MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

Shakespeare's Globe at the Master's Garden, Corpus Christi College, Cambridge

24.08.2014

Perfect weather for a Much Ado matinée in the open air. The secluded, timeless garden tucked away in the medieval heart of Cambridge makes a seemly setting for this strange mixture of romcom and tragedy.

Max Webster's inventive production uses a simple wooden stage, with a kind of ancient gazebo behind. The costumes are a promiscuous blend of modern and periods from the 50s back to the 19^th century.

The cast of eight actor/musicians doubles furiously to cover [almost] all the roles. Some delicious contrasts – Robert Pickavance is an imposing Leonato and a hilarious Ursula, Chris Starkie plays a sober Don John and a splendid Scottish Dogberry [flying goggles and duck-call], and our Beatrice [Emma Pallant] plays his sidekick neighbour Verges. Joy Richardson is kept especially busy, as both partners [Borachio and Margaret] in the bedroom deception, as well as taking the lines of the absent Antonio. She's the friar, too, and shares a stolen picnic cupcake with her Conrade.

The two couples on the very unsmooth path of true love are Sam Phillips as the suave, cool Claudio with Gemma Lawrence as his girlish Hero. Simon Bubb makes a very attractive Benedick, very amusing too, despite his tender years – something of a toyboy for Pallant's beautifully observed bluestocking Beatrice. Their “merry war” works wonderfully, leading up to the final wooing – handshake, sonnets and kisses.

Loads of bright ideas – the accused are wheeled in on sack-barrows – and I liked the Seville orange motif: the boy eats an orange, Benedick hides behind a crate of them, scattered colourfully across the stage at the climax of his gulling.

We've seen a washing line in that scene before; the twist here is that the linen is sopping wet from the tub, which is gleefully emptied over the concealed Beatrice – her very own ice bucket challenge.

John Barber's music is a particular strength, from the a cappella Sigh No More to the finale, with everyone [including stage management] on an instrument – Don Pedro [Jim Kitson] on lute, Leonato on trombone ...

FOLLIES

FOLLIES

Pied Pipers at the ADC Theatre, Cambridge

27.04.13

My first "Follies" was an amateur production – a student company from the States brought their version to the Edinburgh Fringe in the late 70s.

The chief problem is finding singing actors of the right ages for Sondheim's characters. A problem not resolved in Cambridge: the overlap of ages softened the impact of this story of neuroses and nostalgia.

But Jacob Allan's production did boast some very fine performances, especially in the second half. Steve Waring was an excellent Buddy. His aggressive/tender The Right Girl was spot on, his "two ladies" Blues a delight. Toni Grantham sang Losing My Mind impressively, in a lovely diva dress. Costumes, of which this show requires loads, were an issue elsewhere, the wrinkly body stockings and the shiny fabrics not enhanced by the haphazard lighting, which did no favours to the set, either, its stairs contriving to hide most of the entrances behind painted woodwork. Rachel Bye, though far too young to have lived Carlotta's life, handled her anthem very effectively – a highlight of the show, as it should be.

Trenetta Jones brought big-hearted honesty to Phyllis, well matched by her younger self, Camille Jones. Indeed, all of the youngsters made a fine job of their roles. I found Matthew Chancellor's Ben a major weakness, lacking the dramatic intensity needed for the dialogue, and for his numbers.

And it was a shame that the emotion and the impetus were allowed to flat-line occasionally.

In the smaller roles, enjoyable work from Richard Socket as Dimitri, Anna Murgatroyd as Heidi, Norman Grantham doubling as Max and Vincent, and Kirsty Smith as Solange, though the whole vaudeville Montage seemed underpowered.

Lucas Elkin was MD, the band, as often at the ADC, in a room down the corridor, with some loss of immediacy, though I did appreciate the cocktail piano live on stage. Follies was choreographed by Emma Olley – the Mirror number impressively tapped, though no room for proper dance-class looking-glasses, alas …