Concept
While reading Volpone, I found myself imagining it set in Victorian Venice. The plot has elements which remind one of a Charles Dicken’s novel such as ridiculous and disgusting characters, unveiling the shadowy and dark aspects of society, an old miser who plots to sleep with a virtuous young woman, and the triumph of good over evil.
Although the language of 17th century England is clearly different from that of the Victorian era, there is an elevated nature found in the language of both which makes it easy to imagine the play’s action taking place in Victorian Venice. Costume wise, there are also many opportunities to manipulate early Victorian clothing so as to exaggerate the characters’ attributes that point towards the animal they are supposed to embody. The late 1830s and early 1840s grabbed me particularly because they were full of such details in clothing.
I also chose to set Volpone in the early Victorian age because a portion of Victorian architecture attempted to revive the Gothic style seen throughout Venice. Volpone, although a comedy, has a dark tone, which goes well with the sometimes incredibly dark interiors from the Victorian era. It is not difficult to imagine the action in the play unfolding in a Dickensonian world filled with shady characters, damsels in distress, fascinating villains and dashing young heroes. I therefore decided that my concept for this production would be Victorian Venice, exaggerated so as to show off the different animals many of the characters represent.
Mood Images
A painting by Atkinson Grimshaw and The Dissatisfied Painter by Jozef Borsos.
An interior of the Palazzo Labia and Venetian architecture.
Park Row Leeds by Atkinson Grimshaw.
Costume Design 