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The Witch of Edmonton
Nov. 1st, 2014 08:22 pmYesterday we went to see The Witch of Edmonton at the RSC in Stratford. It was my birthday and I do like going to see a play on that day. So, we booked a hotel, had a meal in the RSC restaurant, and made a proper day of it.
The main attraction of The Witch of Edmonton was that it starred Eileen Atkins in the title role. It seemed such a good opportunity to see her; the part itself is not a major one, but the scenes she was in she dominated.
The play was written in 1621 by William Rowley, Thomas Dekker, John Ford &c. It was performed in the Swan Theatre and suited the smaller, more intimate stage. We were sat in the second row and it was great to be so close to the action. This has to be my preferred way to see a play.
We really enjoyed it. Unlike the last production we saw in the Swan this was left as a play of its time, with appropriate costumes, and for that reason the story, which in parts seemed improbable from a current perspective, worked extremely well. We were particularly impressed by Jay Simpson who played Dog (the Witch's familiar) and Dafydd Llyr Thomas (another product of RWCMD) as Cuddy Banks, who, along with the rest of the Morris troupe, was highly entertaining.
There was a lad with Downs Syndrome sat in front of us. He was clearly very upset with some of the action in the play in the first half, and equally loved the antics of the Morris Men part way through the second half. He showed his emotions externally throughout, we didn't, but certainly shared them. It was an excellent production.
The main attraction of The Witch of Edmonton was that it starred Eileen Atkins in the title role. It seemed such a good opportunity to see her; the part itself is not a major one, but the scenes she was in she dominated.
The play was written in 1621 by William Rowley, Thomas Dekker, John Ford &c. It was performed in the Swan Theatre and suited the smaller, more intimate stage. We were sat in the second row and it was great to be so close to the action. This has to be my preferred way to see a play.
We really enjoyed it. Unlike the last production we saw in the Swan this was left as a play of its time, with appropriate costumes, and for that reason the story, which in parts seemed improbable from a current perspective, worked extremely well. We were particularly impressed by Jay Simpson who played Dog (the Witch's familiar) and Dafydd Llyr Thomas (another product of RWCMD) as Cuddy Banks, who, along with the rest of the Morris troupe, was highly entertaining.
There was a lad with Downs Syndrome sat in front of us. He was clearly very upset with some of the action in the play in the first half, and equally loved the antics of the Morris Men part way through the second half. He showed his emotions externally throughout, we didn't, but certainly shared them. It was an excellent production.
