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]

Bloggers Weigh in on 'The Winter's Tale'

Cultural Dessert thought it was a "fantastic production", with a strong cast and exceptionally strong showing from Karl Davies as the Young Shepherd.

Margate Sands' review contains lots of production detail and highlights Mamillius' importance within the production, calling his foregrounding an "ingenious" way of balancing the comedy and tragedy within the show.

Ham Life mostly traces the plot of the story, but concludes the show was "masterful in every respect" (fun fact: my roommate and I were at the same performance and can be picked out in the audience shot...if you know us, that is).

Glen's Theatre Reviews isn't sure the two halves of the play sit comfortably with one another, but still finds that Propeller "take a well-known tale, not without its issues, and breathe new life into it." Robert Hands, Richard Dempsey and Tony Bell are all commended for fine performances and "[a]mong all the revelry there’s a sense that this is perhaps the final fling of youth, a last chance to party before having to face the realities of adulthood and sure, as the party ends, we return to the formality of court."  [e]

"Strongly physical, highly emotional, fast paced and visually innovative"

Diss Express found Henry V and The Winter's Tale "strongly physical, highly emotional, fast paced and visually innovative. Dugald Bruce-Lockhart "carried his regal role with authority" and "[h]is Crispin Day speech was mesmerising and uplifting," Robert Hands played Leontes "with powerful emotion" and Karl Davies stood out in both plays, portraying a Catherine with "delightful humour" and "shining" as the Young Shepherd.  (Norwich)

Blogger Jennifer Potter recorded her reactions to Propeller's return to the Watermill, articulating some of what makes Propeller such an exceptional company.

The two shows drew praise from ABC Perth, which lauded how "Director Edward Hall frames the words in perfect context; in some ways, he rescues scenes that might be overlooked [...] and gives them new clarity and focus" and points to the The Winter's Tale as proof "every Propeller actor is a born comic."

Blogger Cameron Woodhead saw the shows in Perth and looks closely in his review of the female performances by Karl Davies, Richard Dempsey and Vince Leigh as well as providing some key details about each production in a review that concluded they were a "Perth Festival highlight."

Speaking of Perth, here is the program for Henry V and The Winter's Tale from the Perth Festival, which can be downloaded as a PDF.  [e]

"A raucous story of regret and retribution"

The Bardathon's Pete Kirwan gives The Winter's Tale a detailed and thoughtful review that praises the production's dark tones. Foregrounding Mamillius' role in the production, Kirwan traced Leontes psychological journey through the trial. Richard Dempsey, John Dougall and Tony Bell's performances as the production's beats are traced through to the chilling conclusion.

In contrast, WhatsOnStage.com feels "where the production comes into its own is the fourth act" in its four star review. Vince Leigh's Paulina is "suitably defiant" and Tony Bell is "brilliant" and the review concludes"the contrast with the sleek Sicilia gets a little too ridiculous at times, but perhaps this is the solution to the problem of the play - if it doesn’t go together at least we can have a bit of fun.

Forge Today thinks "[t]he nature of a problem play gives Propeller the opportunity to create an exuberant, physical production mixed with an undulating, poetic sense of doom" and "the all-male cast serves to enhance the original potency and poetry of Shakespeare’s descriptions." Robert Hands is "quietly pitiable," Vince Leigh is "charming and chic" and Ben Allen is "uncanny" as Mamillius and "believably resplendent" as Perdita.  [e]

Blog Reviews for The Winter's Tale

Boycotting Trends calls The Winter's Tale a "hugely entertaining production." Robert Hands, Richard Dempsey, Vince Leigh, John Dougall, Karl Davies and Tony Bell all give great performances and "for all the inventive conceits it’s the heart-wrenching, exquisitely judged ending that haunts the most, and that lifts a very good production into true greatness."

