Since it’s first performance at the Royal Court in 1994, Stephen Jeffrey’s play The Libertine has found it’s way into audition rooms, drama schools across the world, it’s even been made into a film… and the opening speech repeated and repeated and quoted and quoted, it is as difficult to handle as any of Hamlet’s soliloquies.

“Allow me to be frank at the commencement. You will not like me. The gentlemen will be envious and the ladies will be repelled. You will not like me now and you will like me a good deal less as we go on…”

The Libertine follows the story of John Wilmot, the Second Earl of Rochester – a man of grand excess and intelligence – and of insatiable and uncontrollable appetite. At once this is a portrait of English nobility and their gross and excessive freedoms and lifestyle, but also a morality tale in itself – asking the question can a man be crippled by freedom?

This is largely a play which is a favourite amongst theatre folk because it looks at theatre and acting as a craft on the stage, as much as it examines social expectation and acting in civil society. It is where the theatre and life are mirroring each other endlesslessly and the infinite vision of the images bouncing back and forth make it nearly impossible to distinguish the beginning and the end to the role play.

I’m not one to recount the plot. If you need to know the plot – check out the website, or another review. I refuse to be the one to spoil the spontaneous delight of discovering this story.

From the moments we are nestled into our red velvet seats at the Darlinghurst we know we are in good hands. The stage is embellished with gently warmed mirrored doors, and soft gauzy curtains. It is a dreamy and romantic set mellowly lit. It feels like another world and time – as it should. It is. And the duty of the production is to transform us in time and space – and this production does. Beautifully.

Class and preoccupation fully inhabit all actors. They work effortlessly together as an ensemble and form a bright pulsing swarm of ideas on stage – so complete, so present are they all, so spontaneous and lithe in action and voice that I hunger to see each of them return to the stage – whether servant or nobility. What I know for certain is that the balance has been found here in this cast – a balance between preparedness and the thrill of an energetic performance.

Casting is everything.

For many Anthony Gooley is an obvious choice for Rochester – it seems to date his working canon has been leading to this role… for me I find it hard to shake my experience of his previous incantations and find it hard to find even a slight amount of compassion for him… the burden of having embodied some tough already? I wish to see a softer, less declamatory Gooley – even momentarilly – and wonder when and if this opportunity will ever come?

On the other end of the spectrum a largely “unknown” Danielle King (not unknown to me, I’ve had my eye on her since early 2010 when she delivered one of the best auditions I have ever seen – and no I didn’t offer her a role – I was looking for someone twice her age and she appeared in Off the Shelf early last year). King possesses that rare ability to be many things at once – both fiercely strong and yet elegantly fragile. She also has the quality that I admire and yet few actors possess – a way of listening to what’s going on, on stage without losing the spontaneousness of her own thoughts. She is, quite spellbinding.

Infact all the actors – many who I know, have worked with, or have seen previously, all of them possess a great generosity on stage – and perhaps that is a part of what makes this such a warm experience.

This is not usually my preferred style of work -It’s international (very British), very long (make sure you are well rested, fed and toiletted before sitting down – it’s 3 hours) – but when something is beautfully considered, well presented, elegantly measured and carefully crafted for an audience to enjoy, and ruminate on – how could I do anything but surrender to it’s story? This is one of the best independent productions of the year – and certainly one of the smoothest, and highest quality productions I have seen at The Darlinghurst in a long time.

I’m just not sure you’ll be able to get a ticket, I hear it’s selling out.