Reader Reviews
Pericles (Swan Theatre, Stratford-Upon-Avon)
Back to Show Details| Score | Comment | Date |
 | I loved Cooke's "Cymbeline" of a few years ago, one of the few productions of the play to cope with both the sublime and ridiculous elements, and was really looking forward to seeing "Pericles". Despite some nice touches - I've never seen the brothel scenes done better - "Pericles" wasn't quite the overwhelming experience it can be. Lucian Msamati never really plumbed the depths of his character, but the supporting cast more than made up for his shortcomings. Ony Uhiara (Marina), Joseph Mydell (Gower) and Linda Bassatt (Bawd/Cerimon) were on top form. I saw a matinee performance at which promenaders were few and far between, as a result of which there were many wide open spaces and some clumsy shepherding of a handful of people, but on the whole I enjoyed it. Only the princes' sportingmost recent, and very lavish, production of the play at the RST and Roundhouse. - 84.66.105.207) | 03 Jan 07 |
| A fun show with emotional depth. One of the best versions of this play that I've seen and while it doesn't ultimately change my view that it's not a fantastic piece, it is nevertheless very enjoyable. Some marvelous touches by Dominic Cooke making it clearer with every production that the Royal Court's gain is very much the RSC's loss. I would strongly recomend promenading at this production - emotionally you cannot help but be drawn in by the intimacy of the action. And you do get a chance to sit down in the second half! - 82.3.88.139) | 29 Nov 06 |
| Despite being only partly Shakespearean, a fact which could theoretically lead to difficulties in performance because the point when Shakespeare takes over is very obvious, Pericles almost invariably seems to succeed when it is staged, and one of the pleasures of seeing it lies in discovering what, if anything, the director has done to mitigate the impact of the change of author part way through. In this RSC production, director Dominic Cooke has made a dazzling tour de force of the contest between the knights, turning it into a modern pentathlon (and why not, when the tournament takes place in Pentapolis?). As the production is being staged in promenade, the contest involved the knights rushing round the auditorium from place to place to take part in the different events, with the promenaders sometimes not knowing which way to turn their heads, whilst for those members of the audience who chose to watch from the galleries the whole spectacle provided an absolutely hilarious distraction, so that all in all the issue of authorship was the last thing on anyone's mind during the show. When Shakespeare does take over, of course, there is an immediate increase in the strength of the emotions generated by the piece, both for the audience and the principal characters, and the grief, dignity, stoic acceptance and ultimate joy with which Pericles, Thaisa and Marina responded to the vicissitudes of fortune were superbly conveyed by Lucian Msamati, Kate Fleetwood and Ony Uhiara, enabling us to share wholeheartedly in the wonder of their final reunions without ever considering the unlikely nature of the chain of events which had befallen them. We were also made to feel that Pericles' African heritage, which he continued to uphold in his dress and behaviour, had had a strong positive influence on both his own and his daughter's character (something which, in my opinion at least, helped to make them very convincing as people). The play's various settings were vividly contrasted through a mixture of African and Western European styles. Antioch was African and, judging by the stir that occurred around me when its ruler appeared, I was not the only one who felt he bore a remarkable resemblance to Robert Mugabe! Pentapolis, in contrast, was a sunny modern Greek city, whose ruler Simonides (Richard Moore) had a happy disposition that readily explained his subjects' devotion to him. The inhabitants of Ephesus appeared to be New Age travellers, whilst the seedy atmosphere of Mytilene, introduced amidst a flood of red light, encompassed a pole-dancing club as well as the Bawd's brothel. The Bawd herself was played by Linda Bassett, who also featured as the totally contrasting character of the healer Cerimon and gave fine performances in both roles, whilst Nigel Cooke, as an older than usual Lysimachus, displayed the character in a different – and arguably more realistic – light. A thoroughly entertaining, and at times very moving, production of a play that is, because of its multiple locations, very served indeed by a promenade staging. - 194.75.129.200) | 17 Nov 06 |
