I'm sorry to say that while this production was very original in its staging and certainly had tons of energy and verve, I found it at times quite difficult to follow; and while I am not at all familiar with the play, not having read it in over thirty years, I can usually understand Shakespeare's language. I felt that to some extent it was the idiosyncratic way the actors delivered the lines that hindered understanding, though of course I accept that there is not 'one, correct' way of speaking Shakespeare! I also felt that, frankly, some of the actors were overdoing it, hamming it up, gurning furiously and generally seeking easy laughs from the audience - which they seemed more than happy to give. Troilus and Cressida has some comic elements but it is not a comedy; at times the production felt more like pantomime than Shakespeare, with the audience encouraged to participate by chanting, clapping, singing along - and generally enjoying themselves. I guess I am just a crusty old curmudgeon but part of me felt the cast were more interested in getting laughs than in conveying the story...But if that is what audiences want now, who am I to argue? When Shakespeare's comedy is done well it is as funny as when he first wrote it but when it has to rely on overacting, excessively 'camp' mannerisms and prolonged and desperate 'mugging', then it can (to me, anyway) seem rather puerile and exhibitionistic. However, I am sure in spite of this that these actors are very talented and in fact I saw plenty of evidence of this: that said, the often excessive hilarity injected into many scenes meant that when the play needed to adopt a more sober mood and deliver something 'darker', it was less capable of doing so, since an awkward 'tone' had been set, with some members of the audience still inclined to laugh at everything. So I'm sorry I cannot be more positive but I'm still glad I came to see the production and that it was staged at all. It remains a challenging piece of theatre and will never be one of Shakespeare's more popular plays.
