Saturday, February 20, 2010

felix in midsummer night’s dream

This is the eleventh season of the highly-acclaimed “Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory” (11 February–20 March) and this year they’re performing “Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “The Tempest” (and for the third year running it’s already a near sell-out). Felix (Hannah’s husband for those who don’t know!) has been chosen for parts in both plays. “MSND” is currently running and has received some stunning reviews.
Lyn Gardner in “The Guardian” describes it thus: “It's possible to see at least four productions of Shakespeare's play this month, and inevitably Peter Hall's revival with Judi Dench has grabbed the headlines. But if you want to see Shakespeare's play at its freshest and funniest, you should head straight to Bristol, where Andrew Hilton produces low-budget Shakespeare with a consistency that must make the RSC weep”. Jeremy Brien’s review in “The Stage” is equally lyrical: “Ralph Richardson once said he had never seen a bad production of the Dream, but equally had never seen a perfect one. This sparkling offering helps tip the balance towards the latter”.
In MSND, Felix plays the part of Tom Snout and it’s been really lovely seeing that he’s been picked out for special mention in several reviews, for example:
The Guardian: “This is a Dream that is wistful and sexy, with a wild pagan heart beating beneath its ­formal ­exterior. There are some blissfully funny moments, including a Snout who plays Wall with glorious anguish”.
The Stage: “Chris Donnelly brings some delightful Marx Brothers’ touches to Nick Bottom, Felix Hayes’ Snout the Tinker almost steals the whole shebang as an Olympic weight-lifting ‘Wall’ in the Pyramus and Thisbe interlude, while Christopher Staines anchors the entire box of delights as an all-knowing Puck”.
Moira+I can’t wait to see it (and 13 March seems an awful long time ahead!).

Photo: Felix is on the extreme right!

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