Review: LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST, Sam Wanamaker Playhouse

Love's Labour's Lost is one of Shakespeare's earlier comedies and has never been one of his more popular plays. Even attempts to make it more appealing by Kenneth Branagh in 2000 by turning it into a musical did little to sway public opinion. Nick Bagnall's production focuses more on slapstick comedy than it does on passion and romance.

The King of Navarre (Paul Stocker) has signed a decree along with his two courtiers, Dumaine (Tom Kanji) and Berowne (Dharmesh Patel), that they will stay away from women and concentrate on their studies. Then the beautiful Princess of France (Kirsty Woodward) and her two ladies in waiting Rosaline (Jade Williams) and Katherine (Leaphia Darko) arrive, and although initially the King does enforce his rules making the women stay in a field outside his court, it doesn't take long for him and his courtiers to fall in love with the women.

Jos Vantyler's Spanish lothario Don Armado is extremely camp, swaggering about the stage with heavy make-up reminiscent of Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow. While he does get some of the loudest laughs of the evening, the ramped-up comedy takes away from Don Armado's realisation that he has fallen in love for the first time and is trying to come to terms with his feelings.

In one scene, the King and his courtiers visit the Princess and her ladies in waiting while dressed as Russians to play a trick on them - suddenly, they're performing "Lady Marmalade". While it's something which is sure to make the audience laugh, it detracts from the passion that is buried deep within the wordplay, and though co-composer and musical director Laura Moody manages to conjure up some beautifully eerie moments, the slapstick comedy undermines the subtle darkness that runs throughout the play.

There's no better place in London to stage Shakespeare than at the Globe, and the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse is particularly atmospheric - the intimate candlelit space is the perfect setting for any Shakespeare play, with audience participation playing a significant role throughout.

But the sudden shift that this production's final scene takes, with a beautiful rendition of "The Cuckoo Song", emphasises the stark contrast between what we see on stage and the potential that lies there.

Love's Labour's Lost at Sam Wanamaker Playhouse until 15 September

Photo Credit: Marc Brenner

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