A Midsummer Night's Dream, Abbey Ruins
Jul. 26th, 2007 01:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
burntcopperAnother rather good performance at the Abbey Ruins by the Progress Theatre.
A Midsummer Night's Dream was their choice this time, and was its usual mix of okay-ish actors and bloody brilliant ones - not that many of the regular cast and we were pouting a little that bloke responsible for marketing didn't have a bit part this time (usually second footman from the left with one line) because dammit, he's funny! Also Mr. Flint wasn't in it. Mutter.
All completely made up for it by Henry Goodman, who's a brilliant actor who's played everything from comedy to conspirators to Napoleon complex Princes of Verona being Bottom. Utterly, utterly brilliant and up there with Kevin Kline for Bottom - except with even more overweening vanity. Once again you forget just how expressive a big mask that covers the entire head can be with just tilts of the head - and this actor is one of those who's normally very expressive facially, so we were a bit worried about that; never fear. Fucking hysterical.
Special mention for the Rude Mechanicals, since they're either done badly and boring or can really make a play - this lot were producing laughs every couple of minutes, Peter Quince was clearly channelling long-suffering directors the world over, we wanted to hug Snug the Joiner so much since he was adorable, and kept holding his tail when in lion costume, and as for the Pyramus and Thisbe playlet itself... Oh christ. Completely stole the show with a combo of overacting and slapstick (the Wall had a vendetta against the other actors and spent its time screwing up the scene for the other two and trying to humiliate them as much as possible) and the audience were wetting themselves. To the point where they had to pause until we'd stopped laughing and one woman was having hysterics.
The lovers - well, Helena's always a great role, and the actress certainly didn't disappoint (and was in fact prettier than Hermia) - played it as very feisty and in fact Hermia was the one who came off as a wet blanket (though very good also). Lysander complete twit, had a bad habit of swallowing his words. Demetrius was a full of himself bastard who came off rather well and turned out to be one of those actors who can do a whole bunch of meaning just with his stance. One to watch.
Hippolyta - boring. Theseus was rather amusing since he was imposing but also spent his entire time leching all over and groping Hippolyta, especially when Hermia's dad was trying to make his case. The majordomo was brilliant - sniffy and snobby as all hells and desperately trying not to even risk contact with the Rude Mechanicals.
Oberon - not bad but not great. Titania was utterly brilliant, and it's the first time I've seen Titania played by someone rather hawk-like in appearance; I think the best description of her performance and looks would probably be Michelle Gomez from Green Wing and the Book Group with added touches of the White Queen from Narnia. Puck was... hee. Played by a girl who kept reminding me of a not-so-skinny Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Very bouncy and skipping all over the place but very long-suffering and spent the majority of Oberon's speeches with an 'oh lord, what's he going on about *now*?' expression. Not to mention trying to creep off and do a 'what me, guv'nor?' when it was found out that he'd dosed the wrong one. Fairies were pretty much background drapery. With costumes that I sat there muttering going 'you just went the simple tunic route. Feh.'
However, interesting point. I've seen a particular trope in how Oberon's lot and Puck are portrayed vs. Titania's in at least three productions including this one (quick ref is the Kevin Kline film), and Pratchett's also done it in Lords and Ladies. Oberon's lot are very earthy, forest god types (this lot were all brown and green, a bit dirty, obviously having a lot of sex and had celtic tattoos up their arms) while Titania's are all floaty silks and glittery gems with a lot of poise. Is this a common portrayal or am I just hit a lot by coincidence?
Giggled a bit on reading the history of the play - apparently MND pre-1911 was the 'overblown' play - casts of up to a hundred, music by mendelssohn, stage fittings gone mad. Can't quite get head around that.
A Midsummer Night's Dream was their choice this time, and was its usual mix of okay-ish actors and bloody brilliant ones - not that many of the regular cast and we were pouting a little that bloke responsible for marketing didn't have a bit part this time (usually second footman from the left with one line) because dammit, he's funny! Also Mr. Flint wasn't in it. Mutter.
All completely made up for it by Henry Goodman, who's a brilliant actor who's played everything from comedy to conspirators to Napoleon complex Princes of Verona being Bottom. Utterly, utterly brilliant and up there with Kevin Kline for Bottom - except with even more overweening vanity. Once again you forget just how expressive a big mask that covers the entire head can be with just tilts of the head - and this actor is one of those who's normally very expressive facially, so we were a bit worried about that; never fear. Fucking hysterical.
Special mention for the Rude Mechanicals, since they're either done badly and boring or can really make a play - this lot were producing laughs every couple of minutes, Peter Quince was clearly channelling long-suffering directors the world over, we wanted to hug Snug the Joiner so much since he was adorable, and kept holding his tail when in lion costume, and as for the Pyramus and Thisbe playlet itself... Oh christ. Completely stole the show with a combo of overacting and slapstick (the Wall had a vendetta against the other actors and spent its time screwing up the scene for the other two and trying to humiliate them as much as possible) and the audience were wetting themselves. To the point where they had to pause until we'd stopped laughing and one woman was having hysterics.
The lovers - well, Helena's always a great role, and the actress certainly didn't disappoint (and was in fact prettier than Hermia) - played it as very feisty and in fact Hermia was the one who came off as a wet blanket (though very good also). Lysander complete twit, had a bad habit of swallowing his words. Demetrius was a full of himself bastard who came off rather well and turned out to be one of those actors who can do a whole bunch of meaning just with his stance. One to watch.
Hippolyta - boring. Theseus was rather amusing since he was imposing but also spent his entire time leching all over and groping Hippolyta, especially when Hermia's dad was trying to make his case. The majordomo was brilliant - sniffy and snobby as all hells and desperately trying not to even risk contact with the Rude Mechanicals.
Oberon - not bad but not great. Titania was utterly brilliant, and it's the first time I've seen Titania played by someone rather hawk-like in appearance; I think the best description of her performance and looks would probably be Michelle Gomez from Green Wing and the Book Group with added touches of the White Queen from Narnia. Puck was... hee. Played by a girl who kept reminding me of a not-so-skinny Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Very bouncy and skipping all over the place but very long-suffering and spent the majority of Oberon's speeches with an 'oh lord, what's he going on about *now*?' expression. Not to mention trying to creep off and do a 'what me, guv'nor?' when it was found out that he'd dosed the wrong one. Fairies were pretty much background drapery. With costumes that I sat there muttering going 'you just went the simple tunic route. Feh.'
However, interesting point. I've seen a particular trope in how Oberon's lot and Puck are portrayed vs. Titania's in at least three productions including this one (quick ref is the Kevin Kline film), and Pratchett's also done it in Lords and Ladies. Oberon's lot are very earthy, forest god types (this lot were all brown and green, a bit dirty, obviously having a lot of sex and had celtic tattoos up their arms) while Titania's are all floaty silks and glittery gems with a lot of poise. Is this a common portrayal or am I just hit a lot by coincidence?
Giggled a bit on reading the history of the play - apparently MND pre-1911 was the 'overblown' play - casts of up to a hundred, music by mendelssohn, stage fittings gone mad. Can't quite get head around that.
