Feels like how Shakespeare is meant to be performed!
The arrival of summer can mean only one thing – the open-air performances have begun. One such option available to audiences seeking a sunny(ish) setting is Shakespeare in the Squares’ charming production of All’s Well That Ends Well.
From beginning to end, there is not a hair out of place in this production – as I entered the community garden in West London which was the venue for the performance I attended, I am greeted by a cheery group of performers who are actively weaving their way through the audience. With a flourish from the instruments each of the company are holding, the show begins. Well-crafted costumes and a simple set frame this family-friendly version of one of the Bard’s problem plays – and the eight-person strong company is certainly the highlight, as they pick up their instruments and multirole their way through the story.
Director Sioned Jones’ reworking of the play in order to make it suitable for all ages lets the cast shine; Fiona Bruce’s Countress is confidently magnanimous, while her Widow proves a sprightly beginning to the second act. Miiya Alexandra handles the complicated role of Diana with great sensitivity – rejoicing in the comedic elements, but delivering her final monologue with great emotion. Claire-Monique Martin is a brilliant multiroler – her appearance as both the King and Mariana had the audience rolling in the aisles. Toby Gordon, as the foolish and very funny Parolles, completely commands the stage every time he steps on it, and Lee Drage and Jacob Yolland provide great energy in every party they play. Jack Ward’s Bertram is goofily charismatic, leading the rest of the characters (and the audience) to easily forgive him for his casting off of Kalifa Taylor’s Helena. How he could cast her off, I’m not sure – I felt, while watching, that Taylor was born to perform Shakespeare.
Indeed, as the sun began to set towards the end of the show, I thought that perhaps this is how Shakespeare is meant to be performed – within a community. Through every element the production added – from audience participation to the musical interludes – we, as spectators, were enraptured. I was warmed to glance around and notice that the children in the audience were completely absorbed with the performance – indeed, Shakespeare in the Squares certainly creates an atmosphere in which the community can become absorbed with their very endearing production.