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An enjoyable production of one of Shakespeare's rarely performed plays focusing on the tragic elements.Summary
Rating
Good
Cymbeline is not one of The Bard’s most performed plays, thought to have been written in about 1610 when the theatres were re-opening at the end of quite a long period of closure due to plague. It seems as though Shakespeare has taken all of the elements he quite liked from other plays (such as an evil and ruthless queen after power; the ghost of a dead relative; cross dressing; vial of a substance making a character appear dead; et al) and then thrown them all up in the air to see in what order they landed.
The plot is all a bit convoluted, but very briefly: Cymbeline (Jack Aldridge) is the King of a Roman-occupied Britain. His two sons were kidnapped as toddlers and his daughter, Imogen (Eliza Cameron), has just married someone without his permission. Imogen’s husband, Posthumus (Baxter Westby), is banished and enters into a wager with Iachimo (Ben Leonard) about his wife’s fidelity. Iachimo is a bit of a cad and falsifies evidence to win the bet. Imogen runs away ending up in Wales and is taken in by a family consisting of a ‘father’ and two brothers living off the land (guess who). There is a Roman invasion leading to some fighting, people die or not, everyone gets together Agatha Christie-style at the end for the denouement.
The Greenwood Theatre is a new one for me. Just a stone’s throw from London Bridge station, it serves as a lecture theatre during the day and a performance space at night. It is a bit strange settling down to watch a performance with a desk – quite handy for resting drinks and scarves though, and there’s even facilities for charging your phone if you so desire.
It is quite a large space and although there was a decent sized audience we were spread about a bit, making it quite echoey. Consequently it was very difficult to hear the dialogue of some of the performers. A handful spoke very quietly, or rushed the words a bit or did not face the audience. On top of that, the occasional background music was perfectly good, appropriate music, adding to the tension of some scenes – but not when it coincided with quietly spoken dialogue. Then it became intrusive and rather annoying.
Not so with Cameron, who owned the stage as Imogen, going from soppy through defiant and resigned, to downright angry. Leonard also deserves mention as the deliciously slimy snake Iachimo, as does Westby for his ‘wet lettuce’ portrayal of Posthumus. Iachimo’s emergence from a box in Imogen’s bedroom is especially creepy.
In the programme Director Mya Kelln acknowledges the ‘widely debated genre’ of this play, stating that she decided to focus on the tragedy aspect. It works well and I particularly liked the very last piece of action (sorry, no spoilers). However, it did mean that she missed a trick with Colton, the rather doltish character played well by Alex Alcock. The musical serenade scene was very funny giving us a glimpse of what could have been done with the character elsewhere.
Good use was made of the ample stage space with props of columns, table, steps and hanging fabric seamlessly transitioning to a throne room, a bedroom, or woodland. Likewise with the movement and appearance of the characters, again seamless, although I am sure there must have been some running to and fro backstage.
Altogether this is a very enjoyable production from the King’s Shakespeare Company and I shall look forward to seeing what their next one will be.
Written by: William Shakespeare
Directed by: Mya Kelln
Produced by: The King’s Shakespeare Company
Cymbeline has completed its current run.
