The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Globe Tour and Sam Wanamaker)
Jul 16, 2016 9:37:15 GMT
Steve likes this
Post by David J on Jul 16, 2016 9:37:15 GMT
There's stuff to like here. The swinging 60s setting, the acting, the music.
I just cant escape the fact that this is a pretty boring play, and I am a Shakespeare fan. It is obvious this is one of his first plays, long before Romeo and Juliet and As You Like It. The lovers are bland and the words don't stand out.
The comic relief helps proceedings. There isnt a dog but seeing Charlotte Mills as Launce leading the deadpan drummer around on a leash is delightful.
The direction the production takes for the ending was interesting. Like Rupert Goold's Merchant of Venice they turned the comedy into the Tragedy of Julia and Sylvia. They also insinuated what Valentine and Proteus' sexuality might be.
The problem is that the tone as a whole didn't call for it. Rupert Goold addressed the dark underside of Las Vegas, this is a light, family friendly touring show. Perhaps the production could have made a statement about the excesses of the 60s, but otherwise the downer ending slightly comes out of no where (which is an understatement considering what happens in the last scene)
By the way I've just seen this at the refurbished New Theatre Royal Portsmouth. A proper stage, backstage area and additional performance spaces have been built. Seeing the place I would have thought they could have spruced up the grand proscenium arch, looking at the cracks in the plaster. Neither are there any upcoming shows that makes me want to rush back there.
I just cant escape the fact that this is a pretty boring play, and I am a Shakespeare fan. It is obvious this is one of his first plays, long before Romeo and Juliet and As You Like It. The lovers are bland and the words don't stand out.
The comic relief helps proceedings. There isnt a dog but seeing Charlotte Mills as Launce leading the deadpan drummer around on a leash is delightful.
The direction the production takes for the ending was interesting. Like Rupert Goold's Merchant of Venice they turned the comedy into the Tragedy of Julia and Sylvia. They also insinuated what Valentine and Proteus' sexuality might be.
The problem is that the tone as a whole didn't call for it. Rupert Goold addressed the dark underside of Las Vegas, this is a light, family friendly touring show. Perhaps the production could have made a statement about the excesses of the 60s, but otherwise the downer ending slightly comes out of no where (which is an understatement considering what happens in the last scene)
By the way I've just seen this at the refurbished New Theatre Royal Portsmouth. A proper stage, backstage area and additional performance spaces have been built. Seeing the place I would have thought they could have spruced up the grand proscenium arch, looking at the cracks in the plaster. Neither are there any upcoming shows that makes me want to rush back there.
