The Great Work of ‘Rudolf II’

It makes sense to stage the play in the emperor’s bedchamber. Here a crimson runner draws your eye to Rudolf’s bed, which may as well be a throne. Rudolf II was prone to depressive, reclusive if not eccentric behavior. Often the historical Rudolf, when he wasn’t collecting art or experimenting with alchemy, would lock himself up in his room for weeks. He is said to have attempted suicide many times. And it is immediately after one of his botched suicide attempts that we are introduced to the king, played brilliantly by Timothy McCown Reynolds.

Rudolf has attempted to hang himself, but failed and as is coming to when the spirit of Libuše (Adriana Disman) — the prophetess and some argue tragic founder of Prague—greets him and introduces the audience to a little Bohemian (read Czech) history.

As the story unravels, Libuše explains the plays ongoing theme — a “true alchemists’” quest for the Great Work — and we the audience whom face each other like paparazzi gawking on at a celebrity-clad, red carpet affair, fade into the background. A king’s private life was rarely private, we later learn. We as the audience are the pages, the cooks, and the valets who spy as his majesty goes about his sexual and emotional and sometimes mental rampages.

It is important to note that when Rudolf II became king of Bohemia he moved the imperial court to Prague and transformed the city into a hub of scholarly, artistic and humanistic endeavors drawing in many occult scientists who experimented with alchemy, astrology, and Enochian magic (hence Rudolf’s many references to Enochian, the apocryphal language of angels in the script).

Rudolf’s art collection was said to be one of the best in Europe at the time with seminal works that would make any art history teacher blush.

One of the many entertaining aspects of the play, besides the location, is playwright Edward Eihnorn’s penchant for witty dialog. One good example of this is when we meet the handsome Philip Lang (Jack Schaub) just after Rudolf’s opening suicide attempt. The noose around the king’s neck becomes a reference to autoerotic asphyxiation. Phillip is also a converted Jew, and as result is circumcised. His “deformity” is one of many “perversions” the king relishes, when he’s not pretending to restrict oxygen to his own brian of course.

“Would you mind showing me this circumcision of yours?” Probes the king. Reynolds is very careful in his performance to carefully tread the line of flirtation and curiosity here. But just as Phillip is about to give in and undress, the king interrupts, “Wait. Let’s talk a while more. Then later, if we so decide, the penis.”

Surely, the Rudolf of today would find much amusement in the Christopher St sex stops of the West Village. These are the moments that make “Rudolf” the play as memorable as it is fun to watch. The costumes are exquisite and rarely do audiences have the chance to experience the detailing (from the turquoise table used for divination to the men’s slinky tights to the hooks and eyes on the women’s corsets) so closely. The play includes a life chorus and a 4-piece musical ensemble that includes a guitar, violin, flute, and clarinet. The overall production looks expensive and belies the $18 entrance fee. Live music; live singing, and live theatre all for under $20? You’d have to be “Habsburg mad” not to go see “Rudolf II.”

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On Friday March 19, after the 7PM show, guests are invited to attend the Costume Ball and Reception hosted by the Kings Mistress, “Katerina Strada. The event includes Baroque dancing, fortune telling, and alchemical cocktails. Tickets $50.