Edward III

What I liked

I liked that the pacing was crisp, that actors showed the appropriate amount of gravitas in the more serious lines, and humor in the lighter or sarcastic lines. All actors were strong. The scenes between King Edward and the countess were the emotional core of the play and were quite gripping. The lighting was excellent, and created subtle tones that I noticed but were not overbearing, such as lighting the countess more brightly when she acted welcoming, and more somberly when she had decided to take her own life. After someone died, I noticed the subtle red lighting on their body that suggested blood very effectively, but subtly.

What I didn't like

The only thing I noticed is that some actors were more stentorian than others, even in similar situations with similar emotions. These louder voices tended to work better for me at least, than the softer voices, which I sometimes could not hear clearly. My recommendation is that the overall volume of these “quieter” actors be raised, while still maintaining the dynamic rise and fall of loudness. This would facilitate all of the audience hearing the lines, and bring the actors more in sync in terms of overall loudness within a scene.

My overall impression

Very well staged, with minimalist but effective costumes, great lighting and choreography. The actors extracted the appropriate amount of drama, pathos and humor from the script. It was very “comprehensible” Shakespeare, even for the uninitiated, with actors using nonverbal cues and gestures, and expressive intonation to get the meanings across clearly. At the same time, they also were able to capture the beauty and wit of Shakespeare’s writing.