For the Scholars Out There

Alas, alack, I cannot find full (free) versions of the following articles to post, but, if you were to write academic papers on Propeller (and therefore not mind paying for article access), may I suggest checking out to following volumes of The Shakespeare Bulletin to help you on your way...

The Winter's Tale

Jane Collins

Volume 24, 2006

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Jane Collins

Volume 22, 2004

Twelfth Night

Gregory Blume

Volume 26, 2008

Twelfth Night

Steve Mentz

Volume 25, 2007

While I think these all may be detailed reviews, I am classifying them as articles to reflect their academic nature.

Young, Committed, Adorable

That's what TheaterMania's David Finkle called the last Midsummer cast to tread the boards at BAM, in quite a lengthy review touching on how the all-male production reflects the same-sex marriage issue that's still being discussed in America today.

It's no surprise that ExploreDance.com choose instead to focus on the physicality of the production and gives a sense of what the clowning during the intermission would have been like to see.

Young, Committed, Adorable. Yepp, pretty much.

When the Past Was Still Upcoming

Here's two previews of the first Midsummer, covering (in brief) the trajectory of Rose Rage and Propeller's repertoire to date.

Edit: Notice that the cast listed here is different for the one listed at BAM. In this preview, Richard Clothier plays Titania and Guy Williams plays Oberon.

Gross Out

Martin Harries explores the idea of "grossness" as seen through A Midsummer Night's Dream during its last run at BAM. It's worth noting that Harries is a former professor of this blogger, which shows what an oddly small world this is.

The Last Time They Dreamt

In anticipation of the re-staging of A Midsummer Night's Dream, here are some reviews from the first go round.

Maxwell Cooter of WhatsOnStage.com said he's "never heard an audience laugh so much at any Midsummer Night's Dream" after calling the production "stimulating and entertaining," while Judi Herman gives us a brief sketch of what each actor brought to his part (same link).

Philip Fisher's review at the British Theatre Guide is shorter, but echoes the sentiments that in a Dream-filled world, this is one that won't put you to sleep, giving particular props to Simon Scardifield and Robert Hands.

Over at CurtainUp, Lizzie Loveridge reflects on how Propeller uses the all-male convention and then takes us through the various aspects of the production, giving an over all feel for the whole.

Meanwhile, in the city where cynical never sleeps, Margo Jefferson heralds how "everything about this production invigorates the play" and wonders at how there exists "such human sweetness...and such generous virtuosity" in her review for The New York Times.

Ed Hall Bonanza

The Independent has an article on Ed Hall and Propeller's work with Shakespeare Live, a program designed to bring Shakespeare to a wider (and younger) audience.

More power to 'em, I say.

If you feel like going back a bit, here's a quick Q&A Ed did with New York way back when The Winter's Tale came through town. Too bad they glossed over part of the last answer...

Finally, there's also this article, also from The Independent, from the last staging of Midsummer, though its broad scope also cover Ed's relationship with his father and the RSC.

A Playing We Will Go

The boys are on the move. Want to know where to catch them? Here's a list of where they'll be/when:

The Merchant of Venice:
The Lighthouse, Poole December 3 - 6 2008

The Merchant of Venice/A Midsummer Night's Dream:
The Liverpool Playhouse 22-31 January
Aberystwyth Arts Centre 3-7 February
Theatre Royal, Norwich 10-14 February
Teatro Valle, Rome 25 February - 1 March
The Watermill Theatre, Newbury 4 March - 2 May

The Merchant of Venice:
Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York 6-17 May
Teatro Giorgio Strehler, Milan 27-31 May

The Merchant of Venice/A Midsummer Night's Dream:

Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham 3-6 June
The Lowry, Salford, Manchester 10-14 June
Oxford Playhouse 16-20 June
Metropolitan Art Theatre, Tokyo 2 - July

Cast List- A Midsummer Night's Dream

A Midsummer Night's Dream
2003/2004, The Watermill/London/BAM
Tony Bell, Bottom the Weaver
Dugald Bruce-Lockhart, Lysander
Sam Callis, Titania
Emilio Doorgasingh, Hyppolyta
Matthew Flynn, Theseus
Robert Hands, Helena
Barnaby Kay, Oberon
Vincent Leigh, Demetrius/Snout
Jonathan McGuinness, Hermia/Snug
Simon Scardifield, Puck/Starveling

Jules Werner, Flute

Alexander Giles, Alasdair Craig, additional roles