February 11, 2010
With no tragedy or magic on display, All’s Well That Ends Well is generally considered to be among Shakespeare’s less worthy plays, and yet when performed well, with energy and belief, it is an unquestionable crowd pleaser. This attempt to bring the play to life by the Abingdon based am-dram society, Studio Theatre Club, hinted at that same crowd pleasing potential, but there were obviously some issues with the language, and I didn't feel all the cast truly understood their lines. One of the biggest giveaways was forgetting the lines completely: a crime committed regularly by some players.
But am I being too harsh? Perhaps: after all this was an amateur production, and not - as the excellent costumes would otherwise suggest - the RSC. It was peppered with enough decent portrayals to prevent the audience from nodding off: Stephen Briggs brought gravitas and intelligence to his portrayal of the King of France, while Rhona Well’s and Elena Wright’s portrayal of Lords DeGout and Dumaine were understated, sincere, and natural enough, particularly against the foil of Matthew Kirk (whose name bears an uncanny similarity to the play’s director) and Brian Macken hamming it up as the lead double-act, Bertram and Parolles. Most impressive though was Sreya Rao, who injected a burst of much needed energy into the second half with her perky yet naturalistic portrayal of the play’s unsung heroine, Diana.
The minimal set consisted of a chair, a few well placed stools; which made sense in light of the relatively large cast and the Unicorn’s small stage area, meanwhile Colin James’ occasionally inventive lighting states could have more sharply differentiated between scenes.
STC’s production of All’s Well That Ends Well played it safe conceptually, up until the curtain call - a group dance choreographed to Beyonce’s Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) which, ironically considering the name of the play, was the highlight of the evening. It's those old chestnuts of amdram - pacing and direction - which need sharpening: given this play's notorious and inherent lack of flair, a new staging has to work hard to inject some of its own.
But am I being too harsh? Perhaps: after all this was an amateur production, and not - as the excellent costumes would otherwise suggest - the RSC. It was peppered with enough decent portrayals to prevent the audience from nodding off: Stephen Briggs brought gravitas and intelligence to his portrayal of the King of France, while Rhona Well’s and Elena Wright’s portrayal of Lords DeGout and Dumaine were understated, sincere, and natural enough, particularly against the foil of Matthew Kirk (whose name bears an uncanny similarity to the play’s director) and Brian Macken hamming it up as the lead double-act, Bertram and Parolles. Most impressive though was Sreya Rao, who injected a burst of much needed energy into the second half with her perky yet naturalistic portrayal of the play’s unsung heroine, Diana.
The minimal set consisted of a chair, a few well placed stools; which made sense in light of the relatively large cast and the Unicorn’s small stage area, meanwhile Colin James’ occasionally inventive lighting states could have more sharply differentiated between scenes.
STC’s production of All’s Well That Ends Well played it safe conceptually, up until the curtain call - a group dance choreographed to Beyonce’s Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) which, ironically considering the name of the play, was the highlight of the evening. It's those old chestnuts of amdram - pacing and direction - which need sharpening: given this play's notorious and inherent lack of flair, a new staging has to work hard to inject some of its own.