Love’s Labour’s Lost
RSC
Courtyard Theatre
Stratford-Upon-Avon
30th October 2008
I keep wanting to say that is an ordinary production….. but that isn’t true. In fact, in many ways, the production is extraordinary. The stage design, the colours, the movement are all of a very high standard indeed. I don’t even get to say that David Tennant was either extremely good or extremely bad. His performance as Berowne is run-of-the-mill, no better, no worse, albeit very good in parts.
Tomorrow is the first part of my two-legged consideration of David Tennant’s role in the works of William Shakespeare. Any one who reads this journal on a regular basis (there must be someone!) will know that I’m pretty committed to the RSC and try to take in all of their productions. So Thursday, I journey to Stratford-Upon-Avon to see the latest production of the rather slight "Love’s Labours Lost". Then in December on its London transfer I have the rather more substantial "Hamlet". Anyone who follows the papers (tabloid or broadsheet) will know that the good Doctor takes the lead in these two – indeed in Hamlet, he is paired with that other star-crossed traveller, Patrick Stewart. Don’t know what I think about this. I’m not keen on the RSC doing productions where the lead actor outranks the play – even before its opened. When Patrick Stewart works with the RSC normally it barely raises a ripple of interest unless the production is really good so this is obviously about Tennant. I hope by the time I return on Friday, he will have done Shakespeare proud……..
Well, back from 4 days in Stratford-Upon-Avon.
What can I say? The town is a mess. The unnecessary vigour to tear down the old theatre and replace it with a new one as now spread to the Bancroft Gardens. Every inch seems to have been dug over and turned to mud. Fences and scaffold surround everywhere in sight and I felt sorry for those who had travelled from France and Japan (seemed like the only two kind of tourists in evidence!) who had made a long journey and who were missing the old town at its best.
twilightdawning 