The Factory Space Theatre Company

Alls well That Ends Well

by

Shakespeare


Cast & Crew

Suzanne Hauser, Kath Perry, Amelia Foxton,
Victor Kline, Penny Lindley, Dan McCallum,
Dimity Raftos, Brinley Meyers, Jacqui Yang, Gary Woods
and Ivan Acevski.

Roz Riley - Director
Alls Well - photographed by John Reeves

Review By Radio RRR Brad Syke braddo's brekky serial, triple R, fm 88.5
It's, of course, a terribly trite cliché, yet, one, nonetheless, worth stating, yet again: Shakespeare has as much to offer today, if not more, than in those rowdy days on the floor of the globe, amid 'the great unwashed'. 'All's well that ends well' is not alone among the oeuvre, in plumbing the darkest depths of treachery and deceit, as well as other glaring foibles of our species. Helena, in this play is, unmistakably, our heroine, yet the only effective way she can find, to surmount the disfavour of her entrapped husband, is to trick him into fidelity and faithfulness. This, of course, leads us to question the whole notion of heroes, heroines, villains and vagabonds; much as we might, on the one hand, acknowledge the skill of a Warney, while preferring not to know of his personal values and exploits. traditionally, it seems, we've tended, and needed, to lionise individuals of our choosing, admitting them no flaw, only to be, in the end, disappointed; disillusioned. While, in Shakespeare's day,

in the absence of a paparazzi and big brother 'ethic', it might've been relatively easier to preserve a semblance of infallibility and greatness, today's invasive, and pervasive, media addiction pretty much puts paid to any such pretence. One has to believe this is a good thing; yet the loss of innocence is, perhaps, profoundly regrettable. is even God still possible in such a world, or must she, too, fall prey, to the ignobility of 'man'? Factory Space, and perfectionistic director Roz Riley, has done the bard proud in adapting his biting 16th-century contrivance for the 21st. the production, at Star of the Sea theatre, in Manly, is amusing, wry, and inventive, with admirable attention to detail in observing textual integrity, while enriching meaning. Every facet, and gesture, it would appear, has been carefully considered and evaluated.

One's heart goes out to Helena: as in the inevitable, and often, premature, forfeit of our own precious naivety, or that of our children's, we can hardly help but mourn for the fact this poor, orphan girl, of lowly social standing (and her, a great doctor's daughter: some things, apparently, do change!), must be jolted into the ways of the world so unceremoniously; harshly. and yet (and herein lies one of the more strident 'beauties' of Shakespeare, whereby he creates the utmost dramatic tension) we are forced to simultaneously question her shameless exploitation of her favour with the rich-and-powerful king, in selecting her hapless husband, without regard to his feelings in the matter.

Thus, while Bertram's cruel, thoughtless, heartless behaviour may be seen as just so, yet it is thoughtful, and heart-rending, inasmuch as he reacts, surely, albeit in the wicked way of machismo, from the depths of his own damaged soul; let's not forget, here is a young man, recently bereaved, by the death of his father, as indicated, very early, in the play (act 1, scene 1, 3-4): 'I, in going, madam, weep o'er my father's death, anew.' (if we were, say, Jungians, we might well postulate this unrequited grief, indeed, is the pivot on which all Bertram's subsequent behaviour turns. with this dialectic left unresolved, there is something disturbing, but invaluable, evoked in the ardent viewer of this play: something unsettling is prodded, and pricked, to the point where it cannot, perhaps, find salve in this world. if you're up for, and to, that, then you'll be hard-pressed to find a fairer reading of a lesser-performed, but truly outstanding, bill of fare, if you will!

Of course, it's not all that serious! There's plenty of levity, practically every example of which director and cast have capitalised on with delicious relish! Shakespeare is, at the end of the day, most probably, not only the greatest poet, but satirist, that ever lived. How seriously you want to inhabit his prototypical situation comedies is entirely up to you, and your capacity to hold a mirror to yourself. >br>
Ye ol' Bill is as concerned with the wiles of women, as the machinations of men. (the utterly amazonian) Suzanne Hauser astounds, as Helena: capturing all the high-minded pride we might expect of a veritable Greek heroine' cutting a tragic, saintly swathe, the very picture of idealised feminine dignity, all with a patent empathy for her tracts of text, and a command of Shakespearean sensibilities as acute as one might find in more renowned companies. Hers is the standout performance; albeit among many fine examples. Amelia Foxton's Diana, too, easily manages conviction, as the classic, fairytale, delicate, virginal princess, a Florentine Cinderella; blunt instrument of Shakespeare’s pointed and purposeful conceits. Gary Woods is almost too convincing as the dastardly (and cowardly), foppish Parolles; Penny Lindley is a treasure as la Feu, letting us linger over every barb.