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| Peter Evans presenting "In A Nutshell: The Poetry of Violence" |
Directed by
Peter Evans – Set and Costume Design by Anna Tregloan.
Lighting
Design by Benjamin Cisterne – Composer and Sound Design by Max Lyandvert.
Canberra
Theatre Centre Playhouse – 13th -14th September, 2024.
Performance
on 13th September reviewed by BILL STEPHENS
Despite its
rather off-putting title In A Nutshell:
The Poetry of Violence is in fact an entertaining
and enlightening ramble through the words and world of William Shakespeare.
Part
illustrated lecture and part performance the production is helmed by Peter
Evans who riffs on his assertion that most people associate the plays of
William Shakespeare with violence.
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| Nigel Poulton -Jessica Tovey - James Evans (replaced for the Canberra performances by James Lugden) - Peter Evans - Darius Williams - Lucy Bell - Madeline Li. |
He does this
with the assistance of six skilled actors, Lucy Bell, James Lugden, Madeline
Li, Nigel Poulton, Jessica Tovey and Darius Williams, who dressed in practice gear,
enact excerpts from speeches and short scenes to illustrate the points he is
making.
Anna
Tregloan’s set is simple, a collection of multi-level box-like rostra, which,
with the addition of atmospheric lighting and sound by Benjamin Cisterne and
Max Lyandvert respectively, assist the actors in creating a sympathetic
ambiance for the speech or scene they are delivering.
For his
carefully researched presentation, Evans draws on moments from just about the
entire Shakespearean canon of terrible but great scenes to support his
arguments. Indeed many of the references are terrible, but there is also a
surprising amount of humour both in his clever narration, as well as the witty
performances to compensate those with weak stomachs.
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| Nigel Poulton demonstrating how to stage a sword fight - Jessica Tovey in background |
There’s also
some practical advice on understanding unfamiliar words, ( don’t worry about
them), lots of fascinating statistics (who would have guessed?), and even a
demonstration by fight master Nigel Poulton on how to stage a great sword fight,
sprinkled through the narration.
Not a little
of the fascination is from watching the skilled actors slip into a variety of
characters, despite the fact that the casting is gender-blind. This presents no
problem because Evans makes it clear which character each is playing and the
name of the play being enacted is flashed onto the screen behind them.
Unsurprisingly
Evans reveals himself as a dab hand at narration, lightening the atmosphere
when it threatens to become heavy, with witty off-the-cuff quips, and while the
presentation aims at appearing casual, with occasional banter between the
actors, it’s obvious that it has been carefully rehearsed as the six actors, who
are onstage throughout the entire presentation, quickly and efficiently change
position to create attractive visual interest for each segment.
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| Darius Williams - Lucy Bell - Madeline Li - Jessica Tovey in "In a Nutshell: The Poetry of Violence" |
A wonderful
introduction to the world of Shakespeare for the uninitiated, and a great
revisionary tool for the devotees who will find much of interest in the
excerpts from Shakespeare’s less produced plays, In a Nutshell: The Poetry of
Violence is an engrossing presentation which should not be missed by anyone
with even the slightest interest in exploring the world of William Shakespeare.
Photographs by Brett Boardman.
This review also published in AUSTRALIAN ARTS REVIEW.
