REVIEW: A RURITANIAN romance that was my faint recollection of Anthony Hope's The Prisoner of Zenda.
A swashbuckling adventure, where credulity is stretched as fine as the rope the hero is suspended from, and a languid Englishman emerges hero and gentleman. I had, of course, left Euan Smith out of the equation.
His sense of theatre is honed to such a degree that predictable situations and cardboard characters are endowed with a surging vitality and gifted with the cutting edge of humour that really enlivens the action.
His adaptation of Hope's book, together with Robert Horwell's direction, rolled romance and reality into one hugely enjoyable production.
The five actors, who with impeccable timing, play the 36 parts in the play are David Baker, Faith Edwards, Russell Gomer, David Peacock and Richard Clothier, who was, among other roles, that archetypal dastardly villain Rupert of Hentzau.
The lines of the hero Rudolf Rassendyll were spoken by all the actors in turn but was played by David Baker.
On the minuscule stage of the Watermill Theatre, castle, drawbridge, moat, railway station and inn appeared and disappeared with a precision Cape Canaveral would envy.
And the England football team would do well to emulate. Through it all the action proceeded uninterrupted. Nor were we deprived of the least part of the adventure; swords clashed, pistols exploded and blood flowed in rivers of red silk!
In true tradition, the beautiful Princess Flavia (Faith Edwards) was heroically renounced and remembered forever with a red rose.
Irresistible!
Indranee de Silva
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