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.
He does this with the assistance of six skilled actors, Lucy Bell, James Lugton, 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.
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.
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.
In a Nutshell: The Poetry of Violence
The Playhouse – Canberra Theatre Centre, Civic Square, Canberra
Performance: Friday 13 September 2024
Season: 13 – 14 September 2024 (ended)
Information: www.bellshakespeare.com.au
Images: Peter Evans – photo by Brett Boardman | Darius Williams, Lucy Bell, Madeline Li and Jessica Tovey – photo by Brett Boardman
Review: Bill Stephens OAM