TROILUS AND CRESSIDA till 9 September
TROILUS AND CRESSIDA: William Shakespeare
RSC: Part of the Complete Works Festival
RSC with Edinburgh International Festival
Runs: 3h 25m, one interval, till 9 September
Review: Rod Dungate, Stratford Upon Avon, 6 September 2006
Bold, big but at the end of the day an empty vessel
It’s bold, no doubt about that; but this is a production that strikes attitudes that are sadly little more than empty gestures. The production is a series of effects, that, while you can see how they’re meant to add up, ultimately are left as mere show. There are good things, moment by moment and we should not lose sight of these.
Peter Stein, who directs, appears confused about the messages his production carries. In the early scene with the Greek leaders, for instance, Stein wishes to establish the nonsense of this lengthy war. Maybe a cynical approach, but valid. Agamemnon and Nestor, then, become bumbling and boring idiots, sending each other up – leaving the debate clear for Ulysses for Ulysses to make his mark. Stein seems not to realise that in doing this the scene becomes boring for us and the debate becomes valueless.
Debate in this tricky play is crucial; Stein’s chosen heightened style results in emoted acting, marked by heighten physical gesturing to explain the text; actors ‘signal’ their meanings constantly. You see long duologues and wonder why you’re not taking anything in; the reason is there’s nothing to take in, there is no meaning supporting the dialogue. There are exceptions.
The duologue between Hector (Richard Clothier) and Achilles (Vincent Regan) is gripping – the actors actually talk to one another. I should also say their fight is marvellous. David Yelland’s Ulysses is powerful and authoritative; a true prince.
I like the casting of very young Troilus and Cressida; both Henry Pettigrew and Annabel Scholey bring charm, innocence and passion to their roles. Paul Jesson’s Pandarus is always watchable. The scene in which Pandarus brings Troilus and Cressida together is masterfully handled. As the two young people talk, Pandarus potters around between them making up a huge bed. Later, Pandarus becomes the voyeur – half-hidden, he watches them making love. His final speech is brimful of bitterness and sickness; most uncomfortable and entirely fitting.
Two designers are credited to the production but have created some of the poorest designs I’ve seen at Stratford for a long, no a very long, time. Combined with an over intrusive score, it’s no wonder the play can’t come through.
Calchas: Arthur Cox
Pandarus: Henry Pettigrew
Pandarus: Paul Jesson
Aeneas: Simon Armstrong
Cressida: Annabel Scholey
Hector: Richard Clothier
Paris: Adam Levy
Margarelon: Roger May
Agamemnon: Ian Hogg
Nestor: John Franklyn-Robbins
Ulysses: David Yelland
Menelaus: John Kane
Diomedes: Richard Wills-Cotton
Thersites: Ian Hughes
Ajax: Julian Lewis Jones
Achilles: Vincent Regan
Patroclus: Oliver Kieran-Jones
Priam: Jeffry Wickham
Cassandra: Kate Miles
Helen: Rachel Pickup
Andromache: Charlotte Moore
Trumpeters: Jonathan Thomson, Tom Poulson
Greek Soldiers: John Beale, Jeronimo Best, Stephen Giles, Stephen Leask, Otis Waby
Trojan Soldiers: Stephen Hagan (Antenor), Kyle Redmond Jones, Patrick Knowles, Sean McConaghy, Danny Seldon
Director: Peter Stein
Set Designer: Ferdinand Wogerbauer
Costume Designer: Anna Maria Heinreich
Lighting Designer: Japhy Weideman
Fight Director: Malcolm Ranson
Composer: Arturo Annecchino
Sound: Ferdinando Nicci
Casting Director: Joyce Nettles
Assistant Director: Emma Stuart
Assistant to the Costume Designer: Isabelle Caillaud
2006-09-07 11:22:11