Lulu Liu, director Xichen Li examines the root of Baal's eventual downfall. Li opts to follow the text religiously, and yet the audiences are still able to experience it with a modern lens, further condemning Baal's actions.

The play is named for its titular character, a popular poet who is riding on the success of his newfound fame while it lasts. Baal refuses to bow down to any of society's rules, opting to live as a lone wolf with the mentality of a king. Using and abusing people, he treats them more as muses for his poetry, or as sources of amusement, further questioning his morality. Baal’s disregard for anyone's emotions, including his own friends, makes him unlikeable, and yet his respect for those that society has cast away, making him a rather fascinating character. Baal becomes an anti-hero as he wastes away his life on drink, sex and power, and yet ironically embodies the notion of a misunderstood poet who chooses to live a life on the outside. In a permanent dazy state, whether due to his drinking, drugs or even his own poetic genius, Baal wanders through the lives of countless others, ultimately enjoying the human experience of being alive.

The play becomes an interesting paradox, with audiences unsure if they are rooting for or even like Baal, and are yet so fascinated by the character that his journey alone has the audiences on the edge of their seats. The play does a commendable job at creating the constant stare of disassociation that Baal resides in, with the slow paced scenes, quiet and elongated dialogue delivery. Li's conscious decision to take audiences inside of Baal's world does the play and character justice, but can at times feel a little slow and alienating to fully connect with the other characters, although arguably this too was intentional. Ziwen Gong and Lauri Riihiaho also serve as associate director and assistant director respectively.

The production is in good hands, transforming the intimate theatre space into a mystical world through the brilliant use of a see through, glowing entity that hangs above the stage. Resembling a massive tree trunk that is mostly missing, this illuminated structure feels magical. Mingchi Yan's brilliant set design is alluring and truly elevates the production as a whole, especially when Baal is interacting with it. Yuyuan Wei's costume design brings an interesting subtle conversation about the black and white way that Baal views himself and the world around him, as everyone is dressed in whites that slowly become infiltrated by greys and blacks during the multiple costume changes. Yinuo Gao is the costume assistant, aiding in creating various costumes that help the cast differentiate between multiple roles in quick succession.

Xuan Luka Ge's lighting design provided a sense of spirituality, as it contributes to the dizzying state that Baal felt, as well as providing several dramatic spotlights. The use of coloured lighting helps to create tension, but it's the play with light and shadows on the hanging tree that is most admirable. Michael has composed music for the show, creating a soothing melody that feels gentle and emotional that plays wonderfully beneath Baal’s poetry when the two exist together. Jiaye Wang as the sound designer creates a depth to the sound quality between Baal and the other characters, making audiences really lean into the smoother and softer voice of Baal. The use of background noise, especially at the party, is done well.

Baal, though primarily about Baal himself, also features a string of other character who cross paths with him. The cast features nine performers, including that of Baal, which is an impressive feat in itself especially for a Fringe show, and is even more so when learning that the cast had only a day or two to run the show as a full company due to scheduling conflicts for the talented cast. The ensemble cast are talented and their commitment to every role is clear as they come together to create a community. Each of the cast prove their talent as they take on multiple roles. The ensemble cast is formed of Jessica Ailish, Matthew Dunlop and Louise Messien.

Izaac Vaus brings out the naivety and emotional outbursts of the young Johanne, making him endearing, whilst contrastingly Catherine Wray's timid Johanna makes her vulnerability even more sympathetic and pitiable. Nora Went and Paige Melissa as Emilie and Sophie are both put through their paces as they are discarded by Baal, and both make a strong impression as the women who thought they could tame the beast that is Baal. Ziqi Wen is refreshingly sweet as Ekart, who becomes the sole obsession for Baal, his greatest desire in mankind, bringing an impressively mature and grounded performance to the show.

Daniel Palazzi as Baal is nothing short of a sensation. Palazzi embodies Baal so well, one can hardly figure out where one starts and the other stops. Palazzi has taken on Baal’s physicality well, with an authentic swoopen swagger that has been weighed down by his drinking habits and his own egotistical mind. Palazzi feels like he ought to be a muse of Brecht, speaking the lyrical dialogue from the heart and allowing the words to feel alive and reach into the hearts of the audience. It's more than an assured performance, it is something special to witness. Whilst Palazzi solidifies himself as an actor that can mold to any role, Baal feels almost a role that he were born to play, and in doing so, perhaps gives the play the power that it makes it such a compelling piece of theatre.

However, for all of the many many positives that this production can boast about, Palazzi's performance atop that list, the production still feels wooden. Perhaps it is the unique original text or even something that is lost in translation, but as a play, it never quite reaches anything that feels finished. Whilst the ending is a strong ironic touch, it does become hard after a point to watch an anti hero toss aside yet another unfortunate girl who loved him truly only to pass out drunk and recite beautiful poetry that paints him as the victim. Perhaps this is because approaching the text in the 21st century and opting to not reinvent it at all, seems like an odd choice as the theatre industry, especially Fringe, seems more inclined to reclaim and empower lost souls. Either way, as invested as the audience is in Baal’s story, it could be condensed further, or perhaps even faster paced to really have retained their full attention.

This production has opted to try and immerse audiences more, often having characters walk into the audience and perform from there, but this feels a little too invasive and does the opposite when Baal visits a brothel and audiences are forced to watch two of the cast literally pull off their underwear to give to him. There are a few other similar moments, though thankfully never as uncomfortable, that seem to self sabotage the production, but these can truly be overlooked when Palazzi is onstage as Baal for his performance as alone makes this production shine.

Baal is a fascinating staging of Brecht's play and feels like a provocative piece that never fears to lend itself to the darkness of the characters and the writing. Palazzi in the titular role is extraordinary, and clearly much love and passion has been poured into into the show.

★★★☆☆ (3*)

Gifted tickets in return for an honest review