ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL
DIRECTOR: Marianne Elliott
CAST: Oliver Ford Davies (King of France), Clare Higgins (Countess of Rossillion), George Rainsford (Bertram), Michaelle Terry (Helena), Parolles (Conleth Hill)
VENUE: Cinema Nouveau
When: Today and Wednesday, October 28 only.
This, the second in a series called National Theatres live, is a glorious invention. The first was Racine's Phedre and this time around, one of Shakespeare's unfashionable later plays, All's Well That Ends Well (performed live in London on October 1), is being screened at Cinema Nouveau around the country.
"http://www.youtube.com/v/BTGXH1Y-PTA&hl=en&fs=1&"
Since the Bard - apart from Maynardville and occasionally the National Arts Festival - has almost disappeared off local stages, it's a treat.
Not only is it a rare staging of this particular play, but it is done by the best, and it's as close as you can get to attending a National Theatre performance. Yet it is film, and close-ups are part of the deal.
Every word can be heard and the live audience are in the background, with their laughter and reaction to what is happening on stage.
This the story of the determined yet lowly Helena, who falls in love with Bertram, an arrogant count. By curing the King of France of an illness, she persuades him to give her the man of her dreams who, in turn, sets her a string of impossible tasks if there's to be any hope of love between them. Not that he's up for any of that.
And so the story goes, becoming sillier and more improbable as it unfolds. To deal with what could become a problematic tale, director Elliott and her designer Rae Smith turn the main plot into a fairytale, with Helena donning her Red Riding Hood cape, which is slung over her Cinderella glitzy gown and crystal slippers.
The design and performances go for the comical, with Bertram's sidekick, Parolles, leading the pack, but typically of Shakespeare, more serious issues are always bubbling underneath all the merriment.
Half the fun with any Shakespeare is the director's vision and the way she manages and manipulates the story and characters. And this one is underlined by the fantastical design and marvellous performances.
For most of us, it won't be about familiar faces or well-known names, but to see a Shakespeare play this well done, and having just completed the London run, is quite extraordinary, and a brilliant way of taking current London theatre to the world.
- Book at www.sterkinekor.com or TicketLine: 082 16789. Tickets: R200, with welcome and refreshments from 7pm. Film starts 8pm, and with a 20-minute interval you won't be home before 11.30pm.