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The Theatreguide.London Review
The
Upstart Crow
Gielgud
Theatre Spring 2019; Autumn 2022
Since it first appeared in 2016 as a BBC TV series, Upstart Crow (minus the 'the') easily found its audience for writer Ben Elton's depiction of a put-upon William Shakespeare struggling to come up with the hits amid a volatile household of family, servants, theatrefolk, royalty and hangers-on.
And yet in some ways the
tongue-in-cheek sitcom never quite hit the spot because it often came
across as flat and, well, staged.
However, this transfer to the real-life stage as a full-length play with
new plot and script banishes any such misgivings and will deservedly enjoy
full houses for this limited run.
It is aided of course by the
pulling power of the principal original TV cast members, headed by David
Mitchell as the beleaguered bard, Gemma Whelan as Kate, his landlord's
daughter and frustrated would-be actress, and Rob Rouse as easily confused
yet phlegmatic manservant Bottom.
The plot follows familiar grounds from the series as Will frets about not
being able to deliver the next hit for his theatre actor/manager Burbage
(Steve Speirs) and so risk losing favour with the lucrative royal court.
Unlikely inspiration appears
in the shape of shipwrecked twins Susanna (Helen Monks) and Arragon (Jason
Callender), African royals who adopt equally unlikely disguises to hide
from the religious bigotry of the times.
As with all farces, things get complicated and what follows is a mash-up
of plots from King Lear, Twelfth Night, Othello and a surreal nod to Romeo
and Juliet.
Love is lost and won, mistaken identity abounds, racial and gender issues are addressed full on, and running gags about Shakespeare's bum plays abound.
Will Will find his muse
amidst the chaos? Will Kate get to play in one of his plays? Will Bottom
ever work out what's happening?
The attraction of Elton's comedy and his cast is that you don't have to
get any of the in-jokes to get the laughs, or to have seen the TV show.
Elton also dares to layer the script with a running commentary on contemporary issues, from gender fluidity to diverse casting to HS2.
From the audience's reaction,
the gambit pays off well, although whether the BAME thread resonates is
hard to say, given that audiences here in the West End are unlikely to
display any diversity in that direction.
Although the casting makes for a mixture of abilities, which director Sean
Foley fails to cohere, the performances are full-on and play deliciously
to the crowd.
Mitchell, Whelan and Rouse clearly know their characters inside out and yet still give it their all, as do Mark Heap (as the Puritan Dr John Hall) and Speirs, although both are slightly wasted with underwritten characters
Dr John Hall is initially unconvincing and needs director and writer to help Heap out, while Monks and Callender bring a winning mix of comic and classical to the constantly cross-dressing twins.
And if there can be any
better testament to the generosity of this ensemble, it's in letting Reice
Weathers' dancing bear Mr Whiskers shamelessly steal the show with each
appearance.
Foley avoids getting in the way of the TV leads and concentrates on
finding the space for Elton's packed script, farce and slapstick to
breathe on the same stage. He ensures that the gags don't trip up the plot
and vice-versa, and as as result the pace whizzes by in this two hour-plus
show.
All Tudor panels and hand-crafted backdrops, Alice Power's period set is
unexpectedly contemporary in changing scenes, and her costumes memorably
include Dr Hall's ever elaborate testicular padded breeches and expanding
codpiece.
Upstart Crow may appear a no-pressure star vehicle at first glance, but
the reality is that this is a bold show to bring to audiences today.
For a host of zeitgeisty
reasons, producers on the West End have lost their nerve for putting on
comedies, leaving the The Play That Goes Wrong franchise to (deservedly)
carry the humour category.
Though not as accessible to all audiences as it presents itself, Upstart
Crow fires on every cylinder and showcases a rich range of our comedy
talent. In fact, you'd be hard-pushed to find another play on the West End
at the moment that delivers this level of showmanship.
Nick
Awde
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