Cleveland-born playwright Rajiv Joseph had his breakthrough theatrical moment with his highly successful play “Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo” when it premiered at Center Theatre Group’s Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City in 2009. After that, the production moved into the Mark Taper Forum in 2010 before moving to Broadway, where Joseph became a Pulitzer Prize finalist. In 2016, he established himself as a major American playwright with “Guards at the Taj” again premiering at the Kirk Douglas Theatre. His latest dark comedy ARCHDUKE is now enjoying its world premiere at the Mark Taper Forum through June 4.
History buffs will especially enjoy his tale of three dim, hapless and hungry young men suffering from tuberculosis who fumble their way through a mission to assassinate Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, on June 28, 1914 as Franz Ferdinand and Sophie were touring Sarajevo in an open car with surprisingly little security. As a result, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia on July 28, and the tenuous peace between Europe’s great powers collapsed. Within a week, Russia, Belgium, France, Great Britain and Serbia had lined up against Austria-Hungary and Germany, and World War I had begun.
The assassins are portrayed by Stephen Stocking, as Gavrilo, the lead assassin who fires the deadly bullets, Ramiz Monsef as Trifko, the enforcer, and Josiah Bania as Nedeljko, the most gullible of the three. After being approached with threats against his life by the “Captain” (Patrick Page), these men, already at death’s door with little to lose, are recommended for their deadly task by their physician, Dr. Leko (Todd Weeks), the only sane grown-up in the room. But after he realizes exactly what is being planned for his patients, the good doctor attempts to keep Gavrilo from throwing away his life for a useless gesture of faux patriotism, while Dr. Leko’s cook and housekeeper Sladjana (JoAnne McGee) manages to get in a few zingers of her own, adding much comic relief at tense moments throughout the show.
Playwright Joseph and the show’s director Giovanna Sardelli traveled to Sarajevo and Belgrade together to immerse themselves in the history of the somewhat fictionalized events taking place in the play. Explains Joseph, “This play is not a history lesson, but a lot is rooted in what I’ve learned in my (on-site) research. Even though it’s an imaginative retelling of the story with some invented characters, I felt it was crucial to get a firsthand look at the place and feel it in my bones. Putting me there, feeling that place, smelling it, experiencing it… was a huge part in the process of making Archduke unique.”
And speaking of unique, it might be difficult to imagine how comical the story could be given its historical significance. But Joseph uses his three country bumpkin assassins to great comedic effect during their first-ever journey by train during which even a simple sandwich or bunk bed made up with soft pillows, cushion and blanket are seen as luxuries fit for a king, causing the men to jump about with the wonder and joy of young children. Tim Mackabee’s scenic design allows us to walk with the men through the station and onto the train, which then rotates to allow us to enter the wonders of their cabin with them. It’s quite a spectacular scene change that left me breathless in awe. Kudos also go to historically correct costume design by Denitsa Bliznakova, lighting design by Lap Chi Chu, with music and sound design by Daniel Kluger, and especially to director Sardelli who keeps the production moving along at a quick pace.
Tickets to ARCHDUKE range from $25 to $95 and are available by calling 213-628-2772, online at www.CenterTheatreGroup.org, or at the Center Theatre Group box office near the Mark Taper Forum at The Music Center, 135 N. Grand Ave. in Downtown L.A.
