Patrick Wang’s “A Rimbaud”: A Three-Hour One-Man Exploration of the Poet’s Radical Shift

The experimental theater piece “A Rimbaud,” directed and curated by filmmaker Patrick Wang, presents the life of French poet Arthur Rimbaud as a single-actor performance lasting close to three hours. Staged in a stark black-box environment, the show intermittently incorporates back-projected footage of natural landscapes to break the visual austerity.

The Guardian

Wang’s approach emphasizes theatrical minimalism: the sole performer, Australian actor Blake Draper, occupies the space alone, addressing imagined interlocutors—including his mother, sister, and lover Paul Verlaine—through spoken monologue and symbolic sound cues. Musical instruments stand in for Verlaine’s voice, while Draper’s physicality shifts to reflect Rimbaud’s evolving identity, from floppy-haired youth to moustached merchant. The production’s “microbudget epic” aesthetic relies on the black-box setting and projected imagery rather than elaborate sets or costumes.

The Guardian

The first act traces Rimbaud’s escape from his provincial hometown of Charleville to Paris, his impoverished existence, and his tumultuous relationship with Verlaine. The second act follows Rimbaud’s abrupt abandonment of poetry for a career as an export merchant operating in Cyprus and Africa. The review notes that the transition is portrayed with “vigorous mature competence,” yet the motives behind this radical change remain deliberately opaque, reflecting the historical uncertainties surrounding Rimbaud’s later life.

The Guardian

• Patrick Wang – Director and curator, known for experimental film work, overseeing the conceptual framework of the piece.

The Guardian

• Blake Draper – Actor portraying Arthur Rimbaud, delivering the extended monologue with an English accent tinged by Scouse inflection.

The Guardian

• Runtime: approximately three hours, presented as an episodic, continuous performance.

The Guardian

• Setting: black-box stage with occasional back-projection of outdoor scenes.

The Guardian

• Budget: described as a “microbudget epic,” emphasizing minimalist production values over elaborate design.

The Guardian

The piece offers a demanding, immersive experience that foregrounds Rimbaud’s enigmatic transformation, inviting audiences to confront the mysteries that still surround the poet’s shift from literary rebel to commercial trader.

The Guardian