A Tale of Two Dramas

The last seven days have been chock-full of drama and by that I mean the kind you find on a stage. In addition to the Gala for St. George that Joe and I attended last Sunday, Joe traveled to the eastern coast of England to see YES! and I went to two different plays with two different friends. In between, Joe has closed three nights in a row and I spent three days writing two 2,500 word essays for my Authors exam, which accounts for a whopping 30% of my overall MA score.

Much Ado About Nothing @ Shakespeare's Globe
Thursday, 1 May

For nearly the entire programme, my classmates have been dreading the three-day pressure pot of the Authors exam (I really didn't find it that bad, but that's another post). As a way to ease the stress, Tammela and I planned our reward ahead of time: £13 tickets to see Much Ado at the Globe! We had both been wanting to take in a play at the Globe and this was the perfect opportunity. Our exam was due at 10 am and the matinee began at 2 pm, perfect timing for a lunch stop at Borough Market in between. (In reality, both Tammela and I finished our exams early and turned them in on Wednesday, leaving us a chance to sleep in on Thursday instead of heading to campus to endure the crush of 45 masters candidates all signing their tests in at the same time.)

Tammela's review can be read here.

It has been a while since I read Much Ado (high school? Is that right?), but I was looking forward to a comedy. Despite my background as an English major and my experience as an English teacher, I'm always pleasantly surprised when I can watch Shakespeare and understand what's going on without difficulty. There is such a stigma that his plays are difficult to understand that seeing them as they were intended - straightforward, relaxed, without gimmicks - is a happy reminder that really, these plays are universal and meant for everyone.

Honestly, the performance was hilarious. Emma Pallant as Beatrice and Simon Bubb as Benedick were clear standouts who stole the show with their facial expressions and comedic timing. The cast consisted of just eight players, 5 men and 3 women, who doubled-up on parts as necessary. The costuming was simple, 1950s style which kept with a "period" theme but was more relatable for the many school groups in the audience than traditional Elizabethan dress may have been.

The Globe itself is an open-top theatre, which meant that the groundlings in the standing-room-only section made good use of their rain gear throughout the performance. Tammela and I were very glad to have splurged on actual seats where we were protected from the rain that ranged from a light drizzle to heavy sheets. Resident pigeons fly overhead as they please, and the play is lit mostly naturally, making it all feel a bit more real.

Like Shakespeare's birthday party last week, seeing a play inside the Globe feels like being in a movie. This reconstruction was only built in 1997, so perhaps it was used when Shakespeare in Love was filmed just a couple years later. 

1984 @ the Playhouse Theatre

Saturday, May 3

Just two days later I headed down to the bank of the Thames to see a dramatic interpretation of 1984 with Rebecca. I love this book but I was a bit skeptical about how it could possibly work on the stage. The reviews have been great, though, and it was even nominated for the Olivier Award for Best New Play (the British version of the Tony's).

The play starts with a frame narrative of a book club meeting to discuss the novel. While this is functional and allows the characters to narrate some of Winston Smith's interior monologue from the book, it was a bit off-putting to me. The set was exceedingly simple - a single room where Winston can write in his diary with a hallway beyond that had windows into Winston's private space, so that nothing was ever actually private. This room was also used as the canteen where Winston talks with Syme and Parsons. The apartment where Winston meets with Julia was mostly included in pre-filmed scenes on a screen, making it seem like it was happening in a secret location behind Winston's apartment.

To heighten the tension and stress in the audience, loud noises, buzzers, and bright flashing lights were often employed followed by complete darkness or silence. This was effectively jarring and kept the audience attentive for sure.

ironic surveillance video at the theatre

The performance kept a quick pace throughout, boasting a running time of exactly 101 minutes. They kept to this by skipping the intermission and continuing straight through to the end. I was shocked by how quickly Winston and Julia found their secret uncovered and, next moment, found themselves in the Ministry of Love. While this pace was good for the audience, I don't know if it accurately captured the time period covered by the book.

The performances were well executed. Mike Arends was excellent as Winston, though he is far younger and more attractive than I would have preferred for this casting. Hara Yannas was the perfect Julia, and Gavin Spokes was just right as Parsons.

It was really interesting to see this book played out on a stage and I enjoyed spending the evening with Rebecca, but I was left a bit unsatisfied. So much of this novel is about being inside Winston's head, feeling the paranoia, experiencing the psychological conflict: I'm not sure it's possible to genuinely capture that on stage or screen. (Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time came close with its portrayal of Christopher's autism.) Maybe if I weren't planning to write on dystopias for my dissertation, I'd be happier with any interpretation of this classic. I'm very glad I got the opportunity to see this adaptation, especially since I had to try several times before I could get tickets, but of the performances I've seen here in London, I was underwhelmed.