A Little More

Here is a second version, slightly more fleshed out, of Jane Howard's review from yesterday.

And if you want to learn a little more about company stalwart Chris Myles, here is the question and answer session he did with The Coventry Telegraph.  [e]

"Not only a modern production, but a modern play"

A couple of interviews with Propeller's director, Ed Hall. While in New Zealand, he spoke to the Listener about returning to Henry V and The Winter's Tale as well as his own background and his approach to Shakespeare's plays, specifically the company choice to "use touchstones and create surreal worlds because the plays are surreal – not naturalistic." Back in England, he shared some time with  Time & Leisure, explaining how he chose the shows as well as touching on the army training behind Henry and the decision to use only male actors.  [e]

"I just love his writing."

Karl Davies talked to Places & Faces on joining Propeller, playing a woman, and his experiences and the physical preparation that goes in to Henry V.  [e]

Storytellers

Boycotting Trends' great interview with Chris Myles covers a wide range of topics including Propeller's social aspects, the all-male casting, touring and the subtle connections between the current productions of Henry V and The Winter's Tale.  [e]

Catch-up

Getting to some older posts...

From Australia, The Spectator takes a look at both productions and how they hold up under single-gender casting. The Winter's Tale poses some reservations, but

On the other hand, the final scene, one of the most difficult and most moving things in the whole of Shakespeare, is beyond praise. Ed Hall articulates it flawlessly with great stillness and sweeping surprise and depth of feeling. It reminds us that, whatever its flaws, Propeller has an empathy for Shakespeare that carries it across gulfs and up mountains.

Furthermore, "The Propeller Henry V is finer still and the production exhibits a ruthless brilliance of conception that is utterly consistent with the masculine prowess and muscle of this supremely warlike play, drenched in glamour and blood."

Writing for his blog, David Zampatti calls Henry V "the best Henry V I'm ever likely to see." Dugald Bruce-Lockhart " looks and sounds like he was born to throw himself headlong at an enemy, and that’s what his men, and we, react to" and he is "s surrounded by actors made for their parts. Chris Myles and Dominic Thorburn, Exeter and Westmoreland, look, sound and feel like men who command divisions, Nicholas Asbury, as Mountjoy the French Herald, a man who stands for his liege. As Fluellen, Tony Bell is as charismatic and shifty as was his Autolycus in the Winter's Tale."

As for The Winter's Tale, it is "a gorgeous looking, beautifully spoken and often riotously staged production." Robert Hands offers an "outstanding Leontes [who] raves in his magnificent derangement" and Tony Bell is "as appealing and appalling a rogue as Shakespeare ever slid onto a stage." Even so, the call for female actors is once again sounded.

Before they got to New Zealand, Stuff had a chat with Ed Hall on the settings of the plays, how both address questions of honour and (of course) a bit about the all-male aspect.

This Is Kent previews Propeller's arrival in Canterbury this past weekend.

Reviewing for The Telegraph, Dominic Cavendish muses that "while the lusty commitment of this band of brothers isn’t in doubt, the value of the project, in its current gender-biased form, perhaps is." Even with that, Henry V picks up four stars and The Winter's Tale three, while the focus remains firmly on the value of an all-male company.  [e]

Dispatches from New Zealand

New Zealand's Dominion Post has two conversations with Ed Hall--one on Henry V and the other on The Winter's Tale. Both deal a bit with the history of the company and its methods (the music they compose, the scene changes, the all-male aspect), and each play individually. Hall also talks a bit about the common thread he's noticed running through the two plays--"their treatment of the concept of honour".

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The Boys' Club

Propeller's double-feature gets four stars from the Daily Mail. The review concentrates on the general tones of the show, highlighting Henry V's "loutish" quality and "startling, still and elegant finale" of The Winter's Tale. "Dugald Bruce-Lockhart’s ferocious, but nimble and composed Henry, is a regular bloke: proud, earthy and emotional" and Tony Bell contributes to "terrific fun" of Bohemia.

The Yorkshire Post is similarly smitten with The Winter's Tale, also giving it four stars and finding the production "utterly beguiling" and appreciating the effect of casting men as women, such as Vince Leigh's strong Paulina.

Finally, while on the topic of all-male casts, The Star talks with Nick Asbury about Propeller's single-gender casting. Whatever reservations they might have had, however, were not enough from giving The Winter's Tale a glowing review, saying the production "breathes fresh new life" into a sometimes problematic play and showcasing fine performances from Robert Hands, Richard Dempsey, Nick Asbury and Tony Bell.  [e]

“Something different is happening every night."

The Star has an in-depth chat with Nick Asbury on his experiences with Propeller, the nature of the company, The Winter's Tale and how Shakespeare is like jazz.  [e]

Interview with Ed Hall

Propeller's website has put up an interview with Ed Hall (below) talking about Propeller's origins, casting an all-male cast and The Winter's Tale, among other things. The interview appears on WhatsOnStage.com as an edited version of the transcript, which you can find here.

Welcome, Ben Allen

This is Somerset has a brief piece on Ben Allen joining Propeller, in which he describes the company as "fantastically lively and dynamic" and "very loyal." [e]

"Like a Family"

Dugald Bruce-Lockhart talks to The Argus about returning to Henry V, working with the language, men as women and being in a company like Propeller.  [e]

"We are weeping into the grass."

Dugald Bruce-Lockhart talks to the West Sussex County Times about the preparation that went into Henry V.  [e]

Two Views of War

Making his Propeller debut, Gunnar Cauthery talks with Get Surrey about 'War Horse' and Henry V.  [e]

Pocket Philosophies

In the long standing tradition of haphazard chronologies, here is a a chat with Ed Hall from June regarding Pocket Propeller and the goal of reaching young audiences.  [e]

Audio from Kronborg Castle

Robert Hands talked with a radio program whilst at Kronborg Castle. Translated text of some of the interview is here and the original is here. He touches on audience interaction and working with an all-male cast. Be sure to click on the audio link on the original link to listen (I promise there is English in there eventually). There are some audio clips from Comedy of Errors in the piece as well!

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Hitting the Right Notes

A video from Propeller's stay at UMS wherein Ed Hall talks about creating the music for Richard III and Comedy of Errors.  [e]

Not All Black and White

The boys head to Ireland for the Galway Arts festival later this month, and to prepare, The Connacht Tribune brings us a conversation with director Edward Hall. While mostly focusing on Richard III--the politics of the piece, and the notion of Richard not being a total "baddie"--the article does explore Hall's pairing of a comedy and a tragedy, noting that with these two particular plays, "you hardly think it's the same writer".

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New Identities

In another interview regarding his experience with the Hampstead, Edward Hall talks to TimeOut about helping the theatre find its new identity.

'The rule is never, ever lose your nerve‘

Edward Hall recently sat down with The Times' Libby Purves to discuss his new role as Artistic Director of the Hampstead Theatre.

Richard and Osama

In the wake of Osama bin Laden's death, Edward Hall draws on comparisons between our world and that of Richard III.