We discover what is being said about Jennifer Tang’s production, which is now playing until the 20th April.
WhatsOnStage: **** “Director Jennifer Tang has made the decision to gender-swap, so where Cymbeline was previously a king, she is now a queen, the evil step-queen is now an evil duke, and Posthumus is now a woman. With a few clever tweaks of the script, it works perfectly well: while the Romans appear to worship Jupiter, the British, under a matriarch, worship the earth mother Gaia, and so it becomes a kind of battle of the sexes. A shame that Cymbeline is such a weak leader, mostly under the thumb of her evil duke husband. But Iachimo’s nonsense machismo on Posthumus’ arrival in Rome, and the whiny incel Cloten amidst a court of strong women give strength to this new interpretation.”
The Guardian: *** “Although Cymbeline was labelled a “tragedie” by Shakespeare, it has often been enacted as a wonky comedy-romance, and Jennifer Tang’s production plays up the humour, with hip-thrusts and double entendres that highlight the performance of hypermasculinity.”
The Telegraph: ** “It’s hard to get excited about this quirky, patchy, candle-lit production of one of the Bard’s weakest works.”
The Arts Desk: *** “There’s not much point in having three hours worth of Shakespearean text to craft and the gorgeous Sam Wanamaker Playhouse as a canvas if you merely intend to go through the motions, ticking off one of the canon’s less performed works. The question for Jennifer Tang, making her Globe directorial debut, is what to do with this beautifully wrapped gift. The question for us is does it work.”
Theatre & Tonic: *** “Nevertheless, this was an enjoyable and thought-provoking rendition of Cymbeline, providing a welcome chance to experience a lesser-known Shakespearean work. It offered a fresh perspective and succeeded in making a complicated play feel comprehensible and entertaining.”
London Theatre.co.uk: **** “The beating heart of the piece is provided throughout by Brooks, a standout last summer here in The Comedy of Errors, who is developing into one of the most electric young Shakespeareans around. (It’s doubly astonishing that her one Olivier nomination for date should be for playing Rita Marley, Bob Marley’s wife, in the West End.) It may be Posthumus who gets the climactic advisory – desperately needed these days – to “deal with others better”, but Brooks heads a company who genuinely rank among this theatre’s best in recent years.”
The Reviews Hub: **** “Running at three hours on press night, there is a sense that parts could be edited, especially the long reunion scene at the end, but all the mawkishness of returned lovers and rediscovered children is played for laughs. If only all the smiles and hugs of forgiveness could enter our world.”
London Unattached: **** 1/2 “here are powerful performances from many of the cast. Martina Laird is an emotive and forceful Cymbeline while Gabrielle Brooks and Nadi Kemp-Sayfi as young lovers are equally convincing.”
The Standard: **** “This rarely-staged late Shakespearean romance gets a bold, vivid production from Jennifer Tang that matches its hectic mix of comedy, horror and absurdity.”
Time Out: “Weird tragicomedy Cymbeline is one hell of a play to choose for your Shakespeare debut, and rising star director Jennifer Tang somewhat flubs it with a fussy, high-concept take that does nothing to rationalise Shakespeare’s borderline-ludicrous plot.”
The Upcoming: *** “Cymbeline is a good show in a great theatre. As one of Shakespeare’s more complex and messy plots, it is perhaps not the best choice for those new to his works but this version does well to create a deeply watchable show.”
The Stage: *** “Stylish, imaginative reworking of Shakespeare’s convoluted romance set in a fantastical matriarchal Britain.”
Broadway World: *** “Tang’s directiial vision alone charges it with the momentum it needs. She has a solid grasp of a slippery play.”
British Theatre Guide: “Delivered at speed (though still running at nearly three hours if you include the interval), this is a production that leaves no time to start questioning the improbabilities of a complex plot and it isn’t afraid to get laughs rather than dwell on its dark side. There is sometimes ethereal music by Laura Moody, its strange sounds made by unusual instruments, that fits a play that is a fantasy, not ancient history.”
To book tickets visit: https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/whats-on/cymbeline/