Love’s Labour’s Lost
Often seen as one of Shakespeare’s lesser comedies, Love’s Labour’s Lost has seen somewhat of a renaissance in recent years. Following the success of Branagh’s film version and the sell-out performances at the RSC last year (helped in no small part by the presence of Mr Tennant as Berowne), we are being treated to two productions in Oxfordshire this summer.
The first of these is presented in the glorious setting of the Fellows’ Gardens of Merton College. At the helm is Krishna Omkar who has produced, designed and co-directed as well as taking the key role of Berowne. He has assembled a cast of undergraduate and graduate students to tell the familiar tale of the battle of the sexes.
The action has been updated to the turn of the Twentieth Century – allowing for some very pretty dresses for the ladies and some dapper outfits for the gents. Other than the occasional interruptions from helicopters and rowdy students celebrating the end of term, the lush gardens and attractive costumes give the production an elegance that suits the text perfectly. The open air venue does place additional burdens on the young cast – all of whom need to pay a little more attention to their projection. All too often lines were lost for lack of a little volume. On the whole, however, they do cope well with the complex rhythms and rhymes of Shakespeare’s verse.
Another area that is bound to improve as the run continues is that of pacing. On a few occasions, it was clear that cues were not picked up with the slickness that one would want for the humour to really take flight. The cast will grow in confidence and start to enjoy the wit of the script as they settle into their roles.
Ellen Davnall makes much of Holofernes (Holofernia in this production). She clearly relished the verbosity of the character and brought those scenes to life. Similarly Michael Roy comes close to stealing the show as Boyet – what could be a dull role is enlivened by his nuanced use of camp flamboyance.
All in all, this is a clear and enjoyable production of a delicate and lively script. It does not seek to be massively innovative or to be a radical or darker interpretation. It is without pretension and is the better for it.
June 19-22, 2009
Only 100 tickets are on sale per performance. For reservations, email: lovedandlostinoxford@googlemail.com, stating the performance and the number of tickets you require. Prices: £7, concessions £5.
