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Beowulf
- Tour Musical World British European Scottish Premiere .
from the translation by Seamus Heaney.
Devised and Directed by - Andy Arnold.
Assistant Director - Kate Nelson.
Set and Costume Designer - Brian Hartley.
Costume Co-Designer - Kristina Telfer.
Sound Designer - Mark Carr (who records under the name of Lockjaw).
Lighting Designer - Robert Hamilton-Pringle.
Metal Sculptures - Markus Karkus.
Company - The Arches Theatre Company .
Cast - here .
Venue -The Arches www.thearches.co.uk
253 Argyll St Glasgow 0141 565 1023
Dates - 11 - 21 February at 7.30pm No Perfomances Sun or
Mon.
Run Time - I hours no Interval.
Reviewer - Thelma Good.
Well executed style, too much sitting.
Beowulf - The Arches Theatre Company
L to R - Finlay McLean
as King Hrothgar and Tam Dean Burn as Beowulf
© Niall Walker 2004
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Taking audiences into the shadows of the cave-like Arches to tell stories
releases ancestral memories in this performance project which dramatizes
the first part of Beowulf. After being partly woven into the ancient yarn,
I at least want to be involved as an audience subsumed more into the action
or even a full participant if Andy Arnold gets to do the second part.
Beowulf is an epic poem surviving in a 10th century manuscript, dating
back at least 4 centuries earlier. It's a mix of historical figures and
mythic events.
The performance project starts in a room where people are gathering information
and getting ready to explain it, the white faced people type, examine
papers, look at the lines of inheritance on the family tree pinned to
the wall. In the second scene, and the least successful one, it is explained
that a fine king has died and his corpse is carried ceremonially in front
of us, place on a wheeled bier and taken to the door. This king's corpse
was given back to the sea, but apart from the greenish lighting round
the doorway and the sound of waves, little is done in the way of movement
to let the standing audience see this event. This door then opens and
we're beckoned further into the tale.
The project's stylized approach, although well executed and conceived,
doesn't raise the hairs quite enough. It's possible to feel a contemporary
viewer of the events in the magnificent hall of Heorot where King Hrothgar's
men are attacked by the monstrous Grendel, Beowulf's journey with the
Geats to help Hrothgar and his battles with Grendel and his return to
battle with the mother of Grendel. The mixed in experience cast, led by
professionals with Tam Dean Burn as Beowulf, clearly a warrior
light of the feet and quick in reaction, and Finlay McLean
as King
Hrothgar older, once strong now wise, work as a ensemble. Though there
are moments when chorus is too slow to speak or hard to understand - those
tricky Arches acoustics.
The sets, costumes, props, soundscape, smells and lighting all suggest
the powerful images of nightmarish myth. But the fights particularly are
fashioned in such a way that their blade edged and monstrous danger is
dulled. Enabling an audience to move naturally and see what they want,
not breaking the spell in a promenade performance, is an art. Presently
the narrow though short passageways and using of seating rather than frequently
moving a standing audience often halts the drama's potential. It's quite
a large audience in the spaces as they are set out, fewer audience members
would allow them to go for more action and more complicity with the audience.
Andy Arnold's creative team and its actors are a mix of professionals,
RSAMD Students and volunteers, and they may do Beowulf Part Two. Part
One has strong powerful stuff in it, working most successfully when the
audience feels part of of action, rousing interest in the ancient myths
and tales that inspired Tolkien.
© Thelma Good 12 February 2004. - Published on EdinburghGuide.com
This production is a 'performance project" with professional artists
working alongside volunteer and students across all areas of the process
- performance, design, costume-making and stage
management.
Cast:
The Danes:
Finlay McLean - King Hrothgar, Gail Wylie, Shakti Edwards, Drew Taylor,
Helen Mallon,
Kieran McGrath, Lorna Craig, Annette Westwood, Martin Ware and Jessika
Williams.
Voices of Grendal:
Joe Harper, Patrick Mulvey, Lydia Therese, Jordan McCurrach, Fraser Johnston,
Lizzie Jay, ary Lamont, Rebecca Wolfe and David Mullen.
The Geats:
Tam Dean Burn - Beowulf, Matthew Smith, Roy Enwistle, Andy Ramsay, Ian
Petrie, Simon Pringle, Gerry Lynch and Neil McNulty.
Also involved
Lighting Rigger Robert Watson,
Costume Construction: Kristina Telfer
Assistant Costume Construction; Laura Spring, Caroline Darke
Props Construction: Alex Rigg.
Set Construction: Nick Warrilow, John Rymer and Nigel Ross.
Assistant Stage Management Kevin Wratten.
Theatre Editor, Thelma Good's e-mail is
thelma@edinburghguide.com
Although every effort has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the
information presented in these pages, no responsibility can be accepted
for any errors or omissions.
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