Luise Miller

Synopsis

Blood of ancient nobility and son of the most powerful statesman in the land, Ferdinand is willing to forsake his fortune for the love of Luise, daughter of a humble musician. But in a world governed by deception and greed, where power is everything, their future happiness and liberty are beyond their control. Schiller's masterpiece of power and politics explores the battle between honour and corruption, between truth and betrayal.

Our Review:

Michael Coveney - 14 June 2011

Michael Grandage’s penultimate production as artistic director of the Donmar, Schiller’s bourgeois tragedy Luise Miller, may not have the grandiloquence and epic sweep of his Don Carlos six years ago (which came from the Sheffield Crucible to the West End), but it’s a different kettle of German herring altogether.

Schiller’s third play is written in prose, as opposed to the sonorous verse of Don Carlos, and centres on the tragic consequences of a social mismatch in the love affair of a musician’s daughter, Luise (Felicity Jones), and his pupil, Ferdinand (Max Bennett), who happens to be the son of the Chancellor (Ben Daniels).

Things start to go wrong when the Chancellor tries to force his son’s marriage to an English courtesan, Lady Milford (Alex Kingston), thereby thwarting young love, consolidating his corrupt power base and easing his political position with the unseen Prince.

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Latest User Review

David Baxter - 29 July 2011:

It could be argued that it was his production of Don Carlos which brought Michael Grandage to the attention of the London theatre audience and, although he didn't direct, Mary Stuart was an early highlight of his reign at the Donmar. Therefore it is fitting that Grandage revisits Schiller as his wildly successful period at this wonderful theatre comes to an end. The first half of Luise Miller is superb as Ben Daniels' Chancellor schemes to break up his son's infatuation with a lowly musician's daughter in order to marry him off to the Prince's mistress to protect his own hold on power. Grandage's taut production is greatly enhanced by Paule Constable's characteristically atmospheric lighting. After the interval some of Schiller's twists and turns become confusing and contradictory leading up to a climax lifted from Romeo and Juliet. As almost always at the Donmar the acting is superb: Felicity Jones is deeply touching as Luise and still looks young enough to be a believable 16-year old; Paul Higgins and Finty Williams are superb as her parents and John Light is creepily convincing as the aptly named Wurm. Luise Miller might not be quite in the same league as some of his later plays but in Grandage's hands it becomes memorable....

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