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page_on_stageAs far as festivals go the Canterbury Shakespeare Festival is still in its infancy, Summer 2016 marking only its second year of performances, but anyone not in the know would be forgiven for thinking that it had been founded decades ago. Boasting five unique productions set in five spectacular open air locations, this year’s festival was an undeniable treat for anyone who considers themselves a fan of the Bard. Canterbury is the perfect location for this wonderful calendar of events, already rich in literary history (Geoffrey Chaucer, Christopher Marlowe) and steeped in architectural, historical, and natural beauty it provided an inspiring setting for some truly enchanting performances.
As You Like It, The Merchant of Venice, Macbeth, and Twelfth Night were all on offer at this summer’s most succulent Shakespearian buffet, along with a new piece of experimental theatre entitled Iago, written by playwright Ciaran Barata-Hynes. The casts were made up of a variety of amateur and semi-professional actors from all walks of life, a feast of incredible acting talent, and the volunteer creative and crew did an amazing job. I was fortunate enough to catch performances of both Macbeth and The Merchant of Venice, both of which were an absolute delight.
The Merchant of Venice was performed in the beautiful Greyfriars Garden, a pretty little patch of land surrounded by flowering greenery and accessed by crossing a bridge over a crystal clear river and then passing under a stone archway. The place seemed like a secret garden, strangely secluded despite its location just off of the main high street. Audience members were invited to sit on the grass and bring along their own picnics, and many did. The variety of food being consumed said a lot about the real mixture of people in attendance; everything from strawberries, cream and, champagne, to pork pies, chocolate, and to-share bags of Quavers. The young, the old, and even a little dog settled down on this sunny evening in August to enjoy a charming location and some wonderful theatre. They were not disappointed.
Not one of Shakespeare’s most well-known plays, it’s clear to see why The Merchant of Venice may not be people’s first choice when putting on one of the bard’s classics. It’s not really a comedy or a tragedy, but sits somewhere in the middle of the two. In short it’s the story of a merchant, Antonio, who borrows money from the scorned Jew, Shylock, so that his good friend Bassanio can afford passage overseas to try to win the hand of the woman he loves. Shylock has Antonio sign a bond swearing that, in the event that he cannot pay back the money he has borrowed, Shylock may take a pound of his flesh. The ending of the play is unsatisfying, and a few of the side plots are unnecessary and ill-executed. The characters are quite bland, the tone is odd, and the writing itself is not some of Shakespeare’s best. The saving grace is Shylock, a man with his own moral code and a fierce determination to see his justice served. Complex and intriguingly multi-dimensional, Shylock is a character you won’t forget in a hurry.
So Merchant may have some holes, but that said the Canterbury Shakespeare Festival’s production was highly enjoyable. Antonio was gender-swapped, played with grace and great feeling by actress Claire Watson, who gave a strong and emotional performance. Her resignation at the point when she realised she was facing a gruesome death at the blade of Shylock’s knife was particularly heart-wrenching. Bassiano, a rather blandly written character, was given new life and certainly some much needed charm by Philip Hunt, while Charlotte Groombridge gave an intelligent and witty performance as his true love, Portia. Bassanio’s friend, Gratiano, was played to perfection by Oliver Graveson, who portrayed him as a highly loveable and somewhat soppy young rogue, whilst some welcome comic relief was provided by Ynaqui Inocian, who multi-rolled as both the Prince of Morocco and Arragon, the other men hoping to win Portia’s hand in marriage before Bassanio can get to her. Nicole Driver zipped around the stage like a caffeine fuelled spaniel whilst playing the energetic and talkative jester of the play, Gobbo, and one of the highlights of the show for me was the alarm on an audience member’s face when Gobbo left the stage to help herself to the poor woman’s picnic! And then, of course, there was Shylock, a beast of a character tackled exceptionally well by Ciaran Barata-Hynes, who brought a real understanding of the character’s complexities to the role and evoked reactions of anger, disgust and pity in equal measure. The entire production was vibrant and energetic, thoughtfully directed and crafted by Elliot Huxtable, whose eye for detail and ability to bring the best out in his cast was clearly evident throughout.
Open air theatre has its pros and cons, and one criticism of the CSF’s Merchant would be that it had a few projection issues. Halfway through the first act the wind picked up and I found that a few of the lines were being snatched away and lost in the breeze. However, as the play drew to its climactic courtroom scene the delights of open air theatre worked their magic and the skies began to darken as Antonio’s grim fate drew ever nearer. By the time Shylock was sharpening his knife to a lethal edge ready to cut the pound of flesh owed him, the heavens had turned black and the illumination from the stage lights below cast an eerie and menacing glow over the horrifying scene. It was quite the spectacle.
The Canterbury Shakespeare Festival is now sadly over for this year, but I know that I for one will not be passing up the opportunity to attend again next summer. I have no doubt that the festival will continue to grow, both in size and quality, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store next time. To find out more you can like the Canterbury Shakespeare Festival on Facebook or visit their website at www.canterburyshakespeare.co.uk and show your support for this incredible event.
