.Friday, November 16, 2007 ' 3:16 AM Y
estaandamelia
This is one of Shakespeare's best known plays - but take heed, you'll need to be more than just a little bit familiar with the plot if you intend to see this production.
Most of the dialogue in Tim Supple's production is performed in seven different Indian and Sri Lankan languages, with just a splattering of English here and there. This means that as well as none of the performers speaking the same language to each other - it is very unlikely that any one audience member will be able to comprehend the play in its entirety.
But the benefits of such a richly multicultural cast lie largely in the music - with a two-man band playing an assortment of exotic instruments which add a fruity soundtrack to the piece. And at the end some wonderfully uplifting singing and dancing leaves you with a sweet taste in your mouth. But it's what goes before that is a little disappointing.
Without the benefit of comprehensible dialogue, the concept lends itself perfectly to a piece of physical theatre. But although there are some impressive moments involving corde lisse, the rest leaves one grasping for scraps of information about what is being said when, with little else to aid the imagination.
This production is recommended for those who know the play back to front and inside out,; otherwise it's a shame that the beautiful language of the original is missing, and equally missed is the opportunity to create a dazzling physical production.
Peggy Nuttall
