Tour
2009
|
Starring:
Mark Arden
Steven Blakeley
Daniela Lavender
Louisa Lytton
Gabriel Thomson
Robert J Williamson
Click here for
full cast biographies. |
2009
reviews
Much Ado About Nothing is the first of
two plays being performed in one tour by the British Shakespeare
Company. As a set for this production Kirkstall Abbey could
have been tailor made: the old stone walls with their arched
doorways and expanse of green made, with the addition of a
bench and two plant-strewn statues - the better to hide behind
- a perfect set for Leonato’s
gardens as well as for the road in front of his house and was,
when touched by flickering torchlight, an eerily beautiful setting
for Hero’s “tomb”. Scenery alone, of course,
cannot make a play.
Much Ado as a play is fatally easy to perform as all wit and
no substance, the quips, jests and retorts of the bantering characters
being emphasised to the loss of any greater depth. This did not
happen here.
Martha Swann as
Beatrice left the audience in no doubt that she had been involved
with Benedict prior to this visit and that the end of the relationship
was none of her choosing. She was a self-conscious wit, pointing
the end of every jibe, emphasising the punch line lest some may
fail to see how clearly she was enjoying the verbal sparring,
repeatedly insisting that she wanted nothing to do with any
man and most particularly not with Benedict. Yet it was clear
from her first speech that this was far from true and when,
at times, she became serious her sincerity was horribly poignant.
David Davies as Don Pedro likewise showed
a man trapped behind a public visage: he, always aware of his
station, maintained a properly decorous image unable to relax
lest he reveal the man beneath. When, in contrast, he was required
for his ruses sake to play a part he seized upon the role with
gusto; Balthasar being omitted from this production the Don
himself took up a guitar to play “Sigh no more” in
the style of a tragically romantic troubadour and indulged
himself enormously in his recounting of Beatrice’s supposed
love-agony. One could well believe that so propriety-bound
a public figure might embrace the opportunity to play the fool
awhile.
Particularly worthy of note was Louisa
Lytton’s Hero:
very young, very eager and very much in love she was a believably
light hearted, innocent maiden. Growing in confidence throughout
the first half of the play she slowly responded to Claudio’s
embraces growing surer of him every time they were together till
the watcher looked with dread anticipation toward the inevitable
wedding. This was all that it promised to be: her happiness snatched
from her and love thrown back in her face she was suddenly not
a silly girl but a woman betrayed and bewildered. Her fainting
fit was entirely natural and believable indeed had her death
been more than mere rumour it would have seemed not at all strange
in the light of her character and reactions.
Fortunately, for it is a comedy, the
production was not all subtext and character studies: Beatrice
was as sharp and Williamson’s Benedict as cutting as could be desired, the latter being both
charming and witty, a perfect foil for Gabriel
Thomson as an
inarticulate Claudio who grew eloquent only in rage. Throughout
the play the audience was rocked with laughter, not laugh-to-show-we-know-it’s-a-comedy
laughter, not even we’ve-seen-the-film-and-know-where-the-jokes-go
laughter but the true, unsuppressable, riotous laughter of the
deeply amused. Mark Arden’s Dogberry in particular was
magnificently funny; with the manner of a sergeant major but
without the ability he gave a performance of Pythonesque hilarity
which never failed to hold everyone in stitches and excused even
a slightly odd character substitution which saw Borachio recounting
his wicked doings not to Conrad but to Don John himself, the
man who paid him and who had already witnessed the whole scene.
All in all it was an enthralling performance which left me sighing
for more and greatly looking forward to the second production
of the tour.
The seasonal theatrical drought was touched
by an oasis this weekend as the British
Shakespeare Company (BSC) stormed the city and the Summer Shakespeare Festival
at the castle. After months of Czech-only productions of the
Bard in Prague, the visiting Brits were much anticipated and
well-received. Actor/director R. J. Williamson expected a good
turnout and an exciting series of performances for BSC's first
appearance in the city, and he was not disappointed. "I
was in Prague in the early '90s," he
explained via telephone. "I remember
seeing Havel waving to crowds at the castle, so coming back here
to perform in the festival that he helped create is poignant."
The performance of Much
Ado About Nothing on Aug. 21 highlighted
BSC's commitment to promoting full-cast productions of the plays,
staged as originally intended by the author. A delightfully confident
cast took obvious pleasure in their work, and their sense of
whimsy was contagious. A minimal set sufficed admirably, augmented
as it was by Williamson's artful blocking.
