Last night, I got to be part of something that, cheesy or no, has been a dream of mine for nearly 3/4 of my life. I got to see the Royal Shakespeare Company in action in London. And, I gotta tell ya, it was brilliant, and, where language is concerned, an exercise in virtuosity.
I know it'll sound strange to anyone who has seen some of the recent work that I've made, which has tended towards the abstract and truly bizarre, but my real true artistic love is classical theatre. I'm always intrigued by the way Shakespeare's poetry, for example, is choreographed, bringing out colors and nuances that regular ol' prose can't quite get at. Having been introduced to Shakespeare at an early age through my father, I grew up on iambic pentameter and blank verse, and learned early on that "it's just words." But, oh, what exquisite words.
Oftentimes, I'm disappointed when I see classical theatre performed (example: Hamlet at the National Theatre) because the text gets treated with such elevated reverence that it just sounds like pretty syllables, not actual communicative language. In the US, I think it has a lot to do with the way that Shakespeare is taught in our schools, as this utterly unintelligible other language, meant to be endured not enjoyed. It's always such a pleasure to be present for a performance in which the language is used to its fullest potential, without becoming precious. And last night's production was an excellent example of this pleasant experience.
From right off the bat, the pacing of the dialogue was, spot on. In Orlando's opening monologue and his subsequent scene with belligerent brother Oliver, the dynamic blocking (working the large diagonals of the thrust stage, an energetic physical confrontaion) worked nicely with the fragmentation of the poetry in these opening scenes. One thing I love about Shakespeare is the way the structure of the language gives clues about the relationships between characters/concepts in the plays. In the scene between these two distant brothers, there's a disconnect in the language. Orlando and Oliver's words do not flow together, the way the speakings of characters who are in tune with each other (like Celia and Rosalind a few scenes later) do. The RSC capitalizes on these 'clues' to their best effect, highlighting the choreography of Shakespeare's text with sympathetic blocking, bringing the text alive.
One of my favorite aspects of this production has to be Rosalind, played by the lovely Katy Stephens, and her 'transformation' into the masculine Ganymede. Oftentimes, I find that these moments of cross-dressing in Shakespeare are difficult, because they become moments of characterlessness. For me, it's not about believing that Rosalind IS a dude. It's about seeing the way that Rosalind frees herself from the requirements of being a courtly woman by taking on the behaviors of a rustic boy. That transformation has very little to do with physical appearance or really even gender difference, but rather a freedom in movement and in language. And Stephens accomplishes this in spades for the RSC.
In an early interaction with the Duke her uncle, she eloquently (as Rosalind) defends her honor and that of her banished father, in lovely iambic pentameter, complete with definitive statements, resolving in soft feminine endings. Stephens uses this common structure to best effect, by physically standing her ground, and using the softness of the structure to entreat the Duke, played by Sandy Neilson. His responses are curt, short and definitive, and generally complete the poetics of his niece's first and last lines, making him feel like an interruptor, excising the quiet logic of her words. Neilson and Stephens play this moment perfectly, and I think it's a lovely example of Rosalind's feminine speech.
For me then, her transformation into Ganymede largely a linguistic one, although Stephens does look cute with her painted-on five o'clock shadow and slight swagger. Her transformation however is most believable in the way that she speaks as Ganymede, adopting a faster pace and more brusque use of the poetry, especially in her "lovers" scenes with Orlando. From their first meeting in the woods, Orlando and Ganymede have a casual bantering style with one another, resolving each other's thoughts easily, much in the way two good friends are wont to do. At the RSC, Stephens and Jonjo O'Neill as Orlando work this banter to full effect, letting the playful patter infect their physicality. In this way, we do believe that they're bros, without having to endure a Rosalind who is trying desperately to show us that she's a man.
Altogether, the show was a total pleasure. With simple yet effective scenography and costumes, the virtuosic use of language drives this production, and is used to best effect by cast and director alike. I am so thrilled to have gotten to be part of the audience at the Roundhouse for this enjoyable romp through the forest of Arden!
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