All's Well that Ends Well

Synopsis

A romantic fairytale. Helena, daughter of a poor physician, loves Bertram, son of a Countess. She wins his hand in marriage as a reward for curing the dying King - but Bertram does not love Helena and insists on her fulfilling several impossible tasks before accepting his duties as husband.

Our Review:

6 May 2011

This is the first time that the Globe has tackled this, one of Shakespeare's so-called problem plays, those works that eschew some of the lighter touches but don't lead to the tragic ending.

Marianne Elliot's recent production for the National Theatre emphasised the fairy-tale nature of the story. For the Globe, however, director John Dove has brought out the comedy, downplaying some of the deeper moral questions that lie at the heart of the play but providing plenty of entertainment for the groundlings.

It's a play that has one of the most attractive heroines, Helena, the lowly daughter of a doctor who saves a king's life and gets the reward of the man she loves - to be rejected by him. There's a touching performance from Ellie Piercy, who manages to make Helena seem human and not some arch prig – not always the easiest task. It's hard to think what she sees in Sam Crane's uncharismatic Bertram though.

There's also a good performance from [Sam ...

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Latest User Review

Ken Reynolds - 9 May 2011:

Measure for Measure- Troilus and Cressida and All's Well that ends Well are considered Problem Plays due to unsatisfactory denouement. This production has the ability of making the watcher believe that Bertram will make a go of it with Helena. A wonderful and joyous production!...

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