Review: SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE at Star Theatre 1, Star Theatres

Reviewed by Barry Lenny, Friday 24th November 2023.

Independent Theatre is ending the year with the stage adaptation, by Lee Hall, of Shakespeare in Love, the 1998 film by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard, with music provided by Paddy Cunneen. Directed by the company’s artistic director, Rob Croser, this fictional romantic comedy was a big hit with the opening night audience.

Will Shakespeare has writer’s block and is getting nowhere with his latest play, Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate’s Daughter. He meets and falls in love with Viola de Lesseps who, in a time when only men are allowed to perform on the stage, wants to be an actor. A girl, disguised a boy and calling herself Thomas Kent in order to join a company of actors, is highly illegal, and the situation is complicated further by the fact that she is betrothed to the jealous and overbearing, Lord Wessex, a man several decades her senior, a marriage arranged by her father, and approved by the Queen.

The first thing that we see as we enter the auditorium is another of Croser and David Roach’s superb set designs, this time, an Elizabethan theatre stage, complete with a balcony. Its versatility becomes apparent as the action unfolds.

The performance begins and ends with the same tableau, Shakespeare sitting at his desk, pen in hand, surrounded by onlookers. At the beginning, he is frustrated at his inability to write anything more than the title. At the end, inspired by his muse, Viola, he is beginning to write Twelfth Night. Between the two, Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate’s Daughter, a comedy, becomes Romeo and Juliet, the tragic love story. The romance between Will and Viola is the main theme but there are numerous comical subplots, too.

It is not necessary to have an intimate and expansive knowledge of the works of Shakespeare to enjoy this play as the story is about the man, not his plays. On the other hand, such knowledge adds an extra layer of interest to those who recognise all of the quotations and references.

 Phillip Henslowe, owner of the Rose Theatre, is in debt to the moneylender, Hugh Fennyman. He is relying on Shakespeare to provide the script for his new play which, when performed at his theatre, will raise the money to get him out of debt. Chris Bleby and David Roach, as Henslowe and Fennyman, have some very comical encounters, as Will makes fools of both of them.

The central characters, Will and Viola, are played by Eddie Sims and Georgia Penglis. Sims is wonderful as the devious and conniving playwright, pitting those around him, one against the other, as he avoids admitting that he doesn’t have a word of a script for any of them. He conveys the change in his character through his encounter with Thomas Kent, Viola and, when he discovers that they are one and the same, his growing maturity. Penglis is marvellous as Viola, creating a strong-willed rebel, full of life and energy. She shows how Viola’s passionate love of theatre, of poetry, leads to her love of Will, who writes those words, a love that is consummated, but doomed to brevity. Viola cannot escape her obligations nor defy the Queen. We cannot help but assume that her aging husband is in for a less-than-happy marriage.

Fahad Farooque takes on the role of Will’s friend, confidant, and supporter, Christopher ‘Kit’ Marlowe, who also acts as a Cyrano de Bergerac, feeding Will the lines to help him speak to Viola on her balcony. Farooque gives a lively performance in the role, generating plenty of laughs.

A son was seen as an asset, but a daughter was considered to be a burden, and a father would offer a substantial dowry, effectively paying somebody to take her off his hands. Sir Robert de Lesseps, the second well-considered role for David Roach, has made such an arrangement with Lord Wessex, played with anger, frustration, and belligerence by Keith Wilson.

Jean Walker is suitably austere and majestic as Queen Elizabeth I, wisely sympathetic to the plight of Viola, and saving her from the consequences of her appearance in Shakespeare’s play.

There are many others in the cast, too many to mention individually, but all deliver creditable performances, contributing toward building the laughter with every scene.

The many period costumes are impressive, and well-executed lighting and sound add to the professionalism of the production. This should be on your list of productions to attend.

Photography, Ishan Rai and Jeshan Rai.

 

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