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All the world's a stage for Shakespeare group
By Nie Xin |
May 26, 2012, Saturday
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Print Edition
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ALL-MALE Shakespearean company Propeller from the United Kingdom brings the Bard's "Henry V" and "The Winter's Tale" to Shanghai's Lyceum Theater next month, following performances in Beijing.
Dangerous, thrilling and deeply moving, "Henry V" tells of the medieval English king who journeyed across the English Channel to the fields of France and the Battle of Agincourt.
At a time when large numbers of British servicemen and women are seeing active service overseas, Propeller brings a unique take on one of Shakespeare's most famous works, creating an evening of unforgettable power.
War, its nature, how it starts and the stresses of leadership are central themes of "Henry V."
"I like 'Henry V' because it's about nationalism, about coming together as a community in adversity and overcoming enormous odds - and it's war that brings us together," says director Edward Hall.
Late comedy "The Winter's Tale" is a fairy story that is at once mysterious and extraordinary.
Propeller returns to the story of Leontes, a man consumed by an inexplicable jealousy that destroys his family, his kingdom and himself. Wracked by guilt, Leontes sets off a chain reaction of events leading to a miraculous ending and the chance for redemption.
The son of famous theater director Sir Peter Hall, founder of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Edward Hall was awarded "New York Jeff Award Winner for Best Director" in 2004.
He says the key to dramatizing Shakespeare for a modern audience is to have theater-goers leaving performances with a new and enlightened understanding of the Bard.
Since 1997, Propeller has also produced "Twelfth Night," "Rose Rage" - the adaptation of the three "Henry VI" plays into two performances - "A Midsummer Night's Dream," "The Merchant of Venice" and "Richard III."
"I always call Propeller the accidental theater company. It started simply because of a desire of mine to explore Shakespeare in a slightly different way to the one I felt I was expected to," says Hall.
He had directed a production of "Othello" 15 years ago at the Watermill Theatre. "When I reflected on the work it felt slightly like I'd tried to deliver what was 'expected' of me," Hall says.
Over 15 years, fewer than 50 actors have worked with the company which produces as few as two shows every 18 months.
Propeller performs all-male Shakespeare, simply because "that's how they used to be produced," explains Hall. "There are some interesting moments created by single gender casting," he adds.
Propeller has toured in places as far afield as Japan, Australia, The Philippines, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Cyprus, Spain, Italy, Malta, Poland, Germany, Ireland, the United States and Mexico,
"The experience of putting on a play in front of a different audience every week is extraordinarily invigorating. Sometimes it's not because of the difference in reactions, but because you find you get the same laugh in Jakarta that you got in Swindon, in England, and you wonder how that could be possible," says the director.
? "Henry V"
Date: June 13-14, 7:30pm
? "The Winter's Tale"
Date: June 15-16, 7:30pm
Venue: Lyceum Theater, 58 Maoming Rd S.
Tickets: 80-380 yuan (US$12.76-60.60)
Tel: 962-388
Dangerous, thrilling and deeply moving, "Henry V" tells of the medieval English king who journeyed across the English Channel to the fields of France and the Battle of Agincourt.
At a time when large numbers of British servicemen and women are seeing active service overseas, Propeller brings a unique take on one of Shakespeare's most famous works, creating an evening of unforgettable power.
War, its nature, how it starts and the stresses of leadership are central themes of "Henry V."
"I like 'Henry V' because it's about nationalism, about coming together as a community in adversity and overcoming enormous odds - and it's war that brings us together," says director Edward Hall.
Late comedy "The Winter's Tale" is a fairy story that is at once mysterious and extraordinary.
Propeller returns to the story of Leontes, a man consumed by an inexplicable jealousy that destroys his family, his kingdom and himself. Wracked by guilt, Leontes sets off a chain reaction of events leading to a miraculous ending and the chance for redemption.
The son of famous theater director Sir Peter Hall, founder of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Edward Hall was awarded "New York Jeff Award Winner for Best Director" in 2004.
He says the key to dramatizing Shakespeare for a modern audience is to have theater-goers leaving performances with a new and enlightened understanding of the Bard.
Since 1997, Propeller has also produced "Twelfth Night," "Rose Rage" - the adaptation of the three "Henry VI" plays into two performances - "A Midsummer Night's Dream," "The Merchant of Venice" and "Richard III."
"I always call Propeller the accidental theater company. It started simply because of a desire of mine to explore Shakespeare in a slightly different way to the one I felt I was expected to," says Hall.
He had directed a production of "Othello" 15 years ago at the Watermill Theatre. "When I reflected on the work it felt slightly like I'd tried to deliver what was 'expected' of me," Hall says.
Over 15 years, fewer than 50 actors have worked with the company which produces as few as two shows every 18 months.
Propeller performs all-male Shakespeare, simply because "that's how they used to be produced," explains Hall. "There are some interesting moments created by single gender casting," he adds.
Propeller has toured in places as far afield as Japan, Australia, The Philippines, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Cyprus, Spain, Italy, Malta, Poland, Germany, Ireland, the United States and Mexico,
"The experience of putting on a play in front of a different audience every week is extraordinarily invigorating. Sometimes it's not because of the difference in reactions, but because you find you get the same laugh in Jakarta that you got in Swindon, in England, and you wonder how that could be possible," says the director.
? "Henry V"
Date: June 13-14, 7:30pm
? "The Winter's Tale"
Date: June 15-16, 7:30pm
Venue: Lyceum Theater, 58 Maoming Rd S.
Tickets: 80-380 yuan (US$12.76-60.60)
Tel: 962-388
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