Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

Twelfth Night re-imagined

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It is not often that I come away from the theatre utterly charmed. Still less does this happen at children’s theatre, which is usually well done but very much for its target audience. However, our group of two adults and a 6- and 7-year old was thoroughly enthralled by this “re-imagining” of Twelfth Night at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre.

It was a blisteringly hot afternoon and we were in full sun, so not ideal conditions for retaining children’s attention (particularly with the repeated singing of “the rain it raineth every day,” which frankly would have been most welcome). The production retained Shakespeare’s language for the most part (albeit heavily redacted) with various instructions for the audience to take part from time to time. We were slightly concerned about how the children would react to this, but they seemed to scarcely notice the anachronistic language and became absorbed in the story. Audience participation was enthusiastic, with the wave, dancing, and blowing the wind done with gusto (including by the adults in the audience, some of whom were well refreshed by the 1:30 start time).

The cast did an admirable job, with Sarah Ridgeway a fabulous Viola. She demonstrated something of the teen idol qualities of Justin Bieber/One Direction/Five Seconds of Summer (see, I’m down with the kids) in her “wooing” of Riann Steele’s Olivia. Nick Malinowski had the most difficult task, playing both Malvolio and Orsino, but he carried both off beautifully. The rest of the cast were also excellent, with particular praise due to the musical talents of Iain Johnstone (Feste/Antonio) and Vera Chok (Maria). The traditional pronunciation of the latter character’s name (“Ma-rye-ah”) was displeasing to a small person seated behind me, who insisted on several occasions that it “should be Ma-ree-ah.”

The duel scene between Cesario (Viola) and Sir Andrew Aguecheek (Guy Lewis, who also played Sebastian) was innovative, with a ringer brought in initially and the duel itself in a format that was age-appropriate and appropriate for the weather, although I would not have liked to experience it on a cold day. The production did an excellent job of explaining the various pairings, with a “love meter” brought in to demonstrate when a character had fallen for another. There were certain lines and motions that were adult in nature (it is Shakespeare, after all) but they were done fairly subtly and in a way in which children would not have picked up on.

I would not have thought, previously, that Shakespeare could have been made accessible for young children. I was wrong; full marks to the production and to Max Webster’s sterling direction. If you would like to introduce children to Shakespeare, this is an ideal way to go about it. Highly recommended.

 

All My Sons

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When I heard that Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre was doing All My Sons this year, I thought that it was awfully soon after the brilliant David Suchet/Zoe Wanamaker production. It was only when I looked it up and realised that production was a full four years ago, that I understood how much it had remained in my mind ever since.

A hard act to follow, then. But, the play’s the thing. All My Sons is, in my opinion, Miller’s strongest work. Each scene is crucial to the next, and information is provided so naturally that you hardly feel the exposition. It is amazing to me that it was originally produced in 1947, so soon after the end of the war. After all, it has been some time since the Iraq war, and we have not seen any great art from that conflict.

It is important, but relatively rare to have a uniformly strong cast. Happily, this production does have such a strong cast. (And the accents are impeccable). Brid Brennan is a forthright Kate, although the emotional range is somewhat narrow. Amy Nuttall is a fiercely intelligent Ann, allowing us to see her understanding of the barbs directed at her, even as she pretends not to get it. The supporting cast are all strong, and I have a particular fondness for Tilly Blackwood as a hilarious Sue Bayliss, in full pneumatic mode.

I have often felt that the role of Chris is a thankless one at the beginning of the play. Such a Mayberry character, he is so apparently full of innocence that he scarcely seems real. One line that struck me this time (“They say in the war he was such a killer”) is hard to reconcile with the shining young man standing before us. He also seems impossibly shy in the romantic scenes for a WWII soldier. But Charles Aitken makes his belief in his father and subsequent collapse eminently believable and terribly touching.

Tom Mannion is wonderful as Joe. Often, actors cast in this role are cerebral and thoughtful. But the character is a fairly uneducated, working class boy made good, and Mannion absolutely nails this. The focus on money and security is absolutely credible in his hands, and the character’s lack of emotional resilience is brought starkly to the forefront.

One aspect of the production that worked particularly well in the open air format is the claustrophobia of life in small town America. It made perfect sense that the neighbours were simply wandering in from their own backyards, and that everyone knew everything about everyone else’s lives. As someone who is delighted with the anonymity of living in a large city, I felt a visceral reaction to it.

This production, again, is ending soon (I seem to see plays near the end of their runs because I am very choosy about where I sit). It is highly recommended, however, and if you luck into some good weather as I did, it is well worth catching.