Shakespeare North Playhouse’s latest co-production with Stephen Joseph Theatre promises much, but sadly, as the title hints at, delivers little in this 1990’s-based adaptation.
Ferdy (Timothy Adam Lucas) and his stags Berowne (Thomas Cotran) and Long-Dumain (Linford Johnson) have tipped up at a resort in Ibiza run by Armado (David Kirkbride) for their lads’ weekend but are under a promise to not talk to any girls, let alone think about them.
Meanwhile, Yvette (Annie Kirkham) and her hens Mary-Kate (Alice Imelda), Rosie (Alyce Liburd), and Boyet (Jo Patmore) are heading to Malaga until the resort says they’ve had to relocate them to a hotel in Ibiza. Cue shoddy disguises, mislaid love letters, and theatrical chaos as we wait to see whether the boys get the girls or indeed something else…
My frustration sets in before the night had even started as a somewhat smug cast introduce themselves to the audience and it became quickly apparent from the off that whilst we’re presented with a play written by Shakespeare, it has in fact been messed around with by Elizabeth Godber and Nick Lane resulting in something quite far removed from the original.
There is a lot of debate about interpretation and/or adaptation of Shakespeare for the modern audience but that is not what we have here. The original was presented as a witty comedy with as much wit in the language as there is in the action, with much play on the language of the day from the erudite to the bawdy. There is no such subtlety here however which deploys a sledgehammer to crack a nut at every turn.
It is unclear what Director Paul Robinson’s production actually is: distinctly northern and played for laughs, its apparently working-class aspirations meant it relied too much on swearing, shouting, and nob and vibrator jokes. Whilst it was well received by tonight’s audience in a pantomime kind of way as they were encouraged to join in and wave their hands in the air, it lacked the finesse of that seasonal offering and in reality at almost three hours long, its lack of real content was hidden behind its 1990’s themed tunes, performed karaoke-style at best by its cast, which is a lazy way to hoodwink audience engagement.
The cast do their best with the material, including doubling up for minor roles, although I am unclear as to why they are miked up: they all have accomplished CV’s and should know how to project so in an intimate performance space such as this there should not be an issue, unless of course there still remains a problem with the venue’s acoustics.
There was a lot of money spent – and still being spent – on this Elizabethan-style in the round theatre but very little Shakespeare has been on offer, with the kind of community fare on display tonight being delivered much better a few miles down the road at Liverpool’s Royal Court, where funnily enough in their Studio a couple of years ago, a small local company reinterpreted Twelfth Night in Ibiza and did it so much better than this.
Love’s Labour’s Lost (more or less) performs at Shakespeare North Playhouse through to 22nd March before transferring to Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough from 27th March through to 19th April 2025. https://shakespearenorthplayhouse.co.uk/event/loves-labours-lost/
Reviewer: Mark Davoren
Reviewed: 4th March 2025
North West End UK Rating:
Rating: 3 out of 5.