All in all, the festival was much enhanced by the addition of
the British company. Williamson and Co. will no doubt be welcomed
back next year.
James Walling, The
Prague Post 26.08.09
After seeing what this company could
do with Much Ado About Nothing I expected to thoroughly enjoy
their performance of A Midsummer
Night’s Dream. Alas
it was not to be. Not because the production was substandard;
indeed it bade fair to rival their previous performance, but
because I was forced to leave during the first act.
What I saw however was magnificent. The
scene (set against the same backdrop as Much Ado minus the
bench and with the addition of some stone “buddha” heads to invoke the Indian
Boy) opened to mischievously dancing fairies who quickly set
the tone for the night’s magical mayhem before scampering
off at the approach of Theseus and his Hippolyta.
An extraordinary Hippolyta: whereas the
character is frequently reduced to a cipher, merely a bride
for Theseus, here Daniela Lavender was every inch the Amazon
Queen. Stately and elegant yet strong willed and independent
she did not simply speak her lines as has happened so often
before; this Hippolyta spoke her mind, skilfully warded off
the cozening of her husband-to-be, shielded Hermia from her
father’s wrath and finally strode
off the stage in clear disgust at the barbaric customs of Athens,
leaving Theseus to exit in some disquiet.
I very much looked forward to seeing how Theseus
and Hippolyta would become Oberon and Titania, unfortunately
I cannot compare their performances here. While I saw enough
of the thwarted lovers to feel immense sympathy for their plight
and for their great youth, as portrayed by Jaqueline
Wilder and Gabriel
Thomson,
and can confirm that Martha Swann is a truly
flexible actress, as believable as a woefully bedraggled Helena
as she was as Beatrice, I can say no more than this.
Oh excellent indeed.
There's something pleasingly authentic about watching Shakespeare
outdoors and set amid the ruins of Kirkstall Abbey you're quite
literally dripping in history. A Midsummer
Night's Dream is also
an excellent choice as its mixture of romance, comedy and magic
keeps audiences entertained and it's arguably still his most
popular play.
This is the third time I've
seen a British Shakespeare Company production and this was probably
the best. The play's director Robert J
Williamson has assembled
a hugely impressive cast and there were fine performances throughout.
Many eyes were on former EastEnders star Louisa
Lytton, as Cobweb,
who took to her role with mischievous aplomb.
But if I had to single out one of the cast it would be Steven
Blakeley whose irreverent Puck set the tone for the rest of the
play.
Williamson's playful direction maintained the lively pace and
by the end of a riotous performance the actors were caked in
mud and deserved every drop of applause from an appreciative
audience.
Chris Bond, Yorkshire Post 31.07.09
A welcome return of the BSC
to Kirkstall Abbey after a year's absence saw a revival of their
singular interpretation of A
Midsummer Night's Dream. After a wet and changeable day
it looked like a wet and gloomy evening was in store but the
rain held off and the sky cleared to provide surprisingly pleasant
conditions. The ground was, however, very soft and wet making
conditions less than ideal for the performers and, in a play
that involves much falling down and laying upon the ground, leaving
them somewhat muddied by the end. On this occasion there was
no set, save two tall slender lion-headed columns which served
to hold the curtains for the play within a play - but then, in
the superb surroundings of the Abbey nothing else was necessary.
Director Robert
J. Williamson reprised
his wonderfully funny interpretation of Bottom, a mesmeric
characterisation wherein a light sprinkling of Harold Steptoe
adds piquancy to a generous helping of Baldrick. An overly
enthusiastic and blissfully inept David
Davies also returned
in equally confident vein as Theseus/Oberon - an exceedingly
charismatic actor with a deep, resonant voice commanding the
'stage' whenever he appears. His Hyppolita/Titania on this
occasion was Brazilian actress Daniela
Lavender, tall and very
elegant, she was every inch the fairy queen and recherchÈ duchess
- a woman clearly accustomed to being on top. Steven
Blakeley (PC Younger in Heartbeat)
gave us a very different puck than that of Wayne
Sleep three
years ago, more the gormless inept of his TV persona than Sleep's
cheeky chappy. In his early appearances it didn't quite seem
to work, but as events progressed and he became more involved
in the action it really came together in a very funny and superbly
engaging performance. Luciano Dodero as Demetrius and Gabriel
Thomson Lysander gave good workmanlike performances although
the latter was, perhaps, a little too dour and lacking in vitality.
