★★★★★ “Tom Littler deserves plenty of praise for this adaptation and also for his direction, making use of some of the natural features of the garden as well as some of the man-made ones to help keep a lively feel to the piece. The costume changes for those playing more than one role are managed so that characters come and go in such a fluid way that it seems there must be more than 10 people involved in the cast, quite an achievement with only some trees to hide behind! The whole piece is wonderfully set, lit, and performed with some excellent use of sound effects and music throughout, a great evening’s entertainment.” Link
★★★★ “Director Tom Littler makes confident use of the open-air performance space, his cast roaming the grounds between scenes, enriching Shakespeare’s deliciously dense wordplay with a multitude of sight gags and nonverbal interactions. An infectious sense of escalating absurdity infuses the whole production, eventually breaking with enough force to ensure that the play’s final twist feels every bit as wrenching as it should.” Link
“This is a robust, elegant and heart-breaking comedy – not to be missed.” Link
“An atmospheric setting, beautiful costumes, lovely songs, hilarious clowning and Shakespeare’s eloquent wit throughout make this performance an unmissable summer evening’s entertainment. Link
Cast
Gavin Fowler, Natasha Rickman, Matt Pinches, Sarah Gobran, James Sheldon, Robert Maskell, Paula James, Sally Cheng, Chris Porter, Elaine Claxton
Creative Team
Designer – Neil Irish
Lighting Designer – Mark Dymock
Sound Designer and Composer – Matt Eaton
Associate Director – Gabriella Bird