ROMEO AND JULIET

ROMEO AND JULIET

Brentwood Shakespeare Company 

at Brentwood Theatre

21.04.2016

In fair Verona … Liz Calnan's Prologue exemplified three great strengths of this production.

Beautiful costumes, clarity of text and “two hours' traffick of the stage”.

Truth to tell, not quite everyone in the large cast was quite so well dressed, or spoke so clearly or intelligently. Two hours' traffick was achieved, thanks to deft editing.

More time might have been saved, perhaps, with cues picked up more deftly, and scenes dovetailed more snugly. Shakespeare wasn't able to have a blackout between scenes, and I always think he works best when you can't get a cigarette paper between the street and the bedchamber, say.

But these are small quibbles; June Fitzgerald' s production used the Brentwood stage effectively, with three doorways, and a clever balcony-cum-bedchamber. Plenty of room for the excellent sword-play, too.

Some fine performances: the star-cross'd lovers played by Ben Sylvester, a sympathetic Romeo making the verse sound powerful and natural, and Lisa Nunn as a child-like, innocent, impatient Juliet.

Richard Spong brought passion and insight to Mercutio, Matt Hudson made a compelling Benvolio, and there was a lovely, merry Nurse from Julia Stallard.

The death of Tybalt [Gareth Locke], and Paris's violent end [a fiery Andrew Spong] were both very effectively staged.

And the tragic dénouement had a wonderfully lit setting for Capel's monument – the shrouded Juliet in semblance of death, soon to be united on the tomb with her Romeo.

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM

Brentwood Shakespeare Company and Ingatestone and Fryerning Dramatic Club

06.07.14

In the bosky brakes of Ingatestone Hall, a Dream that mingled the traditional and the iconoclastic. A large cast included many seasoned players, and Lisa Matthews' production for the Brentwood Arts Festival was not short of ideas.

Not least the attempt to get back to the spirit of Shakespeare's playhouse; indeed this could easily have been a [generously funded] troupe of itinerant actors pitching up at the Tudor Hall with a rough grasp of the drama, a trunk of assorted costumes and a dog or two to steal the odd scene. Hence their panic, perhaps, when Quince [Keith Morgan] mentions “tomorrow night”, and hence, for some, their shaky acquaintance with the text.

Breeze and aircraft are a challenge to the actor [though the vintage planes made a change from the police helicopters that plague Shakespeare's Globe]. Not everyone was audible all the time. Most successful in this regard were Elliott Porte's Theseus, and Nik Graham's amusingly narcissistic Lysander. And the scene between Sarah Thomson's Fairy and Chrissie O'Connor's charismatic Irish Puck was a model of crispness and clarity.

Assured comedy performances from David Lintin in his Del Boy Bottoms Up t-shirt, Ian Russell as an initially coy, later histrionic Flute, and June Fitzgerald as a lovely cuddly Snug the Lion. The lovers' spat was nicely done, and the fairies had some spectacular choreography to the eclectic score.

Chris Burr's acting edition [in the trim-and-rewrite tradition of the 18^th and 19^th century Shakespeareans] sets the action in prehistoric Britain [though the lovers looked pretty Athenian to me], and Mark Godfrey's blokish “Sandman” Oberon has some rough magick of his own; a pity, though, to rob Puck of her valediction for the sake of some Wiccan silliness ...

JULIUS CAESAR

JULIUS CAESAR

Brentwood Shakespeare Company at the Brentwood Theatre

22.03.13

Glenda Abbott's energetic Julius Caesar was notable for its clear narrative line, its impressive verse speaking and the tragic sweep of the action.

The pace was well maintained, save for some slack moments amongst the idle creatures of the mob. The setting was modern, which helped us to get closer to the human beings around whom the plot revolves, as well as giving an immediacy to the later, military scenes, where Philippi could have been Libya.

Outstanding performances from Brutus [Matt Jones] – his night-time soliloquy and the death of Portia particularly moving – and Mark Antony [Lionel Bishop] – his first entrance striking, the Cry Havoc speech carefully crafted, his oratory plausible.

Among the other roles, Alan Ablewhite made a noble Cassius, Charles Eveleigh an excellent "peevish schoolboy" Octavius, and Vernon Keeble-Watson a demotic "honest Casca". Caesar himself was given weight and gravitas by Sydney Hill. Not much for the women here, but the other Cinna was Rhiann Hillier, Lindsey Crutchett was a convincing political wife, and Vikki Pead was a striking Portia.

