| Much Ado About Nothing 2012 |
By William Shakespeare. Essential Theatre. Coriole Vineyards (SA). January 29, 2012
On a balmy evening in the McLaren Vale, a sweaty but appreciative audience set up shop on a grassy amphitheatre in the grounds of Coriole Winery to enjoy the nomadic Essential Theatre's 2012 Shakespeare production.
Treating us to Much Ado About Nothing, this is the company’s celebratory tenth year of entertaining Australia’s (and now New Zealand's) vino-sipping theatre tragics, and their ninth year performing at the hospitable Coriole.
On reporting my experience of the Essential troupe for the third time, it feels repetitive to sing their praises but in all honesty, it's nigh impossible to fault them. They take what could be stuffy, high-society Shakespeare and show you the master’s work as it would have been. The actors use their open-air stage from edge to edge, often positioning themselves amongst the audience and including them in the proceedings.
Having experienced productions of Shakespeare in London's Globe Theatre (about as authentic as one can hope for these days), the Essential troupe’s interpretation is wonderfully close and imbues the same sense of comedy amongst the volumes of calamity and unrequited love. Considering that Shakespeare wrote his works for the unwashed masses, one imagines this is how the great man's comedies were meant to be enjoyed - up close and interactive with hilariously overdone characterisations, cheeky musical interludes, dramatic highs and tragic lows.
Essential's productions are known for their well-placed and sympathetic modernisations, and these were particularly understated in Much Ado. The 20s inspired costumes and few modern references could have passed you by. Their rotating cast saw lots of familiar and well-loved faces on the afternoon, with the appearances of Grant Foulkes (Claudio), Amanda Labonte (Beatrice) and Sophie Lampel (Leonata/Dogberry) always a sign of wonderful things to come.
Of particular excellence was the partnership between Lampel and Madeleine Harding (Hero/Verges) as Dogberry and Verges, the two idiotic nightwatchmen who chance upon and capture the villainous Borachio (Tim Paige) as he returns from framing the virtuous and innocent Hero. Lampel and Hardy play these dolts brilliantly and with perfect comedic timing, easily capturing the most laughs and applause for the night.
Yet another superb and thoroughly enjoyable performance from this wonderfully talented group – it’s fast becoming a highly anticipated annual tradition for this fan.
Nicole Russo Stage Whispers 2012
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| Essential Theatre, Sevenhill Winery
Review by Richard Flynn
Through a deluge lasting all day, a drive to Clare Valley’s Sevenhill Cellars. There, after horror experiences with “Romeo and Juliet” in two productions last year, this reviewer’s faith is wonderfully restored, ‘wettest February day up north’ notwithstanding.
The play is presented by four young men and four young women from Geelong-based Essential Theatre; everyone of them just about as good as it gets. This is ensemble playing of the highest order and the “two hours’ traffic of [the] stage” simply hums along: well-judged comedy one minute, gut-wrenching tragedy the next.
In their “Shakespeare in the Vines” annual summer (!) tour around wineries of Australia, the key to this company’s success is truth to the text, an extremely intelligent director (Anna McCrossin-Owen) who knows how to build on it, and actors who are fresh, versatile, focussed and quite simply riveting.
Leading the team is Glenn van Oosterom. His Romeo is a delight, everything an audience – and Juliet, no doubt – would want in a youth playing this role. His love of a good, sometimes bawdy, jest or clever wordplay is nicely blended with his love-struck, passionate and violent moments, this reading more in tune with the text than seen here before.
And what a dream is Imogen Sage as Juliet! We only ever see her in a simple white lace dress and that, be assured, is sufficient. Her diction and vocal projection, are awe-inspiring, severely taxed, (as was the rest of the company’s) by the deluge pelting on the galvanised roof of the wine shed where the production had been moved. King Lear would have loved it! And nothing lost, no microphones – of the orifice or otherwise variety. This is Shakespeare, Globe Theatre style, by actors who know their craft – and keep refining it with every performance.
Grant Foulkes is marvellous as Mercutio. In many ways, not the least structurally, an unsatisfactory character, but not as played here. His “Queen Mab” speech, so often ill-fitting the scene in which it occurs, stopping it dead, explains Mercutio and his later fate with more insight than witnessed in a long parade of productions. His other role, Prince Escalus, is clever casting in which he seems to revel.
Amanda LaBonte is an excellent, fiery Capulet (Lord and Lady combined), showing that, although parents in any time or place may know best, that is of little use if the child is determined to travel down other paths. Against Capulet is Friar Laurence, torn as a confessor to whom Romeo confides and at the same time his responsibilities to the burghers of Verona. Don Bridges achieves a fine balance between priest and ukulele-playing production anchor/MC. He is also composer of the appropriate music.
Cameron Moore, as Tybalt, is all rage and indignation, his fight scenes – with little more than fists and karate-like moves - wonderfully staged by Fight Coordinator, Brad Flynn (no relation to this reviewer).
In perhaps the play’s most difficult role, Jennifer Innes’s Nurse is a considered performance of over-talkative busybody and ally on whom her young charge can depend when all else seems to have failed her.
