Shakespeare In Love

SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE
Tue 25 - Sat 29 April 2023
Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds

Director: Sarah Brodie
Assistant Director & Choreographer: Dan Moore
Musical Director: Nicholas Sheehan
Production Manager: Adam Thurkettle
Show dates - Tue 25 - Sat 29 April 2023

Cast

Will Shakespeare - Hugh Weller-Poley
Viola de Lesseps - Jess Cleverdon
Kit Marlowe - Tomos Cross
Queen Elizabeth I - Jasmine Nash
Ned Alleyn - James Jeffries

Lord Wessex - Nic Metcalfe
Nurse - Fiona Barker
Henslowe - Holly Wright
Fennyman - Phil Cockell
Richard Burbage - Steve Murray

Ensemble: Ellie Appleton, Jack Barry, Phoebe Bartlett, Jillian Craig, Cian Harriss, Simon Loughe, Elysia Scully, Eloise Trett, Bridget Weller-Poley

Noda Review
Author: Julie Petrucci

Shakespeare in Love is based on the screenplay by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard adapted for the stage by Lee Hall with music by Paddy Cunneen. It adapts to the stage pretty well but because the settings are numerous the challenge for the Director - in this case Sarah Brodie - is to ensure things are as slick as possible.

The play tells of a fictional love affair between Will Shakespeare and a young would-be actor, Viola de Lesseps aka Tom Kent. At the time Shakespeare was suffering from writer’s block during the writing of the ill-named Romeo and Ethel the Pirate’s Daughter! Several characters are based on historical figures, such as theatre owners, and many of the characters, lines and plot devices relate to Shakespeare’s plays or other dramas of the time.

The setting worked well although I was a trifle fazed by the height of the “balcony” area. It was at 12ft high if not more. However, use of the main stage was good with movable boxes used in various capacities including a bed, which had a super canopy fixed to it when needed to create a four-poster. Various tables and chairs were brought on as and when necessary. The need for one scene to run smoothly into another probably requires a rehearsal all of its own and the cast did well, keeping scene changes moving swiftly.
The lighting and sound were used to good effect throughout. The music was appropriate and the singing very mellifluous and only once distracted from the dialogue and that was during the ferry scene. Musical Director Nicholas Sheehan and Choreographer (and Assistant Director) Dan Moore did a fine job and the singers and dancers did their work full justice. There were good Tudor costumes, the Queen’s makeup and costume was splendid and Lord Wessex also looked exceptionally fine.

Without exception the main characters gave really strong performances. High praise must go to Hugh Weller-Poley as Will Shakespeare and Tomos Cross as Christopher Marlowe. It was amusing to see the play on the old argument that Marlowe wrote Shakespeare’s plays in the scene played out with the Bard struggling to come up with meaningful lines, both for his sonnets and his plays. His friendship with Kit Marlowe and indeed almost his dependence on Marlowe for inspiration when his mind was blocked was interesting. Both were excellent.

Viola de Lesseps, the daughter of a wealthy gentleman, absolutely beautifully played by Jess Cleverdon, wants to act but it is against the law. However, disguised as a young man with a moustache Viola auditions for a part in the play. Shakespeare meets her at Court sans disguise, falls in love and, in a very funny scene, helped by Marlowe, courts her. They, of course, fall in love and Shakespeare’s writer’s block vanishes.

Another first-rate performance came from Nic Metcalfe as the pompous Lord Wessex, Viola’s betrothed.
The interaction between the owner of the Rose theatre, Philip Henslowe (Holly Wright) and Fennyman (Phil Cockell) who financed the productions that the Rose put on was good. Richard Burbage (played with panache by Steve Murray) is an actor who also owns the Curtain Theatre. Robust performances from these three impresarios. Ned Alleyn (James Jeffries) was one of the great London actors of his day, and is hired to play the role of Mercutio. Jeffries imbued him with a strong personality and had the necessary stage presence to suggest his success at that time. A nice regal performance from Jasmine Nash as Queen Elizabeth, who evidently loved the theatre and also dogs. Fiona Barker as Viola’s Nurse was splendid and certainly made the most of here on/off appearances
With a twenty strong cast - strong being the operative word here - I can’t list them all. Everyone played their part(s) and played them well, there were no weak links. A truly ensemble effort.

Director Sarah Brodie obviously relishes a challenge, one which she rose to with this slick, lively and extremely well-directed production ensuring BSEODS provided a great evening’s entertainment.