Union Theatre, London
***
Any play linked to Shakespeare is bound to spark one’s intrigue.
As award-winning director Phil Willmott is no stranger to the Bard, and in
particular finds charm in his lesser produced plays, one can understand the attraction
to Fair Em - part of the Shakespeare
Apocrypha. Yet even with Willmott’s Midas touch, the reasons why this play has
been left untouched for over 400 years quickly become apparent.
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| Photo: Scott Rylander |
The plot intertwines two tales, whose lack of complexity and
obvious nature highlight doubt over authorship. Sir Thomas Goddard (James
Horne) and his daughter Em (the beautiful Caroline Haines) are forced to flee –
the former with comic reluctance - and live in disguise as a poor miller and
his daughter. Em’s unconcealable beauty attracts local courters and she goes to
extreme lengths to fend off the unwanted attention. Concurrently, William the
Conqueror (Jack Taylor) sees the image of the Danish princess, Blanch (Madeline
Gould), emblazoned on a shield and immediately falls in love with her. He
crosses the seas in disguise to woo her, but is horrified to find that the
picture serves no resemblance to the ungainly princess. His attention is instead
drawn to Swedish princess Mariana (Alys Metcalf), who is a slave of the King of
Denmark (Gordon Winter) and already betrothed to the Marquis of Lubeck (the
striking and talented Tom Gordon-Gill).
The small yet charismatic Union Theatre provides the perfect
environment for this unpretentious fringe production. Designer Philip Lindley
reflects the mood of the era but not of the play with a beautiful black and
white-etched backdrop of old London along the Thames. Anna Sorensen Sargent’s
pantomime-esque costume contrasts strongly, yet it is more in tune with the
farcical action. The obvious white stickers on Blanch’s shoes could have been
avoided, however.
The chorus Green Willow sometimes drives the plot forward
with cheeky tunes that point towards the light-hearted nature of the play. At
other times, however, off-key harmonies and loud drumming detract from the
performance. Oliver Healey’s stunning guitar-playing is a highlight. The standard of acting is inconsistent among the cast, though. Some,
such as Jack Taylor, Madeline Gould (despite the ever-changing accent),
Caroline Haines and Robert Donald are superb and utterly watchable. Others fail
to impress and make one question whether a first class degree equates a first
class actor.
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| Photo: Scott Rylander |
There are many high points to this play, especially the
farcical song of Em’s three admirers; Mountney (Tom McCarron), Valingford
(Robert Welling) and Manville (David Ellis), who compete to leave love tokens,
along with Blanch’s final love speech.
Willmott states in the foreword that the incorrect
attribution to Shakespeare “is probably the reason why you’re here and it’s
certainly the reason that I picked it up and started reading.” But compare anything to Shakespeare’s complex
and successful works and it will surely crumble. Instead, take this play in its
own right and regard it as an enjoyable, albeit flawed, piece of comedy.
This production runs until 9th February 2013.
For more information: http://www.uniontheatre.biz/#/fair-em/4568492914
@TheUnionTheatre @FairEm1
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