The Tempest at the RSC!

Last night's performance of The Tempest at the Royal Shakespeare Company was magical, but not in the traditional sense. Jonathan Slinger as Prospero delivers a haunting performance. His staff was little more than a piece of driftwood come ashore and his coat a dirty suite jacket. Under the direction of  David Farr, the production delivers an intelligent interpretation of William Shakesepare's final play.

The tropical island described in the text appears as a muddy wasteland. The concept feels modern, but not labored. Prospero's cell, and the sea, resemble a large refrigerated unit or fish tank placed upstage. The walls convert from opaque to translucent. The cube created unique visual images of life inside the tempest.

Sandy Grierson stands out as the doppelganger of Prospero, subtle and still in his portrayal of Ariel. His performance delivered the mysterious supernatural appeal of Ariel, struggling with human emotion - a very smart choice and dynamic in his simplicity.

All in all, a very successful production.



Brace Yourself for Troilus and Cressida

Last night’s RSC performance of Troilus and Cressida left me feeling bewildered, confused, and slightly foolish. The prospect of New York’s Wooster Group coming together with the RSC seemed exciting. The experimental project, directed by Elizabeth LeCompte (of NY) and Mark Ravenhill (of the RSC), brought Rupert Goold’s original conception to fruition. Yet, somehow I wonder if this is the sort of theatre even the controversial Goold would stand behind.

The production highlights the juxtaposition of Greek and Trojan cultures, bring the Trojans to life as war torn Native Americans.  The Wooster group attempted to theatrically embody the ritualized and stereotyped Native American culture. While I do not agree with all of their choices (I will explain this later) I do want to bring attention to some of the critical receptions of the play - some of which have  bashed The Wooster Group for all of the wrong reasons.

Michael Billington of The Gaurdian wrote:

“Many past productions have highlighted the differences between the chivalric Trojans and the pragmatic Greeks. That is pushed to the limit here with LeCompte's actors all wired for sound, presenting the Trojans as beseiged Native Americans. Politically, there is something questionable about modern white Americans appropriating past tribal customs; and, however authentic the war cries and dances, the actors can't help resembling extras in a Bob Hope western.”

I would just like to say to Mr. Billington that this is exactly the point.  What audiences are failing to recognize is that The Wooster Group was less authentic in their interpretation of Native Americans and more stereotypical of the Hollywood ideal.  This was expressed with the multiple television screens which showed clips of Native American films throughout the performance which the actors mimicked. As for the decision to provide the actors with microphones, we only can speculate. Perhaps the Wooster group, as Billington suggests, were unable to successfully fill the theatre with their voices and therefore were placed on microphones to project their voices. However, there was quite a bit of live music during their section, which would have been virtually impossible to project over; and furthermore, the moments that were occupied by silence and the lone actor were all the more eerie because of the echoing effect – reminiscent of the echo across the empty plain.  But maybe that is too generous.

What I did have a major problem with was the performances of the Troilus and Cressida – both being far too concerned with their exact replication of the video replay on the television screens then with the text itself. Scott Shepherd (Troilus) and Marin Ireland (Cressida) both gave a flat performance, devoid of meaning. Most importantly they forgot to tell the story! I complete agree with Billington that “this production… is that it does nothing to enhance our understanding of the play.”

On the flip side, if you can call it that, the Greeks show stronger stamina in camouflage as modern day soldiers. They certainly appear the stronger actors, not reliant on microphones and elaborate stylization.  Joe Dixon comes to the stage with the right amount of flare and energy, presenting the opposite of our imaginings of the heroic Achiles. Zubin Varla delivers Thersites's narrative commentary in a wheelchair and dressed as a transvestite. Of these, only Scott Handy as Ulysses delivers an intelligent performance representative of the RSC. This is yet another example of the RSC trying to push the boundaries, but falling short.

The major problem of the play was its lack of reliability – an alienation effect that was probably semi-intentional. Nearly half of the audience walked out during the performance. This was a failure on the audience’s part to accept art, in a crowd heavily reliant on “traditional” and “authentic” Shakespeare. However, there was also a failure on this productions ability to effectively tell the story – an element fundamental to the enjoyment of a performance. My recomendation is to embrace experimental theatre, however hard it may seem.

Read more at The Gaurdian and The Telegraph.

AYLI Review!

Sandy Holt from The Stratford Herald sang praises for our production of As You Like It at the Shakespeare Institute.  Naming it our "best performance to date."

