The Bite Magazine - Autumn/Winter 2021 - Issue 30

bitetheatre My favourite scenes are the one of Adriana addressing the wrong Antipholus in the res- taurant, as a perfect embodiment of what is known as ‘a woman-scorned’ - hey, even I was quaking in my shoes! My other favourite scene was the full account soliloquy of Antipholus of Ephesus being perceived as dishonest, disloyal, thieving and an escapee by a variety of charac- ters, which was full of action and passion that had us, the audience, both laughing uncon- trollably and giving him a round of applause after the very long and colourful speech. I, for one, truly felt empathy for the character by the end of his account. All of that has me feeling like I want to go and watch it again. For those who know me best, I have a rule of never re-watching anything, but this will have me break that rule for sure! Additional reasons are key humorous scenes peppered throughout the production, that have your eyes peeled throughout. At no point is there a slump in energy, jokes or action. The choreographed ‘fight/struggle’ scenes are bor- der slapstick, but yet are not. They are so clever in their direction that they’re not silly - they’re funny, all to the commendation of Renny Krupinski as Fight Director; as are the move- ments of the ensemble and cast from the start when old man Egeon is narrating his tale, right to the very end when the entire cast dance to the outro musical song and clapping from cast and audience (Charlotte Broom, Movement Director). The costume department didn’t disappoint ei- ther as the stage is filled with an array of colour to keep you awake and attentive - something that is necessary on a cold winter’s November evening - with that pop of intense turquoise, reflecting the stage design but brighter, being a key costume colour that has you follow the movements of those wearing it around the stage, and thus focused - very clever (Lorraine Ebdon-Price and Ed Parry). The direction of this production by Phillip Breen was just delightful, fun and exactly what was needed for my soul. Another dose won’t go amiss and seeing as it’s on until the 31st of Dec 2021, I just might! The Royal Shakespeare Company’s other pro- ductions on this winter include Matilda ; se- lected dates (check website); The Magician’s Elephant running until 1 January 2022; Much Ado About Nothing from 4 February to 12 March 2022; Henry VI Rebellion from 1 April to 28 May 2022; and War of the Roses from 11 April to 4 June 2022. www.rsc.org.uk/whats-on