“Upon the Art’s Theatre stage, Greg Doran opens a window into Shakespeare’s visual imagination“
Like the rarely performed yet splendid poem it illuminates, Greg Doran’s Venus and Adonis, brought to life through puppetry, is a rare and precious treat. When thinking of Shakespeare’s iconic oeuvre, Venus and Adonis is perhaps not the first work of his which comes to mind. Yet, Doran and the RSC’s colourful, coquettish revival proves exactly why this epic of love and loss is a perfect story for the stage.
Lyndie Wright and her team of puppet designers have created an exquisite ensemble of puppets, animated in startlingly compelling vivacity under Steve Tiplady’s puppetry direction by a masterful cast of puppeteers. This alone offers a charming visual spectacle, our belief entirely suspended throughout. Yet, the real success of this production is the faultless and inventive manner in which each of Shakepeare’s beautiful words is elevated by the detailed interpretation on stage. Not only does this heighten the vivid and comedic quality of Shakespeare’s verse, but it makes a lesser known poem accessible across audience members of all familiarities with Shaekespeare’s language. Married with a wonderfully emotive classical guitar accompaniment by Nick Lee and Simon Russel Beal’s delightful narration, we are welcomed with warmth and ease into the heart of this gorgeous poem.
There is something magical about the visual conceit of enlivening the inanimate, something which re-inlivens childlike awe and becomes irresistible almost instantly. Gleeful laughter continually rippled across the room, alongside exclamations escaping the moths of awestruck audience members, a testament to the sheer joyousness of the artform. Doran’s Venus is bolshy and unashamed, and his Adonis is hilariously tentative, together, forming an engaging and modern interpretation of the literary pair which nevertheless remains true to Shakespeare’s celebration of love’s undeniable force.
Rob Jones’ production design strikes a pleasing balance between allowing the unadorned and traditional puppet artform to shine, meanwhile maximising the inventive potential of this art form. The set design is simply gorgeous, retaining traditional aspects like the proscenium puppet stage and deck and creating a backdrop behind which stunning shadow puppetry can occur. Lighting and SFX are reserved to tasteful, effective enhancements, allowing the unadulterated puppet work to take centre stage. Nevertheless, the entire stage space is used innovatively, with a woodland scene spilling beyond the walls of the proscenium and fluttering amongst the narrator and musician, a pleasing touch. A standout design choice was the incorporation of the puppet signifying death into the structure of the proscenium itself, such that it was concealed until a brilliant transformation near the poem’s end which re-invigored the storytelling with creative genius.
Not a moment of this incredibly detailed show faltered. I feel lucky to have been reminded of the power of puppetry and classical storytelling methods in a theatrical landscape that seems to reach so often for the flashy, the fast, the new. Returning to a classical tale, re-enlived under Doran’s eye for playful, cheeky humour, is a rare and wonderful theatrical treat.