A 'Tale' of Two Halves

The Good Review of The Winter's Tale was only lukewarm, giving it three stars and struggling with the plays contrast in styles. John Dougall, Karl Davies, Vince Leigh, Tony Bell and Richard Dempsey all stood out for their performances in a production that was "richly cast with some ingenious moments."

WhatsOnStage also gives it three stars, heaping praise on the darker tones of Sicilia where "the use of minimal props and scenery is superb, while the sound design verges on genius" and shows "superb" acting from Vince Leigh and Robert Hands, pointing to how the latter "ensures that Leontes' all-consuming jealousy never descends into psychopathic rage." Bohemia fares less well, despite a "superb comic turn" from Karl Davies.

Inquire, too, had trouble reconciling the two tones, also preferring Sicilia and feeling the comedy was pushed too hard in Bohemia at times. The acting, though, was "solid, with the two king’s [Robert Hands and Nicholas Asbury] in particular delivering their emotionally charged lines with calculated finesse."

Marlborough People focuses its quick blurb on the plot, but is more free with praise calling it an "exciting" production where "acting is superb and the cast make Shakespeare look effortless."

Whats on the Fringe gave the production four stars, summarizing the plot and calling attention to specific moments like the sheep and Sicilia's soundscape.. While there was some difficulty with the language, Vince Leigh and Nicholas Asbury were commended for marrying performance and speech and Karl Davies, John Dougall and Tony Bell were praised for their comedic performances.  [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]

"Unmissable"

The West Australian calls Henry V a "noisy and energetic production" that "skillfully captures the rhythms of soldiers". Karl Davies "coquettishly captures" Katherine, and Dugald Bruce-Lockhart "endows Henry with a measured control" contrasted with his "bloodstained and active Henry in battle".

The review also lauds Propeller as a "well-wrought ensemble on the top of its form", for their ability to adapt to illness (when Finn Hanlon steps in for Nick Asbury--also a nice tie-in to Nick's blog).

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Once more unto the hospital

Another blog post from Nick Asbury on the Guardian about the beauty of Australia, improvisation, and food poisoning.

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Propeller on the Radio

The guys stopped by ABC radio in Australia to talk about the shows, and the music in particular. The company performs Te Deum and Sloop John B, while Nicholas Asbury and Gunnar Cauthery speak in depth about the music and various other things.

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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]

"Deeply moving and wonderfully entertaining"

The British Theatre Guide calls The Winter's Tale "a highly imaginative production full of innovative ideas, interesting decisions about emphasis and interpretation, and huge comic vitality." Nick Asbury, Robert Hands and Tony Bell give "strong performances" and Richard Dempsey, Vince Leigh and Ben Allen gave performances as the female characters that focused on "the emotional integrity of the roles."  [e]

Giggling is a Fact of Life

Today brings a new entry in Nick Asbury's Guardian tour diary. This one has a bit on Propeller's time in Cheltenham, but mostly it's about giggling and becoming family with the company.

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“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]

"Lively, inventive and entertaining"

This is Gloucestershire hails Propeller's Winter's Tale as a "lively, inventive and entertaining production." Tony Bell gives a "funny and outstanding performance", Richard Dempsey, Vince Leigh and Ben Allen are lauded for their portrayal of Hermione, Paulina and Perdita and Nick Asbury is a Polixenes "with a mean edge."  [e]

In case you missed it...

Nick Asbury has begun a blog for The Guardian on his experience with the current Propeller tour. The first post, back in December, talked about the company's formation and the ensemble experience while his latest looks at their recent trip to Girona (including a brush with the law).  [e]

Breaking Down Barriers

Blogger Chis Poppe's review of Henry V concentrates on the various ways Propeller breaks down barriers between the on-stage action and the audience, highlighting the music and portrayal of violence in particular. Chris Myles, Nick Asbury, Karl Davies and Gunnar Cauthery "hit exactly the right note[s]" in their respective performances. As Henry, Dugald Bruce-Lockhart was "perfectly cast" for the wooing of Katherine and "extremely convincing" in his portrayal of a "magnanimous victor" and "a very noble king, keen to hear the names of the fallen in battle and that their names should be given due reverence. His refined bearing helped enormously in giving the impression of fairness in battle, and decency in triumph."  [e]

"Amazing, inventive and compelling"

West Sussex County Times is glowing in its praise for Henry, saying "the Propeller theatre company manages masterstroke after masterstroke, cramming outstanding performances, dynamic vision, and imaginative genius into 'this wooden O.'" Michael Pavelka's design, the use of music (both borrowed and the original pieces of Nick Asbury and Gunnar Cauthery) and performances by Chris Myles, Karl Davies, Gunnar Cauthery, John Dougall, Tony Bell and Finn Hanlon are all praised, while Dugald Bruce-Lockhart's portrayal of Henry "underlines the complex nature of the character."

The Public Reviews and revisits the production, coming away from Brighton with the opinion Propeller offers "one of the boldest and freshest approaches to Shakespeare that can be found on this country’s stages." There are quibbles with some of the delivery choices of the text, specifically Dugald Bruce-Lockhart's treatment of the the rousing battle speeches, but he is "concinving and moving when he unveils his human side." Gunnar Cauthery and Karl Davies recieve standout mention in a reviews that lauds the ensemble nature of the piece.

Sussex Express calls the production "a stunning visual, aural and emotional experience," considering the lessons imparted on war and the characteristics of leaders. While the reviewer admits it's difficult to single out individuals, Dugald Bruce-Lockhart, Tony Bell, John Dougall, Chris Myles, Finn Hanlon, Gary Shelford and Vince Leigh were all mentioned by name.  [e]

Leading the Way

BroadwayWorld has a preview of Propeller's upcoming tour, calling particular attention to Dugald Bruce-Lockhart's role as Henry V. Tony Bell and Vince Leigh are also highlighted in the Henry V casting, while Robert Hands, Richard Dempsey and Nicholas Asbury are mentioned specifically in regards to The Winter's Tale. The preview also includes the press release summaries of the plays and mentions that six new actors have joined Propeller, including Karl Davies.