WWW.REMOTEGOAT.CO.UK

The Merchant of Venice Review, Cogges Farm, Oxfordshire. (5 stars)

The stage was positioned on the lawn in front of the historic manor house and around one hundred and fifty eager guests arrived in spite of the threat of bad weather, to get stuck in to well-prepared picnics and what promised to be a slick performance of this; Shakespeare's comedy of love, riddles and revenge.

The all-male cast of six, played an impressive nineteen characters between them, helped along by an excellent range of costumes designed by Stacey-Jo Branford and Dani Graves. Holding true to Elizabethan tradition the men stepped into the roles of female characters and with great comedic success, the men played women who were playing men! Matthew Barksby's Portia was outstanding, as a bashful and demure maiden turned into a newly married, expert trickster and heroine.

Music was interspersed throughout the performance, ensuring that the audience were always fully engaged and clearly the use of props and staging had been well rehearsed. For Paul Thomas' Lancelot Gobbo a mop became the tool for self-consideration and then a weapon for fun making when his blind father arrived on stage.

There was a sense of mischief that was captivating about this production and throughout the audiences entertainment was clearly at the forefront of the companies concern. This production was accessible and presented with clarity and a generous energy that made it suitable and enjoyable for those seeing Shakespeare for the first time and for those more well acquainted with his works and with this play.

However, this humour and playfulness certainly did not detract from the central tensions of the play. Michael Dyer's Shylock left the audience questioning whether the character was deserving of our sympathy or not. And likewise, the all important scene between Antonio and Bassario carried as much of a question mark above it as it should, with the audience listening intently to every word and observing every gesture in order to deduce their own conclusions about the nature of the relationship between the two men.

The Festival Players Theatre Company production of The Merchant of Venice gave us exactly what outdoor Shakespeare should provide - it was funny, well paced, professional and most importantly of all entertaining.

Lauren Wills for www.remotegoat.co.uk