The Canterbury Shakespeare Festival Presents: The Merchant of Venice| Greyfriars Garden, Canterbury| ★★★★☆
As You Like It, The Merchant of Venice, Macbeth, and Twelfth Night were all on offer at this summer’s most succulent Shakespearian buffet, along with a new piece of experimental theatre entitled Iago, written by playwright Ciaran Barata-Hynes. The casts were made up of a variety of amateur and semi-professional actors from all walks of life, a feast of incredible acting talent, and the volunteer creative and crew did an amazing job. I was fortunate enough to catch performances of both Macbeth and The Merchant of Venice, both of which were an absolute delight.
The Merchant of Venice was performed in the beautiful Greyfriars Garden, a pretty little patch of land surrounded by flowering greenery and accessed by crossing a bridge over a crystal clear river and then passing under a stone archway. The place seemed like a secret garden, strangely secluded despite its location just off of the main high street. Audience members were invited to sit on the grass and bring along their own picnics, and many did. The variety of food being consumed said a lot about the real mixture of people in attendance; everything from strawberries, cream and, champagne, to pork pies, chocolate, and to-share bags of Quavers. The young, the old, and even a little dog settled down on this sunny evening in August to enjoy a charming location and some wonderful theatre. They were not disappointed.
Not one of Shakespeare’s most well-known plays, it’s clear to see why The Merchant of Venice may not be people’s first choice when putting on one of the bard’s classics. It’s not really a comedy or a tragedy, but sits somewhere in the middle of the two. In short it’s the story of a merchant, Antonio, who borrows money from the scorned Jew, Shylock, so that his good friend Bassanio can afford passage overseas to try to win the hand of the woman he loves. Shylock has Antonio sign a bond swearing that, in the event that he cannot pay back the money he has borrowed, Shylock may take a pound of his flesh. The ending of the play is unsatisfying, and a few of the side plots are unnecessary and ill-executed. The characters are quite bland, the tone is odd, and the writing itself is not some of Shakespeare’s best. The saving grace is Shylock, a man with his own moral code and a fierce determination to see his justice served. Complex and intriguingly multi-dimensional, Shylock is a character you won’t forget in a hurry.
So Merchant may have some holes, but that said the Canterbury Shakespeare Festival’s production was highly enjoyable. Antonio was gender-swapped, played with grace and great feeling by actress Claire Watson, who gave a strong and emotional performance. Her resignation at the point when she realised she was facing a gruesome death at the blade of Shylock’s knife was particularly heart-wrenching. Bassiano, a rather blandly written character, was given new life and certainly some much needed charm by Philip Hunt, while Charlotte Groombridge gave an intelligent and witty performance as his true love, Portia. Bassanio’s friend, Gratiano, was played to perfection by Oliver Graveson, who portrayed him as a highly loveable and somewhat soppy young rogue, whilst some welcome comic relief was provided by Ynaqui Inocian, who multi-rolled as both the Prince of Morocco and Arragon, the other men hoping to win Portia’s hand in marriage before Bassanio can get to her. Nicole Driver zipped around the stage like a caffeine fuelled spaniel whilst playing the energetic and talkative jester of the play, Gobbo, and one of the highlights of the show for me was the alarm on an audience member’s face when Gobbo left the stage to help herself to the poor woman’s picnic! And then, of course, there was Shylock, a beast of a character tackled exceptionally well by Ciaran Barata-Hynes, who brought a real understanding of the character’s complexities to the role and evoked reactions of anger, disgust and pity in equal measure. The entire production was vibrant and energetic, thoughtfully directed and crafted by Elliot Huxtable, whose eye for detail and ability to bring the best out in his cast was clearly evident throughout.
Open air theatre has its pros and cons, and one criticism of the CSF’s Merchant would be that it had a few projection issues. Halfway through the first act the wind picked up and I found that a few of the lines were being snatched away and lost in the breeze. However, as the play drew to its climactic courtroom scene the delights of open air theatre worked their magic and the skies began to darken as Antonio’s grim fate drew ever nearer. By the time Shylock was sharpening his knife to a lethal edge ready to cut the pound of flesh owed him, the heavens had turned black and the illumination from the stage lights below cast an eerie and menacing glow over the horrifying scene. It was quite the spectacle.
The Canterbury Shakespeare Festival is now sadly over for this year, but I know that I for one will not be passing up the opportunity to attend again next summer. I have no doubt that the festival will continue to grow, both in size and quality, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store next time. To find out more you can like the Canterbury Shakespeare Festival on Facebook or visit their website at www.canterburyshakespeare.co.uk and show your support for this incredible event.
The Canterbury Shakespeare Festival Presents: The Merchant of Venice| Greyfriars Garden, Canterbury| ★★★★☆
