Well, I wasn’t expecting much from this, and in some regards was pleasantly surprised. While most of it certainly is pseudo-intellectual and poetic waffle, it isn’t the trainwreck some of the critics have made out. It’s presented with great style, there’s some excellent acting and it raises a few interesting points about the different types of women that these characters represent (youth, religion, lust, conformity, poverty), even if I can’t remember exactly what they were. That’s the problem with such flowery language- a slightly more naturalistic translation might have helped to bring the ideas across more effectively. The whole thing is so incredibly stylised and it’s difficult to connect with it on a human level. I commend the cast for doing as credible a job as they possibly can with the material. The premise is a really interesting one, and I can’t help wondering what a writer like Angela Carter could have done with it (cf The Bloody Chamber).
The good news is that the unpleasantness in the words is counterbalanced by the visual aesthetics. The costumes are divine and I especially liked the way that the colours all complemented each other (warm golds and bronzes in the first scene, then springlike pale greens and pinks, and finally greys when Madame Guillotine begins to come into action). Whilst probably not in line with Mishima’s original vision, quite a few lines (particularly in the first act) were played for laughs, in order to give the piece some light from the unrelenting gloom and debauchery. It’s also quite beautifully acted: Judi Dench is fine doing her imperious Judi Dench thing (I personally prefer her in softer roles, most recently Miss Matty in Cranford), but is overshadowed by Frances Barber as the salacious countess and Rosamund Pike in the title role. Barber plays her role with delightful wickedness and Pike does her best to make a potentially unbearable character sympathetic. She is quite mesmerising in her final monologue, even though it’s quite a thankless role as her devotion to her husband is one of those things that could never satisfactorily explained in a month of Sundays.
It’s not greatest thing I’ve ever seen, but I’ve certainly had worse evenings in the theatre. August: Osage County for one- now, that was a play for masochists 
(This review refers to a performance that took place on April 16th 2009)
