My overall impression
Heaping helpings of physical motion grant this production a touch of hypnotic appeal. (I find this is a great quality if you’re dragging along recalcitrant or young audience members!) Well considered double casting with a dynamic cast play upon the Shakespearean characteristics. The neon yellow stockings with cross garters caused an uproar—and not only amongst the characters! The presence of the stage musician (she’s good!) with a plethora of instruments—all small scale, so don’t expect dramatic piano background music—makes this play dynamic (live music adds just a touch of something to a performance). However, I would note that the actors, while starting strong, are notably less dynamic at near the end of the production. Also, character changes are not as crisp as could be. The fool assists in character changes, but-way through the play, the changes are much less smooth: there’s fumbling, the changing character moves far too much, and, perhaps most importantly, the excessive movements of the fool and the changing characters detracts from the rest of the action on stage. The flow of the play is definitely weakened drastically with subpar character changes. The character changes done properly, in contrast, do not affect the flow of the play adversely—the action simply continues on. Also, the staging itself could be improved. Why do the characters constantly run into the instruments? The answer: they shouldn’t—it’s bad spacing. The flow of the scene is interrupted needlessly—especially when there is unnecessary sound from an inadvertent collisions. This could be a great production; unfortunately, it’s merely good at present.