Tim Paige makes a good impression as County Paris – often the most thankless role in all Shakespeare. And his Benvolio has layers that make his friendship with Romeo more supportive than usually played.
We are well served this Fringe with the large number of Shakespeare plays and spin-offs. Heading the list must surely be Essential Theatre’s – but the competition is fierce. And what could be better than that?
Rating: 5 stars (out of 5) |
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| The Comedy of Errors 2010 |
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Returning to the picturesque setting of Coriole Winery in the McLaren Vale, Essential Theatre’s production of Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors couldn’t have asked for a better day.
Now in its eighth year, the touring company presented one of the playwright’s earliest comedies for their 2009 season. The Comedy of Errors is the tale of two sets of twins separated at birth, and the chaotic events surrounding their accidental reunion as adults. The story contains all of the classic Shakespearean themes of tragedy, mistaken identity, witchcraft and love.
The performance opened with a rendition of Funky Town, sung by an all 70’s costumed cast. A talented and tight group, the Essential Theatre production was energetic and funny. With only a few props the cast effectively set the scene and sound effects contributed by offstage cast members were clever, and often hilarious.
The cast delivers a strong ensemble production, with standout performances by Sophie Lampel as Dromio, a crowd favourite, and Jamie McDonald as Antipholus. Impressively, both actors played the roles of each twin. This could have been confusing for the audience, but both rose to the challenge, switching seamlessly from one to the other.
Other great performances came from Grant Durham as Duke / Solinus/ Balthazar / Ricardo, whose Ali G like interpretation of Balthazar was highly entertaining. Miranda McGee played the Courtesan beautifully and her audience interaction was hilarious.
The Comedy of Errors had impeccable timing and was brilliantly performed by the Essential Theatre cast, a combination that could win over even the most novice Shakespearean.
Nicole Russo
Stage Whispers 2010 |
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| A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM 2009 |
| Review by Richard Flynn Scene: the gardens of a Clare Valley winery, late on a warm Saturday afternoon; a large crowd of all ages sitting in their deck chairs or on rugs and cushions on the grass, making serious inroads into the contents of picnic hampers, the cellars’ wines in as many glasses as you’re ever likely to see at a performance, now “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. Ah! This is the life! Eight strolling players come into view. They’re singing, to music from the musical, “Pippin”:
Join us! Leave your fields to flower. Join us! Leave your cheese to sour!
Join us! Come and waste an hour or two!
Well it’s just on three, but no one objects, since we’re treated to an expert version of the Shakespearian comedy almost overdone where Botanic Gardens and the like are to be found. But not this one from Essential Theatre, a Geelong-based professional ensemble, performing “Shakespeare in the Vines” in wineries and gardens around Australia for nearly a decade. Last year it was “Twelfth Night”; next year “A Comedy of Errors”. Take note! This is high-energy, tight ensemble playing where every actor is a star and, yes, the whole is way greater than the sum of its parts. In the open air, they speak with seemingly effortless clarity and articulation – without sounding artificial or forced. No microphones; sound effects are per guitar, accordion and hand percussion tools – even the tops of leather suitcases. As you’d expect, the key is in the play’s clever and true-to-text direction by Kevin Hopkins, helped beautifully by a costume designer (Chloe Kerr) who knows how to suggest the visual elements of each character (everyone plays several) with clever, I could say ‘intelligent design’. The audience is never confused – and in their many transformations, no actor is offstage or idle for long. This production zings. Aimee Blesing, as Helena, Quince and Prologue, uses her height and few props to great comic effect, while Pablo Calero is a swarthy Demetrius, a piping Flute and an hilarious Thisby. Jane McArthur plays the tiny, high-powered Hermia, Snug, and cute Lion (cub?) who would frighten no one, not even “the ladies” of the Athenian court! She’s a dynamo! Glenn Van Oostrem is a hot and ballsy Lysander, Snout (with an adenoidal voice, what else with such a name?), and the inventive, multi-purpose Wall - with chinks and protuberances in all the right places. Adrian Dart (Theseus and Oberon) and Amy Humphries (Hippolyta and Titania) parry and thrust with gusto.
Sophie Lampel is one of the best Pucks (she also plays a contrasting deadpan, dullish Philostrate) that this reviewer has seen in a long line of mischief-makers. This little lady is explosive in her interpretation and she has us where she wants us – willingly! Then there is Drew Tingwell as show-stealer, Bottom (heroic lover, Pyramus, and incensed father, Egeus). He misses no opportunities and we love him for it! Just to see how he trots and snorts when changed to an ass is to witness an actor of awesome talent. But that’s only a fraction of his stellar, thoughtful performance. The Royal Shakespeare Company can’t be too far away! If you want to catch this now, you’d have to journey to Canberra. Otherwise note this company’s next visit,
sadly a year away, with the play as cited above. It’s worth a city dweller’s two-hour drive. Why should the
residents of the Clare Valley have everything? It’s not fair! Rating: 5 (out of 5) |
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