I got a small mention in the article concerning my performance as Rosalind, words of encouragement that I am happy to share with you today:

"Jamie Sowers provided a convincing Rosalind who worked well with a strongly cast Cecilia Kendall White as Celia. These two offered the audience just the right balance of heroine, quaintness, determination and grace."

Check out the article here.

An inventive Twelfth Night!

Kate Parson's new company, Squeezed, presents a 3 person adaptation of Twelfth Night coming to a pub near you! This innovative 1 hour production is sure to please with many laughs to go around.

Armed with two large baskets, hand puppets, and kazoos, these actors know how to put on a show.  This clever production, slap-stick at times, managed to evoke the touching love story central to the plot of the play. Parsons as actor and director made use of each actor's strengths.

Laura Young plays Viola, Sabastian, Maria, and a plethora of other characters.

Jon Harvey plays Orsino and Malvolio among others.

And the lovely Kate Parsons plays Olivia and everyone in between.

Make sure you don't miss this one!

Love's Cure Performance

After standing in as Clara in the final dress rehearsal of Love's Cure, I was excited to see the show from the audience tonight in the Shakespeare Institute Hall.

This morning the play took its final shape, complete with set, costumes, and enthusiastic performances. The last staged performance of Love’s Cure, or The Martial Maid, was an extraordinary 400 years ago. This morning José Pérez Díez treated us to the staged reading of the play as part of his thesis project. Directed by Robert Ball, and written by John Fletcher (an apprentice and collaborator of William Shakespeare), this play was sure to please at the onset. None-the-less, Love's Cure delivered many delightful surprises along the way, including men in drag, sword fighting, and comical disguises.

The play takes place in the Spanish city of Seville and concerns a feud between two aristocratic houses, Don Pedro de Vitelli and Don Ferdinando de Alvarez.  The family of Alvarez proves the most "dysfunctional" as his daughter, Clara, has been raised as a boy and his son, Lucio, has been raised as a girl. When the two siblings are united early in the play, they must cast off their upbringing and return to their proper gender roles. To complicate matters further, Clara instantly falls in love with Vitelli. Love triangles and mistaken identities are abound in this play, full of gender dysphoria.

Robert Ball has cleverly staged this production with original practices in mind, employing an all male cast, live music, classical costumes, and a three entrance set.

Through my brief involvement with the production I have fallen in love with this gem of a play. Congratulations to all on a job well done.

Richard III at the RSC!

When I think of Shakespeare's Richard III, I think of darkness, manipulation, murder, and deceit; Roxana Silbert's RSC production delivers all these. Jonjo O'Neill provides an engaging Richard, both the powerful and humorous in his depiction of Shakespeare's hunchback king. His humor is chilling and his command of the language renders is colloquial, easily understood and delivered. He smiles in the face of his own villainy, a daring choice which has created mixed reviews. However, I am inclined to accept and embrace this choice, because it allows to audience to participate more wholly in the action. We are able to feel the fun and excitment that Richard feels, while the voiceover plays in the back of our minds, "This is wrong. This is horrible. This is madness."

Pippa Nixon as Lady Ann, in contrast to her amazing performances this season in Cardenio and King John, appears masculine, stiff, and uninspiring. Paola Dionisotti as Queen Margaret and Siobhan Redmond as Elizabeth stand out as the strongest female leads this season. Dionisotti in particular gives a rather youthful bodied Margaret, spritly and battle ready - another bold choice that works well against the modern military backdrop of the play.



Read more reviews at:
The Gaurdian
The Stage
Year of Shakespeare

Alan Cumming's Macbeth

Tonight I had the privilege to see Alan Cumming in his one (well-almost one) man Macbeth at the National Theatre in Glasgow.  The Tramway was packed tonight and full of the heat of excitement. So much so, that a woman fainting during the performance and had to be ushered out the the theatre.

Cummings harrowing interpretation of Macbeth stems from a madman mentality, as he negotiates the setting of a dilapidated mental asylum. Co-directed by John Tiffany and Andrew Goldberg, this is Macbeth done in solitary confinement. Two mostly silent actors (Ali Craig and Myra McFadyen) find thier way onto the stage as hospital orderlies, caring for their patient and leaving Cumming to play every major role in Shakespeare's tragedy. Cumming plays a character beyond the text, allowing Shakespeare’s character to inhabit his mind and body. Devlivering striking vulnerability, Cumming plays each character distinctly in what must be an exhausting performance.

