The cast of Loves Labour’s lost… and won Richard Brown
Progress Theatre Open Air Shakespeare season gets underway next week with this summer’s offering of Love’s Labour’s Lost… And Won. Set amidst the leafy surroundings of Caversham Court Gardens, the latest offering from Progress Theatre is a real tonic from the usual heavyweight (and heavy-going) plays from the infamous Bard.
Love’s Labour’s Lost… And Won is a comedic blend of wit, romance and is bursting to the seams with humour in a game akin to a battle of chess played out against the sexes to reign as champion in the game of love. A pledge of oaths taken by Ferdinand, Lord of Navarre and his noblemen Longaville, Dumain and Berowne seems almost fated before the ink ran dry when their hearts (and loins) desires win through as they battle with the torment of having fallen for the Princess of France and her attending ladies. Denial, pride, collusion and a case of the wrong letter in the wrong hands makes for an intriguing performance which will keep the viewer engaged throughout.
A pastiche play of “Much Ado About Nothing” is offered as a “play within a play” very cleverly set within the middle portion of the second half of the performance. Progress stalwart Matt Tully gives impressive performances as Don Pedro and Gremio, which also sit nicely with his buffoonish portrayal of Costard in the main production. An alternate offering during every other evening at this portion of the production will be “The Taming Of The Shrew” which should make for equally amusing viewing, given the superb stage direction and dialogue delivery.
Make no mistake, this is a substantive production. With a cast of 16 it could be easy to say that there were weak links. This is absolutely not the case here with Love’s Labour’s Lost… And Won. Each and every cast member commanded their role with aplomb and made for a very believable performance. Excellent directing from Dan Clarke, assisted by Alex McCubbin has resulted in a fresh and modern take on a Shakespearean classic which will appeal to even the newest of theatre-goer. A real crowd pleaser it has to be said however, was Progress Theatre newcomer John Gonzales as the dandy Latin fop Don Adriano de Armado. His stage presence, dialogue and timing was superb and it is hoped that the audiences of Reading see a lot more of this extremely promising actor.
The weather forecast looks promising for the next two weeks, so why not dig out that picnic blanket and head down to Caversham Court Gardens for a dose of the Bard brought bang up to date. Tickets are available by visiting here. Love’s Labour’s Lost… And Won runs from 16 to 26 July 2014 and tickets are priced at £15 per person, with concessions at £13.
Love’s Labour’s Lost… And Won is a real winner of a performance from Progress. Engaging from beginning to end, and set in the splendid surroundings of one of Reading’s picturesque Thames-side venues, it is a production which will please everyone whether they are familiar with Shakespeare or not.
You can also keep up to date on Progress Theatre and the remainder of their 2013/2014 season by visiting their website at www.progresstheatre.co.uk or by following them on Twitter @progresstheatre
Last modified on Thursday, 10 July 2014 23:19
