One of Shakespeare‘s lesser performed, and perhaps lesser known The Merchant of Venice receives its moment in the spotlight thanks to the communal and diverse theatre troupe, the East London Shakespeare Company.
One of Shakespeare‘s lesser performed, and perhaps lesser known The Merchant of Venice receives its moment in the spotlight thanks to the communal and diverse theatre troupe, the East London Shakespeare Company.
Justice. Mercy. Religion. Power. Sex. The former two words are at the core of this season at the Globe, and perhaps no other works of the bard better encapsulate those themes than Measure for Measure.
Henry V is a difficult play in many ways. Even by Shakespearean standards the text is dense, the moments of comedic relief are few and far between and the characters aren‘t exactly the most charming of the Old Bard‘s canon. In other words, this play requires work from both audience and cast and if it pays it can be something amazing.
The Lazarus Theatre Company use an all female cast in this production, combining it with a slightly surreal aesthetic to spice it all up but ultimately rely on the Bard‘s words to carry the story. It feels a tad stif at times, and placing the break at the end of the fourth act makes for a long first half. After the break the story picks up at a much faster pace, ending with a beautifully theatric coronation.
The best moments of the play are the numerous battles, which the company find ways of conveying on stage. Being it by blowing out candles or throwing tennis balls they find ways of showing grand wars on a small stage. Between them we are faced with a wall of text and despite the obvious skill of the actresses, they seem to lack the drive to keep the endless soliloquys alive and interesting. Colette O’Rourke does a fine job as Henry, especially during the monologues where she is calling her people to war.
Sophie Tanza Quinn and Kerry Willison-Parry also do wonders, both managing to stand out from the cast with their energy and also genuinly seeming to be enjoying themselves. The mood of the play is very sombre and it is easy to like the two actresses for mixing that up a bit.
Ultimately this is a perfectly decent show. Nothing spectacular but with just enough interesting bits mixed in. The aesthetic is interesting and the surrealism of it lends much needed colour. Despite that and the cast, it’s a very pure production, with the emphasis on the difficult text. 3/5
Review written by Ingimar Sverrisson.
Henry V is currently showing at the Union Theatre until Saturday 18th July. For more information on the production, visit here…
Ever sit down in the theatre and realise the play is in Russian? Because that will happen if you visit the Barbican Centre and to see Cheek by Jowl‘s Measure for Measure.
Ever wondered where the term, the ‘Green Eyed Monster’ originated from? Well it’s argued that Shakespeare coined the phrase in one of his greatest tragedies, Othello. A term associated with a strong feeling of jealousy, the phrase perfectly summarises the disastrous rise and fall of a once respected figure within society who finds himself torn between a web of lies spun by his ‘trustworthy’ best friend and the love of his life, whom he fears has committed an act of infidelity.
A Winter’s Tale at the Lion and Unicorn Theatre (Kentish Town) follows paranoid and jealous King Leontes as he accuses his wife of adultery and the repercussions this causes. The production has been given a steam punk make-over which, although it was a struggle to make a link with, was very asthetically pleasing. The production has been directed and adapted by Ross McGregor and runs at a concise two hours including the interval.
2015 marks a significant birthday for one of the most celebrated playwrights off all time. Shakespeare‘s works have been adapted and performed for centuries, having inspired the likes of Hollywood to famous paintings. This year has seen various companies and venues taking part in the birthday celebrations, from the London Globe Theatre announcing a worldwide tour of Hamlet to the National Theatre of Edinburgh and London producing the James plays trilogy. The East London Shakespeare Company, founded by Jesse Ayertey bridges the gap between Shakespeare and the younger generation with their adaptation of Romeo and Juliet.
We walked through the pouring rain and down a little alley to be greeted by Temple Church, its majesty emphasised by the dark and inclement weather. Ushered in, we took our seats with only the supine effigies of the Knight Templars who built the church between the stage and us. Antic Disposition chose to follow the building’s shape and place the performance in the round, the sculpted heads on the curved walls peering into the centre of the space with us. At that point, it was hard to think of a better setting for this tale of “death-mark’d love”.
List all the Shakespeare plays you know. The first few will roll of the tongue, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, King Lear, the endless Henry series and maybe even A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Then, depending on schooling, will probably be the likes of Julius Ceasar, Taming Of The Shrew, The Tempest etc… The point being, there are many Shakespeare plays most of us think of before we name Troilus and Cressida and Coriolanus which happen to make up the Lazarus Theatre Company‘s double bill.
The performance reviewed was part of warm-up run for the Fringe Festival according to a post show discussion. Can you create interweaving love stories by stringing together some of Shakespeare‘s Sonnets? Yes. Should you? Maybe not. The Sonneteer brings together two stories; one centered around a middle-aged lecturer and his 23 year student, the other between The Bard and his Patron.