The setting was stark, with Coalition-coloured satin for the upper levels [though the pulpit speeches were wisely rooted in the action]; the music ranged widely, with AC/DC's Hail Caesar an inspired choice.

TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA

TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA

Brentwood Shakespeare Company at Brentwood Theatre

23.05.12

It was Shakespeare's earliest play. It has the smallest cast. And frankly, it's not one of his finest.

Brentwood Shakespeare chose to set it in a garden, with Mozart muzak throughout – the al-fresco world of Fiordiligi and Figaro. This adventurous approach was easy on the eye, with some wonderful costumes, and it had several splendid spin-offs: Alan Ablewhite's lisping fop, Lindsey Crutchett's Restoration parvenue Panthina, desperate for her Proteus to better himself.

I wasn't convinced by Mark Griffiths' lumpen proletarian – certainly not a gentleman "and well derived" in the Shakespearean sense. But it did allow a nice contrast with Andrew Hewitt's supercilious Valentine, with his snobbish smile. Their girls were similarly distinct – Helen Sinclair's pert Julia [a splendid "Sebastian", too] and Natalie Sant's elegant Silvia, by far the best speaker of the verse.

Elsewhere there was sometimes a fatal failure to move the lines forward, and laughs were in short supply, though Elliott Porte, as a lugubrious Lance, working with Harvey, the stand-in Crab, delivered his speeches impeccably, while achieving a real rapport with his audience.

This charming, gently revolutionary comedy was directed by Vernon Keeble-Watson.

HAMLET

Brentwood Shakespeare Company at the Brentwood Theatre

15.04.11

A clearly delivered, tightly plotted Hamlet from Brentwood Shakespeare, with Lionel Bishop's almost aggressively brooding Prince at its centre. The clouds still hung over him; only his livelier mania after the interval brought relief from resentful sorrow. But it was a beautifully spoken, thoughtful interpretation – like Alan Ablewhite's prolix Polonius, he made effective use of asides to draw us into the intrigue.

A strong cast brought a wealth of experience to their roles. Sydney Hill's Claudius could easily have walked in from one of Wolfit's tours: a rich, old-school interpretation. By contrast, Beth Smith's earnest blue-stocking Ophelia was moving in her madness, all mud and feathers. The Gravediggers, who survived the cuts better than most, were brilliantly done by Ablewhite [again] and the inimitable Brian Terry. Rosencrantz worked surprisingly well as a woman, thanks to Hayley Joanne Bacon's feisty performance. And Alec Clements' apprentice Osric was very promising.

The staging was confident and dramatically meaningful from the first revelation of the red hangings to the final 'resurrection'. I was less sure about the colour-coded “timeless” costumes – to me they smacked of 1950s science fiction.

But Glenda Abbott's polished, fast-paced production successfully brought Shakespeare's finest tragedy to vivid life, pleasing both Bardolators and beginners.

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
Brentwood Shakespeare Company at the Brentwood Theatre 
14.04.10


It's almost a commonplace now to set the Bard in the 30s, but Louise O'Connor's stylish staging for the Brentwood Shakespeare Company was very easy on the eye and the ear, and made for an enjoyable, if not quite magical, evening.
Some very accomplished actors did full justice to Shakespeare's verse, though sometimes, particularly in the first two acts, a lighter, more throwaway touch would have helped to keep the text on its toes.
If the Scout Troop Watch were only fitfully funny, the eavesdropping scene was most amusingly done. Grandmother's Footsteps in the prologue were neatly echoed by the moving penthouse in Act 3, and I liked Don John's shady trio, silent comedy criminals to a man.
Sydney Hill had gravitas and military bearing as Don Pedro, and Neil Gray was a convincing lovesick Claudio. Chrissie O'Connor's Ursula spoke the words with style and conviction, and Katie Burchett was affecting as the young, innocent Hero.
The two unlikely wooers - “horribly in love” - were Diane Johnston as the pleasant-spirited Beatrice, and Jim Crozier as the gruff, cynical officer Benedict. Especially in their later scenes there was real chemistry between them, and if “Kill Claudio” wasn't so much of a shock, it did arise logically from the altercation, and their final falling in love was well worth the waiting for.