Shakespeare in Love

Before even beginning to review this extraordinary pro-am production of this brilliant hit play, based on the movie of the same name, one must get one’s head around the country town in which it is performed - Tyalgum. A tiny town buried deep in the hinterland of the Tweed Valley, dominated by the mighty peak of Mount Warning, there is something unique that is happening and has been happening in this town in the last few years. It is known for its arts, dance and music festivals, and an array of famous cabaret artists (Tim Draxl, Hayden Tee, Belinda Wollaston to name a few) who have had sold out shows in their town hall. The town is also the home of the “Heart Collectors”, a well-known folk group that has been gaining international praise in recent years as they tour the world.

Entering Flutterbies Café and Gardens on a normal day is like entering an alternative world full of magic; it evokes dreams of childhood wonder amongst its many ornate decorations. Each year the Shepherd’s Purse Theatre Company have staged an immersive Shakespearean extravaganza, but nothing comes close to what awaits audiences with Shakespeare in Love.

This is only the second time the show has been performed in Australia following the MTC production a few years ago. Director Solar Chapel, has taken the clever script and turned it into an immersive theatre experience, as audiences are taken from one nook or cranny of the gardens surrounding the café to watch the first part of the play.  By this time, magic has well and truly been established; it then moves onto their main stage recreated to look like the Rose Theatre where most of the activity of the show takes place.

The production goes way beyond a community production, helped by the two leads - Reuben Loire and Kymrie Henge being members of “The Heart Collectors” so they know each other very well and that dynamic helps create a feeling of comfort as we enter the love story of Shakespeare and his beloved Viola (who later of course, according to Stoppard, was the inspiration for the main character in Twelfth Night). 

They are superbly supported by four experienced professional actors in Lucas Stokes, David O’Donoghoe, Christian Bischoff and  Jonathon Weir - who is about to be seen as Mel Gibson’s son in the new Oz movie – Sons of Summer.  Watching Weir is like getting a preview of a major star in the early years of what is going to be an extraordinary career.

The rest of the cast is made up of locals of the town, but most with considerable theatre skills and experience, notably Desire Mon Dieu as the nurse, Grail Harlequin as the Queen and a sparky 13 year-old Ruben Valentine as the little boy who eventually exposes Viola as a woman attempting to masquerade as a man.

In addition the whole evening is supported by live music, with a small orchestra presenting Renaissance period music, together with a choir of singers— it’s quite the event.

The evening (complete with two lavish feasts between acts) runs for five hours, yet its awe -nspiring constant humour and activity becomes so involving one leaves sad to depart from this magic back into the real world.

The production has endless humour, tight pacing and elaborate breathtaking staging. It is one of the most exciting nights I have spent in theatre for ages. If I wanted to pick, I could say accents vary a little too much at times and a couple of minor roles are slightly overplayed, but the evening is presented in such a tight, larger than life way that this hardly matters.

If people hear about this production, the whole thing could run for years with buses of tourists descending to explore the wonders of the town and the magic of the night in the theatre. Sadly it has closed for now but will be back for a longer season in 2024.Watch out for more news on this.

Les Solomon

Photographer: Duke.

For more details— www.shepherdspursetheatre.com.au