TRISTAN & YSEULT. To 19 November.
Tour.
TRISTAN & YSEULT
by Carl Grose and Anna Maria Murphy.
Kneehigh Theatre at Bristol Old Victol 1st October then tour to 19 November 2005.
Running Time: 2hr 20min.
Review by Stewart McGill, 21st September 2005
Fast, exhilarating and works on many levels.
Confession time until this week I had missed the work of Kneehigh and despite being urged by colleagues had not seen their style of theatre. Never again consider me signed up for the duration which I hope is for a long time to come. Kneehigh's Tristan and Yseult has been reviewed earlier this year for its sell-out season at the National Theatre, co-producers of the show first seen in 2003 in an earlier outdoor manifestation. Now revived in collaboration with Bristol Old Vic the show undertakes an extensive national and in 2005 international tour.
The work re-imagines the ancient Cornish legend, beloved of poets and the subject of grand opera, for contemporary audiences and fits well with Bristol Old Vic's house style of breathing new life into classic texts. The influence and active participation o Kneehigh is part of Bristol's currant approach and anticipates next year's three way co-production with David Farr's Lyric Hammersmith to elevate Angela Carter's surreal Nights At The Circus.
The show works on so many levels from the tribe of the Loveseekers who all seem to be permanent Kenneth's' in anoracks and glasses who chorus like take us on the journey to the moments of sublime light bathed poetry as Tristan Sturrock's Tristan and Eva Magyar Yseult express their love in a beautifully choreographed and timeless statement of the power of love.
In many ways the story has Arthurian resonance, asking the question, what is love and can we love more than one person totally? The story thrillingly develops with a melange of theatre styles, superb music and a staging that explodes with energy and life. The cast and musicians cover many roles and with ease a male actor Craig Johnson movingly speaks of his night of passion with the King, in the role of Brangian, Yseult's servant we feel his portrayal of female loneliness with pain.
This is fast and exhilarating theatre, with enough audience participation to bring us into action with honesty and never simply for effect. Overall I imagine the effect on the audience is equal to hearing the tale told for the first time or witnessing Romeo and Juliet at the end of Act V without prior knowledge of the fate of the star-crossed lovers.
I urge readers to catch this show before the international tour next year and discover or rediscover the amazing power of storytelling through genuinely collaborative and exciting cross discipline performance.
It is thrilling that Michael Boyd and Deborah Shaw have invited Kneehigh to stage Cymbeline for The Complete Works next year. I guess we should be booking our tickets right now for this event.
Cast: Morholt: Craig Johnson.
Frocin: Giles King.
Whiteheads: Amanda Lawrence.
Yseult: Anna Magyar.
King Mark: Mike Shepherd.
Tristan: Tristan Sturrock.
Musicians: Stu Barker, Fiona Barrow, Alex Vann, Michael Vince, Animateurs: Simon Harvey, James Traherne.
Director: Emma Rice.
Designer: Bill Mitchell.
Lighting: Alex Wardle.
Sound: Gregory Clarke.
Musical Director: Stu Barker.
2005-09-27 15:14:01