Cumming certainly gave an award winning performance. I wouldn't be surprised if he were nominated for multiple awards this season.

Propeller's Henry V

In 2007 I spent a whirlwind month traveling with Chapman University on their annual London Theatre Tour.  During that time I saw at least one theatre production a day, sometimes two.  At the time I was not an avid blogger, but I did keep a written journal of my experiences as I saturated myself in the theatrical world of London.

I remember one play in particular: The Taming of the Shrew at the Old Vic. The production, presented by an all male ensemble, shed new light on the play for me. While maintaining the inherent comedic humor of the play, I found the transformation of Kate from a shrew to an obedient woman tragic and devastating. I thought, "this is how it should be played," and have compared every production I have seen to this one ever since. Little did I know that I would return to see this theatre company again in action.

Last night I was privileged to see Propeller's production of Henry V at the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry. This production is edgy, fresh, and energetic. Unlike the Taming I saw a few years ago, the women roles served merely as comic relief, but perhaps that is unsurprising considering the way in which Shakespeare crafted this play around the lives of soldiers.

Duguld Bruce-Lockhart plays a convincing, yet unsympathetic king. I found his vocal quality and energy thrilling. However, I had difficulty connecting to his character.  The best thing about Propeller seems to be the ensemble as a whole, rather than individual performances. Each ensemble member pulls his own weight through song, dance, feats of strength, and community. In true "band-of-brothers" fashion, the chorus became the ultimate story-tellers.

Check out the Unofficial Blog to keep up to date on all of their happenings and press.

Visit Propeller's Official Website.

Overnight in London

I got my dose of theatre for the weekend.  My flatmate (Jude) and I went into London on Saturday just for an overnight trip. We took the train there from Stratford. It was a nice ride through the country.

When we arrived we dropped out bags off at a local hostel - Then went into central London to grab some last minute theatre tickets.

First we saw Noises Off at the Old Vic - A rather fun afternoon show. Our seats were terrible as we bought limited viewing seats for only 10 quid. We could only see about half of the stage and we had to stand through the performance in order to see that much. In a sitting position we were only able to see down stage left - A tragedy, since the second act relies so heavily on physical comedy. Luckily, I am very familiar with the play, centering around several inept actors and a director struggling to put on a production of a terribly written play, while triangulating relationships progress into farcical situations.

In the evening we were blessed to see Travelling Light at the National Theatre. The play, featuring Anthony Sher, was truly imaginative and visually spectacular. The play, directed by Nicholas Hytner, tells the story of a famous Hollywood director of the 1930s and 40s who looks back at his youth in an east European shtetl. Through the art of "moving pictures" the young man experiences love, loss, and struggles to find his identity. I found the performance very moving.

After the performance we checked into the hostel. Our room smelled like feet and contained 3 snorers of epic proportions. We did not get any sleep, and were glad to depart the next morning. We took the train back from London, but one of our trains was canceled, so we spent the last hour of our journey on a bus.

I am glad to be home, but miss the big city. I hope to make a longer trip to London later next month.

A Magical Measure?

Tonight's performance of the RSC's Measure for Measure at the Swan highlighted the greatness of Shakespeare's lesser known and appreciated masterpiece. The moralizing quality of the play showed through in the performance of Jodie McNee as Isabella. With her Northern English accent, this actress stepped into the spotlight bringing heart and intelligence to her role.

Another noteworthy performance of the night, Joseph Kloska as Pompey delighted the audience will as a comic deviant of posh society.

The only flaw resided in the lack-luster use of bondage, leather and whips between scenes. A conceptual addition that did not seem to take shape, shock or be anything other than a peculiar irregularity.

Raymond Coulthard as the Duke seems likable at times, though not aggressive enough in his desires to attain Isabella's heart. His literal magic act, producing letters out of thin air, became a gimmick that distracted from more then it aided to the interpretation of his role. Similarly, Jamie Ballard as Angelo was neither detestable nor likeable - sexually desiring the novice, Isabella, but not taking steps to ensure her recoil from him - in short he was not scary or cruel enough.

All was made better in the end with the ambiguous ending surmounting in Isabella's choice. The hesitant Isabella did not make her choice with ease, but took the time to contemplate her decision, even changing her mind in the final moments of the play. But the ending will not be revealed here, for every able person to get down to the theatre to see this one for themselves.

