Sweet William - Arcola Theatre (Review)
Review by Rebecca Omonira-
Oyekanmi
IT’S impossible to leave the ever-versatile Arcola Theatre after seeing Michael Pennington’s Sweet William without a warm and fuzzy feeling in your stomach and a strong desire to devour some Shakespeare.
Pennington’s relaxed and poised stage presence is infectious as he cascades through the drama of his own life, the drama of Shakespeare’s life and explains why he has spent 20,000 hours performing the plays of the Bard.
At no point does Pennington appear self-righteous or didactic when describing the beauty of Shakespeare’s work; instead, he captures the essence of what it is to be in love with art. And his enthusiasm is contagious, which prevents this one-man show from being indulgent or simply uninteresting.
Pennington dips in and out of an extensive back catalogue of character performances and adds to them; from the speechless but dramatically eloquent Mrs Quick, as she waves off her Falstaff, to love struck Hal, with his inept French, to the bittersweet moments in A Winter’s Tale.
As Pennington sits comfortably on an empty but intimate stage, casually dressed, it’s hard to link him to the colourful career he has had so far, which includes stints in Star Wars and the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC).
At one point, he set up his own theatre company, the English Shakespeare Company, with director Michael Bogdanov, with the aim of bringing politics to the stage.
Undoubtedly, Pennington’s material could be described as fault proof but part of the genius of Shakespeare’s work is the response and interpretation of its receptors.
Sweet William is certainly less frustrating than Bradley or Coleridge whilst equally educational and altogether a more enjoyable experience. It’s a must see even if you hate Shakespeare – and you even have the chance to see it twice if you don’t when Pennington does a run at the Trafalgar Studios early next year.
Sweet William at Arcola Theatre,
27 Arcola Street, London, E8 2DJ.
From November 19 – December 8, 2007.
Tickets: £13/£9 Concessions.
Box office: 020 7503 1646