Baseless Fabric Theatre
Company
Presents
Bard at the Bridewell
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Measure for Measure
Just a stone's throw from the City and the River Thames,
and minutes from the West End, the Bridewell Theatre seems
ideally situated, and yet it's fair to say that over the past
few years it has had more than it's fairshare of
ups and downs. The unique venue, formerly a Victorian
swimming pool and laundry, has long been synonymous with new
talent and new writing, and has staged productions that would,
perhaps, not have been produced in some of
the more mainstream London theatres. Landmark
productions have begun here, but problems with budget have left
their mark, and were it not for the tireless work of Theatre
Managers Lucy Hillard and Mike Palmer,
amongst others, this little-known gem may have been lost
forever. Thankfully, it's still here, and I, for one, am very
glad of that fact. Though finding the theatre on your first
visit can besomething of a challenge, it's one
which you should relish as, by the time you get there, the
anticipation of what you might see is almost tangible. The
entrance is found in a twisty little street, Bride Lane,
somewhat reminiscent of a location for Jack
the Ripper, but full of character for that, and well worth the
search.
Reducing this, one of Shakespeare's 'problem plays', down
to forty-five minutes is no mean feat. The Compicite production
at The National Theatre ran to almost one hundred and
thirty-five and even then ran at a heady
pace. The moral dilemma of Isabella's choice between the death
of her brother and the loss of her virginity seems a little
heavy for this 'comedy', however, the cast has done very well
at it and this production is both slick and
exciting, although to a lover of the Bard the exclusion of
Mistress Overdone (times, e.g. the lunch break, being what they
are and all that) and some of the other well-loved characters
may be a minus point. This was a minor
annoyance to me and did not really detract, and I found myself
fully engaged and drawing contemporary references (As one
reviewer commented about a previous production, "It is
fortunate for the theater, not to mention
newspapers, that hypocrisy, corruption and sexual entanglements
in high places have never gone out of fashion"), slightly
surprised at the end that it had finished so quickly. I mean,
most of
the time it takes me longer than that to get to the
theatre.
This is a great little production. Little only in length
and setting, and provides a magical escape from the rat-race of
daily life. Directed by Joanna Turner, this production does not
rely on spectacle, the stage bare
and black-draped all around, and no
soundtrack or lighting to speak of. In this case though, the
text is paramount and the cast, though somewhat young in a few
cases, rattled through it like natives, creating some great
moments in theperformances. Peter Rae as Lucio was
in fine form, his dry sense of humour and perfect comic timing
providing a welcome contrast to Nicki Walsh's surprisingly
honest and simple Isabella, tugged in all
directions. Richard Mark as a dark and
brooding Angelo found power in his words, although seemed at
times to blend into the background, being as he was, all in
black throughout. Robert Maskell also found a great balance
of humour and seriousness in a well-judged
portrayal of the Duke which drew us directly into the world of
the play and the intrigue of Vienna's upper
classes.
Lunchtime theatre is an interesting concept, and one
which, I hope, will continue onwards and, as it were, upwards
(geographically if nothing else, nearer to and into
the West End). In a world that's
increasingly dominated by television, games
consoles, computers, and digital media, it is fantastic that
there is the opportunity to see some of Shakespeare's greatest
works during your lunch hour - and at £5 a ticket it's less
than your average deli sandwich and coffee
combo. Why not improve your health and wellbeing by ditching
the caffeine and stimulating the grey matter? The 'Bard at the
Bridewell' Season runs until early May and is
well worth the effort to seek it out.
Much ado about nothing you ask?
I think not
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For more information on the Bridewell Theatre, its
fundraising efforts, and all its forthcoming productions,
please call 0207-353-3331 or log on to http://www.bridewelltheatre.org/
To contact Baseless Fabric Theatre Company, you can
emailbaselessfabrictheatre@yahoo.co.uk
Nearest stations: Blackfriars and City
Thameslink
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