BILLY BUDD Southwark Playhouse, SE1

Herman Melville’s novella is a confrontation of Good and Evil set on board a man-of-war during the Napoleonic Wars. Billy, an exceptionally handsome young man with a stammer, has been pressed into the navy. Everybody takes an immediate liking to him; except for the Satanic Master of Arms, Claggart. The boy’s open, trusting nature sets his teeth on edge and unable to control his lust, he falsely accuses him of mutiny. The boy, at a loss for words, strikes out and kills him. The actors shout too much in Seb Harcombe’s production which is chiefly remarkable for Charlie Archer’s extraordinary and original interpretation of Billy.