Robin Hood Warms Hearts

The Heart of Robin Hood is the family show this season at the RSC. While the content and dialog of the show is underdeveloped, the visual spectacle of the production are truly remarkable. Reviews among students have been mixed - Let's face it, this isn't Shakespeare. However, the evening watching this play is quite enjoyable. A little too slap-stick at times, this play is charming enough in its tender moments of love and compassion.

It also helps that there are a few merry men, including Robin Hood himself, clad in leather pants, looking surprisingly fit for forest people.

As a slight reversal from the popular conception of Robin Hood, the lovely Maid Marion is the 'good guy' and Robin Hood a little less of a heroic figure. Yet loves conquers all in this entertaining adaptation.

Written on the Heart

The Royal Shakespeare Company honors the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible with their new production, Written on the Heart. The play examines how the King James Bible was written and ultimately came into being.

The playwright, David Edgar, brings both historical events and the power of the faith and the heart into the forefont of his play. Though difficult to follow at times, there is no deneying the talented actors of the RSC. This is probably one of the best acted plays so far this season.

Stephen Boxer as William Tyndale and Oliver Ford Davies as Bishop Andrews give astounding performances in voice, body and emotion. It is the ultimate pleasure to hear and watch the two of them on the stage together, in a production that cannot be missed!

Midsummer at the RSC

An intriguing production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream closed last night at the Royal Shakespeare Company. The play began in a mod warehouse, with a cleverly laid out a plan for Hippolyta and Theseus to transform into Oberon and Titania. Jo Stone-Fewings and Pippa Nixon work beautifully together. The mechanicals appeared as maintenance workers in a dismal world of the 60's underground.

Bottom the Weaver, played by Marc Wootton, had his comic moments of inspiration - Although not always straying far from the typical nonsense of the mechanicals. This proved a little bit of a let-down in the final play-within-a-play, which proved funny but incessant.

The faeries were a bit tedious, and Hermia not-so-lovable. But, all was saved by Lucy Briggs-Owen as Helena, rightfully making her RSC debut. Her Helena appeared beautiful, yet somewhat ill-witted. Her clever and original depiction proved most comical and heartfelt. Although she worked against the verse at times, her Helena seemed more truly felt then any other character in the play.

Mirate/Sade Strikes Hard at the RSC

I have to say that I expected more from the RSC when I went to press night of Mirat/Sade. I expected to be shocked and horrified - or at least vaguely impressed. However, I felt none of this as I left the theatre. Perhaps I came to the theatre tonight with too many preconceived notions about what I was suppose to see.

Set in a mental asylum during the French revolution, Weiss's play shows inmates re-enacting the last days of political agitator Jean Paul Marat's life under the direction of the Marquis de Sade. The only thing I really took away from this production is its inherant questioning of societal behavior and griping music.

It was clear that some of the audience was a bit disturbed by the subject matter - reportedly an average of 30 audience members leave the show at intermission every night - yet this was not a production that inspired any feeling in me whatsoever.

This revival of a landmark production at the RSC, featuring many shocking theatrical devices and subject matters including torture, rape, insanity and other filthy behavior. Yet this inauthentic version is not impressing the critics. The Daily Mail calls it a "shocking waste of your money".

I suppose this is one of the LOVE / HATE shows. You either LOVE it, or you HATE it.

Macbeth at the Royal Shakespeare Company

The Royal Shakespeare Company brings their first performance in the remodeled Royal Shakespeare Theatre to life, with Michael Boyd's Macbeth. The play has been re-envisioned in a way that illuminates the prophecies of the play.

Although Jonathan Singer was cast as Macbeth after performances as Richard II and Richard III in the award-winning 2006 – 2008 Histories Cycle, it was Aidan Kelly who graced the stage as the title character. Kelly attacked the role with vigor, although his relationship with Lady Macbeth lacked passion and intrest.

David Boyd's most controversial reworking of the play is his replacement of the weird sisters with ghost-like children. SPOILER: Later in the production it is revealed that this prophetic youths are actually a projection of Macduff’s innocent children, brutally murdered by Macbeth's minions. Although the concept worked in the world of the play, it seemed an unnecessary addition that in turn eliminated much of Shakespeare's text.

Most noteworthy was the performance given by Daniel Percival as Macduff, whose tragic losses were felt in the last row of the upper circle.

The RSC's Macbeth is truly an unforgettable production, though a mixed bag of greatness and ineffectual intensions. Although, being back in the newly remodeled theatre melted away many disapointments of the day.