William Shakespeare at Williamson Park, Lancaster:
The Merry Wives of Windsor,
Much Ado about Nothing,
and Romeo and Juliet

Thursday 14 till Saturday 16 August 2003, 7.30pm.
Reviewed by 2003

There are very few places in these islands where it is possible to see three different Shakespeare plays at the same venue within as many days, except Stratford upon Avon and, possibly, London. So Lancaster has pulled of something off a coup here - and the idyllic setting of the Dell in Williamson Park with its excellent acoustic in ideal weather put the icing on the 'Wedding Cake-on-the-Hill'.

Comparisons are said to be odious, and for this writer they are not easy because the three plays are quite different in nature, scale and scope. Furthermore one company, Hearbtreak Productions, gave Merry Wives, and the other two were performed by Chapterhouse Theatre Company. So where to start?

Well, it was a delight to see so many (largely) young people have such fun, work so hard, and give us three rather different offerings, all of them of a quality better than I have seen across a range of Northern repertory theatres. Another point to note is that such companies serve to nurture recently-graduated or emerging actors/actresses, and there was certainly no lack of youthful faces we may expect to see moving on to bigger things.

Looking back (on a cold, windy evening) and reading my notes, I cannot begin to judge which I rated best. They say that your favourite Mozart opera is the one you saw last - maybe one's favourite Shakespeare play is the one you read or saw last. Since I read Cymbeline last (when is anyone going to do it in this part of the world? - it is a stunning piece and quite unworthy of neglect), even after some days I am loath to make a choice.

So three separate reviews are available for you to look at individually and you can make up your own minds.

Heartbreak Productions - The Merry Wives of Windsor,
Thursday 14 August 2003 read the review

Chapterhouse Theatre Co. - Much Ado about Nothing,
Friday 15 August 2003 read the review

Chapterhouse Theatre Co. - Romeo and Juliet,
Saturday 16 August 2003 read the review

At the end of an exhilarating and demanding three days, what is there left to say? I was appalled to see that not The Visitor, The Lancaster Guardian or The Citizen had chosen to review these plays. Why? Is it below them to review touring theatre, or is Shakespeare too highbrow, or what? Be all that as it may, the national press certainly saw fit to inform local people - and many beyond, for some were there on Saturday from Keighley. Notable in the broadsheets was The (Manchester) Guardian, which had the whole season in its weekly theatre listings in The Guide.

A second, incidental complaint is distraction of a more physical nature. Will future attendees at such events not spoil it for others by rustling crisp and sweetie packets throughout the evening (we opened ours flat and grabbed a quiet handful when wanted) - this selfishness is as intrusive as the ubiquitous mobile phones on trains, and here was an insult to the cast as well as the rest of the audience.

Back to the positive, and all credit, then, to the three companies, the helpful and able staff of Williamson Park, and of course the elements, which on this occasion chose not to heed the Pope's plea for rain. The audiences (almost full on all three nights) were suitably mixed, and comprised a healthy number of young people of university, college and school age - and even younger. Such a broad response tells me that there is a future assured for both this kind of venture as well as for the broad and wide development of our local youth.

So whichever way you look at it, theatre of this calibre was an excellent experience for those who attended, and a credit to our City. As a bonus, Chapterhouse are back in town in October with a one-off performance of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at The Grand Theatre (why not their other touring show "Hamlet" as well?).

Book now.

Copyright © Michael Nunn 2003

William Shakespeare at Williamson Park, Lancaster:
Heartbreak Productions presented
The Merry Wives of Windsor,
Thursday 14 August 2003, 7.30pm.
Reviewed by Michael Nunn 2003

This is a play that is not done often enough. It portrays a duplicitous, obese and cowardly Sir John Falstaff of the earlier ' King Henry' plays in a more mellow, older yet still devious light - some people just never learn! The tale focuses on issues that are as relevant today as they were in the reign of the first Queen Elizabeth, not least the issue of security in high places in and around Windsor!

We often think that the malapropism was the invention of Richard Brinsely Sheridan in The Rivals and the preserve of the late Hylda Baker. Not so, for there are plenty here, and despite some scholars' reservations about the lack of erudition and interest in the text of this play, the use of language is as rich as elsewhere in Shakespeare. There is a healthy dollop of dialect too, as the play is mostly written in prose.

Adultery, chauvinism, xenophobia, ageism, fattism and many of the other rigourously-enforced PC 'taboos' of our time are here gloriously and bawdily celebrated by Shakespeare. The cast of Heartbreak Productions certainly made the most of that, with an intriguing and totally convincing text from the various early printed editions the play, the standard scholarly texts, and a few judicious contemporary interpolations to boot.

All this came over with an understanding as clear as the diction. The resultant visual effect - highlighted by the hankerchief-dangling, the frocks and some of the music - was Restoration Comedy, of which it is in so many ways a direct ancestor.

And the cast thoroughly enjoyed, explored and exploited every opportunity - verbal, musical or visual - of this complex piece of deception, scheming and pure fun for all it's worth. The staging was simple and effective, with minimal scenery - a few sheets and some scaffolding in the leafy Dell were enough to create the necessary magic.

There were some fascinating and innovative visual and other devices from Director/Editor Peter Mimmack which put icing onto an already rich and fruity cake. One of the eponymous wife's husband, Frank Ford, disguised himself in order to catch Falstaff out, and the effect was pure Groucho Marx. The idiosyncratic music was fun too. Mozart to arrive to, Michael Nyman for the Restoration, the Mareseillaise for the much-despised French Doctor Caius ('by Gar', though it's not pronounced like that!), and Cwm Rhondda for the hapless Cambrian Cleric, Sir Hugh Evans.

The piece was played by a cast of only seven. This involved some ingenious doubling and, with some very inevitable nips and tucks of the text and distinctive costumes, worked. The use of mime and also added to the variety of the dramatic experience. Above all, the cast's excellent delivery embraced a range of accents, not only from Wales and France, but also from Thames to Tyne.

All this added further delight to the two hour's chaotic traffic of our stage. There is nothing new under the sun - Shakespeare was a superb comic writer whose legacy has endured. The laundry basket and disguise as an old crone can easily be imagined at Fawlty Towers or Blackadder, and where did I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue' get their banter from?

The cast executed these frolics with a professionalism to match their contemporary successors. Congratulations to Heartbreak for reminding us so vividly of the timelessness of the sheer exhilaration, wit and fun that our contemporary lives so often lack. By Gar!

Copyright © Michael Nunn 2003

LINKS
• Heartbreak Productions

Other reviews from this Shakespeare in the Park season:
• Much Ado About Nothing
• Romeo and Juliet