Review: 2006: The Readers' View: THEATRE

• Published in: The Observer (London)
• Main Author: Viv Phillips, Annemarie Austin, J Krishnan, Fiona Holland, Annemarie Austin , Chris Bradshaw , Michael Martin , Katherine Hayes , Ann Hambley and Susannah Radford
• Format: Newspaper Article
• Language: English
• Published: London (UK) Guardian News & Media Limited 24.12.2006
• ISSN: 0029-7712

A packed-out theatre, the smoky haze of a Cuban afternoon and the flavour of a Havana cigar in your mouth. Welcome to the RSC's stylish retake on Much Ado about Nothing , set in pre- revolutionary, 1950s Cuba. Half the audience were Shakespeare fans, the rest were there to see Tamsin Greig. And she didn't disap point, giving energy to the rest of the cast, pushing Joseph Millson to equal her as Benedict. He did so, but the night belonged to Tamsin. 'Why would I want to watch a big doll parading the streets. . . and what? An elephant?' When she saw the news, my friend changed her mind. But by then French theatre company Royal de Luxe had come and gone. That hot bright Friday in May, the young girl clambered from her time travel casket, which had 'landed' overnight in Waterloo Place, removed her flying goggles, and gazed curiously, shyly, at the crowd. We stared back, equally uncertain. Behind us, in Horse Guards Parade, a mechanical elephant lumbered to his feet, unfurled his trunk and blinked knowingly. Despite being three storeys high and carrying a house on his back, this elephant seemed real - and yet fantastical. Michael Boyd's superb resurrection of his 2000 Henry VI is vivid, earthy, muscular Shakespeare that leaves us with some unforgettable images. Chuk Iwuji, as Henry, leads a fine ensemble and his transformation from boy king is wonderfully subtle. Katy Stephens is a spiky Margaret, while Clive Wood's York is a magnificent counterweight who dominates part two. But the lasting memory is Jonathan Slinger's twitching, snarling Gloucester railing against the world.