Jacqueline Wilder, on the other hand, gave us a charming, sympathetic
and immensely likeable Hermia whilst Martha
Swann's performance
as Helena was nothing less than supreme, a real tour-de-force
of rattled discomposure and bruised innocence - a masterpeice
of casting. Her injured indignation when Lysander and Demetrius
suddenly transfer their affections and commence squabbling over
her, which she assumes to be a trick to make fun of her, is a
real joy, as is the moment when Hermia reacts to her imagined
tempting away of her beloved and chases her around the Abbey
cloister - "though she be but little,
she is fierce." The fairys, led by Louisa
Lytton as Cobweb
and Rebecca Alin Jayns as Peaseblossom capered delightfully on
the soggy ground adding fairy magic to the proceedings (and I
would have loved to have heard more of the latter's exquisite
singing).
This was a production in which the emphasis is very much on
the fantastical aspects and comedy of the story and ends on a
real high note when the 'rude mechanicals' perform their play
at the wedding celebration. Played strictly for laughs and full
of sight gags, this sendup of theatrical amateurishness is uproariously
funny and Williamson' gloriously hammy' Bottom, crowning a veritable
farrago of silliness, will long live in the memory. Overall a
production with plenty to admire with direction that drives the
production forward at a cracking pace and certainly received
an enthusiastic response from the audience.
A very pleasant midsummer evening.
Once again, the BSC deliver Shakespeare which is approachable
and immensely entertaining. A real crowd-pleaser.
Whilst the
story of Much Ado centers
around the troubles afflicting the union of the young lovers
Claudio and Hero, the comedy is largely underpinned by the much
more interesting sub-plot of the battle of the sexes between
Beatrice and Benedick. Director Robert
J. Williamson, who excels
in Shakespeare's comic roles, is again superb as Benedick but
it is Martha Swann, as Beatrice, exceeding even
her standout performance as Helena in the previous production
of A
Midsummer Night's Dream, that puts the real life and
soul into this production. Her slightly manic grin belying her
sarcastic outbursts is utterly infectious, totally dominating
the stage whenever she appears, and her feverish manner hints
compellingly at the underlying melancholy hiding beneath the
veil of jocularity and captures perfectly the essential ambivalence
of her character - the protester against love who desperately
wants to be loved. The chemistry between Williamson and Swann was
electric, adding real piquancy to the witty antagonism between
them and genuine realism to the self-denial of their true feelings.
The only criticism could be that they so totally overshadowed Gabriel
Thomson and
Louisa Lytton as Claudio and Hero that we end
up caring little about the young lovers and remain instead on
tenterhooks as to the outcome between Benedick and Beatrice.
If Lytton's performance
was a little subdued on this occasion, however, that was explained
by the announcement before the start that she was suffering from
a bronchial viral infection but had insisted, in true show-business
spirit, on performing - and if her performance was a little
lacking in energy she never-the-less delivered all her lines
with perfect clarity.
The
arrival of the watchmen after the interval provided some of the
best laugh-out-loud moments in the production with Mark
Arden's addle-headed, toadying Dogberry being totally
hilarious and Steven Blakeley's dim-witted Verges
providing a perfect foil.
On a balmy, if somewhat overcast,
summer evening in the idyllic surroundings of Kirstall Abbey
this was a bright and breezy production that has real-life and
vitality. As with the previous production in this year's tour,
the emphasis is very much on the comedy and there are plenty
of visual gags. But it never sacrifices the essential drama and
poignancy that underly the bitter-sweet story and keep the viewer
gripped from start to finish.
Amatory, delightful and hilarious in turns - a must see. For
anyone who doesn't find Shakespeare's comedies funny this is
the production to change their minds.
Director Robert
J Williamson brought us a show that was crystal
clear and fun from the start. Everybody secretly loves Peter
Quince and the mechanicals the best (well, I do) and what a treat
they were. Mark Arden as Peter Quince was the closest thing to
perfection in the role I’ve ever seen. Then again, David
Vale as Snout was a lesson in the watching, especially with his
hairy brown spaniel in the last act. Even the telly talent could
hold the stage: Heartbeat’s Steven
Blakeley squeezed every
ounce out of Puck.
Eve Stabbing, Eastern Daily Press, 17th July 2009
|