One More Dawn calls the production "both touching and humorous," similarly praising Robert Hands, Richard Dempsey, Karl Davies and Tony Bell and concluding "the play contained a balance of comedy and tragedy as it emphasized the dichotomy of emotion in each scene and made it more captivating and enjoyable."  [e]

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]

"Shakespeare for a new generation"

Reviewing The Winter's Tale for A Younger Theatre, Laura Turner was originally skeptical of an all-male cast, but found her self coming around by the trial scene, believing the femininity of Richard Dempsey's Hermione "in all its incarnations, from strength to vulnerability" and acknowledging "Vince Leigh [...] gives a standout performance as Paulina, embodying a thousand shades of power, humour, irony, fear and wisdom." Tony Bell and Karl Davies' Bohemian double act is praised along with Ben Allen's performance as both Mamillius and Perdita. In the end, it is "Shakespeare for a new generation; a generation that will relish this Winter’s Tale‘s mash up of Levi-sporting sheep and beatboxing shepherds."  [e]

Stars in Their Eyes

More stars to add to their collection as The Winter's Tale receives four from Exeunt. Pointing to the company's "reputation as one of the most innovative interpreters of Shakespeare working today," the first half is commended while the second half is where "Propeller’s inventiveness really comes into its own."  In Sicilia, Robert Hands is "engaging," Richard Dempsey "conveys a sense of dignity" and Ben Allen is "unnervingly convincing" while Bohemia is"spectacularly dominated by the brilliantly louche performance of 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]

Let's hear it for the boys!

Culture Vulture praises The Winter's Tale, saying "Propeller prove once again that they are the most exciting company currently tackling the bard, balancing a rigorously intelligent approach to the text with a healthy dose of irreverence." Robert Hands and Richard Dempsey are lauded, but it's Vince Leigh who gives a "stand-out performance" and Tony Bell who is named "the real scene stealer."  [e]

"An intelligent and moving production"

The Public Reviews gives The Winter's Tale four stars, praising Robert Hands, Richard Dempsey, Ben Allen and Chris Myles in their roles, remarking that "[t]he audience sparkled with delight and audibly gasped as they interacted with the players who so obviously love their art."  [e]

You cannot accuse the company of lacking balls..

The Guardian gives Propeller 4 stars in Cheltenham in a review out today. Dugald Bruce-Lockhart's Henry is highlighted for combining "the soul of a philosopher with the abdomen of a man who has spent several weeks being shouted at by PT instructors".

Alfred Hickling calls the double bill with The Winter's Tale more of a triple bill, wherein Richard Dempsey plays Hermione with an "exquisite balance of bewilderment, dignity and despair" and Tony Bell turns in a "wonderfully louche performance".

Additionally, this review gets a gold star from us here at apropellerblog for mentioning what is maybe the best line ever uttered on stage in a Shakespeare play (that is, of course, "take it away, saxophone sheep").

-cs

"A Very Rewarding Piece of Theatre"

William Stafford was disappointed with the bear, but otherwise found The Winter's Tale to be "a very rewarding evening of theatre." Vince Leigh and Richard Dempsey are commended for their portrayal of the women though Robert Hands "dominates the first half" with a "towering yet layered performance," and Tony Bell is "rousing" in Bohemia.  [e]

A Man's World

Sheffield Telegraph spotlights Richard Dempsey in looking at The Winter's Tale, talking with the actor about playing Hermione and Propeller's ensemble environment.  [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]

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.

Hmm..

So I've been keeping an eye on Propeller's official site to see if dates are being added to their tour, and it still says the last shows are in Tokyo. And yet! I have just found information pertaining to their appearance in Galway this weekend...how did I miss this?

You can find their pages in the program (including a photo of Richard Dempsey) here.

In an article from The Galway Advertiser, Ed Hall predicts Galway to be the high point of the tour. 

The Irish Times has a great piece covering Propeller's history and their approach to Shakespeare, as well as the ubiquitous discussion of the all-male conceit.

The Galway Independent previews the shows....

...and The Irish Independent has an article talking with Ed about the relationship Propeller has with audiences.

And how about a review? The Irish Times hails Richard Frame's "brilliant take on Hermia" and calls Bob Barrett "a masterclass in comic timing" in Midsummer.