Tag Archives: Lion and Unicorn Theatre

“As You Like It” at the Lion and the Unicorn Theatre

As You Like It isn’t an easy play for a small production to pull off – the cast is large and the settings of court and country promise a treat for a designer with a budget and space. That isn’t a possibility at the Lion and Unicorn Theatre but this excellent fringe production from the Custom/Practice Company actually benefits from the intimate scale. Director Rae McKen delivers a stripped-back show, appealing for its simple, no nonsense approach. With remarkably natural delivery her actors show such confidence that, like the action and thoughts they deliver, they seem “winged”.

Of course there’s that old fringe problem – the age of the cast. Maybe I am just getting old, as for me it’s the dukes and servants in Shakespeare rather than doctors and policemen who look too young. But I don’t want to be waspish. McKen has given her cast a great opportunity to display their talents and a number take on multiple roles with gusto. Kojo Kamara is especially notable as Charles in a fantastic wrestling scene.

The main players are outstanding. Fred Gray is admirably understated as the melancholic Jaques, giving an intelligent portrayal of a complex character. Oliver Mott is appealing as Orlando, and suitably heroic, but naturally As You Like It depends upon Rosalind. As Shakespeare’s finest heroine, she always outshines the frankly dreary character that captures her heart. In the role, Rebecca Loudon makes the unlikely coupling believable and is a delight from the moment she dons the guise of Ganymede. Loudon is surely a name to look out for in the future.

Until 19 May 2012

Written 4 May 2012 for The London Magazine

“The Memory of Water” at the Lion and Unicorn Theatre

Shelagh Stephenson’s The Memory of Water was a big hit in the West End and won an Olivier Award in 2000. It is a clever choice for a fringe revival and a new production by Causality Theatre at the Lion and Unicorn provides a valuable chance to see it again. Director Eyal Israel gets to show us what he can do, controlling the performances and pacing the whole production admirably.

As three sisters come together for their mother’s funeral, family tensions gush forth. Sarah Borges as Mary shows a perfect understanding of Stephenson’s dark, dry humour. She tells her sister that they don’t argue, they just bicker, but Katherine Jones’ wonderfully unfolding performance as Teresa shows how wrong she is. The youngest sister, Catherine, is played by Jane Stanton, who arrives on stage as a neurotic whirlwind. Instantly establishing her character, she gives the production huge energy. Catherine’s vulnerability is never doubted but Stanton skilfully hints at a canniness that is truly unbalanced. Catherine’s narcissism brings the sisters together both to fight and have fun.

One of the things none of the sisters can agree on is the past. Their memories are fluid. Their deceased mother haunts them and seems to be getting a bad reputation, so it’s great when we get to hear her side of the story. Hilary Burns appears as a vengeful yet wise ghost. Setting the record straight with Mary she speaks out as she never did in life. Playful as well as caring and very much alive, she points out what her daughters deny but is staring at them from the mirror – what has been inherited from her.

As if all this were not meaty enough, memories meet the present for more drama. Teresa’s husband Frank (Dan Mullane) struggles to keep his exhausting wife under control and find space for his own future. Mary’s long-term partner is married. George Richmond-Scott skilfully manages to show a compassion not intended to convince us. His wife is supposed to be sick but, as the ever wry Mary points out after seeing her at a fete, “People don’t get out of their deathbed for a tombola.” Just one great line from a play as rich in humour as it is in emotion and performed with such sensitivity as to make this a night out to remember.

Until 31 July 2010

www.lionandunicorntheatre.com

Written 16 July 2010 for The London Magazine