This was performed on the RSC's open stage, which makes the "window scene" fail (the two sets of brothers are side by side). There are backing singers on the stage, and the actors sometimes use stand mikes, although they all have head mikes as well. The goldsmith is played by a Deaf actor, and unfortunately it's intrusive (he has an interpreter, but it's not done smoothly). However, when he gets to do a scene without words (telling about the upcoming beheading, and a couple of other places) he's brilliant.
It's very stylized, almost commedia dell'arte style, with conscious overacting by everybody. People stand around on the back of the stage when they're not acting, and there are a few fourth-wall breaks. There was a good deal of applause after certain scenes, but to me the audience didn't look that involved. Of course this is one of Shakespeare's lesser plays, but the Trevor Nunn production showed that it could be a lot of fun. The actors, especially the leads, put a lot of energy into it, but IMHO the extreme style didn't do it a favor. The main female actor (the wife) was visibly pregnant, which amounted to a Chekhov's gun that never fired. I didn't understand why she was costumed in a slinky dress that showed off her belly as if it was a basketball.
It's very stylized, almost commedia dell'arte style, with conscious overacting by everybody. People stand around on the back of the stage when they're not acting, and there are a few fourth-wall breaks. There was a good deal of applause after certain scenes, but to me the audience didn't look that involved. Of course this is one of Shakespeare's lesser plays, but the Trevor Nunn production showed that it could be a lot of fun. The actors, especially the leads, put a lot of energy into it, but IMHO the extreme style didn't do it a favor. The main female actor (the wife) was visibly pregnant, which amounted to a Chekhov's gun that never fired. I didn't understand why she was costumed in a slinky dress that showed off her belly as if it was a basketball.
