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Stars explained: * A production of no real merit
with failings in all areas. ** A production showing evidence of not
enough time or effort, or even talent, and which never breathes any real
life into the piece – or a show lumbered with a terrible script. *** A
good enjoyable show which might have some small flaws but has largely
achieved what it set out to do.**** An excellent show which shows a
great deal of work and stage craft with no noticeable or major
flaws.***** A four star show which has found that extra bit of magic
which lifts theatre to another plane. |
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It's a lot to do with everything
Much Ado about Nothing Highbury Players ***** WITH Highbury's
season drawing to a close it is a case of possibly them having saved the
best till last. Their production of
Much Ado about Nothing is perhaps one
of the best amateur productions I have ever seen of the play. To get past the language of Shakespeare and
produce this quality you need a strong understanding of the text and how
it relates to the overall plot and to each character. If you want an
audience to follow and understand it you have to do more than simply
delivering Shakespeare's lines, you have to act it out physically. That's what Director Nigel Higgs and his
20-strong team of players have done. There is not a gesture or
intonation out of place and everyone on stage is doing something or
reacting appropriately to the scene. Higgs has injected generous amounts of quiet
space into the performance with the addition of some contemporary music
and whilst adding some nice staging touches it also gives you an
interlude from the bombardment of the bard's clever words. I have always said that Shakespeare contains many
a blueprint of the best contemporary rom coms and Much Ado is a classic
example. Two potential lovers Benedick and Beatrice who despise one
another are tricked into finally being together whilst two others, Hero
and Claudio who are to be married, are tricked into ending their
relationship. The cast have been working some time on this
production and it's quite an achievement to have coordinated the 20
players into such a fluid production. Richard Ham as Benedick
resurrects a few elements of his Cinderella Buttons that he played at a
rival theatre and confidently engaged the audience in some of the many
solo monologues. Suzy Donnelly was full of zest and precision as the
witty Beatrice and delivered her sarcastic and clever jibes with a total
understanding of the part. Jack Hobbis as Claudio was again excellent in the
role of a young to be married suitor as was his opposite Karrise Willets
as Hero. In contrast to the youth element were the very
convincing seniors. Martin Walker played Leonato, Governor of Messina
and father to Hero and effectively held many of the scenes together but
came into his own during the complex, tragic wedding scene with an
emotional performance. Rob Phillips as Dogberry, the bards clown
in Much ado, was a very amusing Policeman Plod trailed by the doting
Verges played by Sandra Haynes. A favourite of mine was Wiley Bowkett as Don
Pedro who is a natural when delivering Shakespeare's lines. With his
lovely clear speaking voice, every simple gesture and reaction he made
was measured and in place. Several cast member played two parts as did
Kerry Frater as both the villainous Borachio and then Balthasar singing
the poignant tomb side song Sigh No More. It would be unfair not to include the reminder of
the cast of Reg Tolley, Alastair Barnsley, Brian Hill, Andrew Leigh-Dugmore,
Cos Calogirou, Hannah Parry, Rob Gregory and Bhupinder Kaur Dhamu and
the production team all who helped make this version of Much ado about
Nothing, a lot about something. If you still harbour some resistance to
Shakespeare and the language then this is a great way to gently overcome
that. It's a fine interpretation that keeps you interested and involved
in the story and after the many months of sheer hard work by a great
many people it deserves to be seen. Well done to all involved. To
15-06-13. Jeff Grant |
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