The Royal Shakespeare Company and the Hispanic Golden Age Season

THE ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY AND THE HISPANIC GOLDENAGE SEASON The Dog in the Manger, by Lope de Vega Presented by The Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon. April 14-October 2, 2004. Directed by Laurence Boswell. Translated by David Johnston. Set and costumes designed by Es Devlin. Lighting designed by Ben Ormerod. Music composed by Ilona Sekacz. Sound designed by Tim Oliver. Choreography by Heather Habens. With Rebecca Johnson (Diana), Joseph Millson (Teodoro), Simon Trinder (Tristan), Peter Sproule (Octavio), Joseph Chance (Fabio), Emma Pallant (Anarda), Melanie MacHugh (Dorotea), Claire Cox (Marcela, Diana's lady in waiting), Katherine Kelly (Diana's lady in waiting), John Ramm (Marquis Ricardo), Julius D'Silva (Celio), Oscar Pearce (Count Federico), Oliver Williams (Leonido; Lirano), John Stahl (Count Ludovico), Matt Ryan (Antonelo), John Wark (Furio). Tamar 's Revenge, by Tirso de Molina Presented by The Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon. April 28-October 2, 2004. Directed by Simon Usher. Translated by James Fenton. Designed by Delia Peel. Lighting designed by Ben Ormerod. Music composed by Neil McArthur. Sound designed by Mike Compton. Movement by Gaby Agis. Fights directed by James Chalmers. With William Buckhurst (Adonijah), James Chalmers (Absalom), Joseph Chance (Jonadab; Solomon), Julius D'Silva (Braulio; Fencing master), Rebecca Johnson (Abigail), Katherine Kelly (Tamar), Melanie MacHugh (Bathsheba; Shepherd), Vinta Morgan (Joab; Aliso), Emma Pallant (Dina), Matt Ryan (Amnon), Peter Sproule (Tirso), John Stahl (David), 195 196BCom, Vol. 57, No. 1 (2005) Joanna Van Kampen (Laureta; Michal,), John Wark (Ardelio), Oliver Williams (Eliazer; Riselio). House ofDesires, by Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Presented by The Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon. June 30-October 1, 2004. Directed by Nancy Meckler. Translated by Catherine Boyle. Designed by Katrina Lindsay. Lighting designed by Ben Ormerod. Music composed by Ilona Sekacz. Sound designed by Liz Ranken. Fights directed by Malcolm Ranson. With William Buckhurst (Don Pedro), Claire Cox (Doña Ana), Emma Pallant (Nun), Joanna Van Kampen (Nun), Peter Sproule (Don Rodrigo), Rebecca Johnson (Doña Leonor), Julius D'Silva (Hernando), James Chalmers (Cloaked man), Vinta Morgan (Cloaked man), Oscar Pearce (Don Juan), Joseph Millson (Don Carlos), Simon Trinder (Castano). Pedro, The Great Pretender, by Miguel de Cervantes Presented by The Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon. September 1- September 30, 2004. Directed by Mike Alfreds. Translated by Philip Osment. Designed by Rae Smith. Lighting designed by Ben Ormerod. Music composed by Ilona Sekacz. Choreography by Leah Hausman. With Simon Trinder (demente; Gentleman), John Ramm (Pedro), Katherine Kelly (Benita), Emma Pallant (Clemencia), James Chalmers (Diego Tarugo; Director), Julius D'Silva (Martín Crespo; Singer), John Wark (Sancho Macho; First Player; Singer), Oscar Pearce (Lagartija; Silerio), Joseph Chance (Hornocuelos; Llórente; Farmer with two hens), Oliver Williams (Redondo; Master of the Revels), William Buckhurst (Pascual; Diego-fly-the-Coop), Vinta Morgan (Roque; Gil the Carder; Third Player), John Stahl (Maldonado), Joanna Van Kampen (Inés), Claire Cox (Bélica [Belilla/Isabel]), Melanie MacHugh (Marina Sánchez), Matt Ryan (a blind man; Second Player), Joseph Millson (the King), Rebecca Johnson (the Queen), Peter Sproule (Marcelo). Building on the success of the previous Jacobean Season, The Royal Shakespeare Company continued its investigation of Shakespeare's contemporaries in the 2004 repertoire, under the artistic direction of Laurence Boswell, with a cluster ofGolden Age Hispanic plays: Lope de Vega's dark comedy, El perro del hortelano [The Dog in the Manger]; Fischer197 Tirso de Molina's Biblical tragedy, La venganza de Tamar [Tamar's Revenge: A Tale of Rape and Retribution]; Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz's romantic farce, Los empeños de una casa [House of Desires]; the world première of Cervantes's experimental play, Pedro de Urdemalas [Pedro, the Great Pretender: The Tricks of a Chameleon]; and lastly, Calderón's two-part tragedy, La hija del aire [Daughter ofthe Air], which was aired on BBC 3 on November 3, 2004, as part oftheNew Work Festival (translation : Sara Woods). Four productions, four directing styles, four types ofplays, including a world première {Pedro, the Great Pretender). Most enduring, at the end of the day, was the sort of 'mter-performance-tex.xxia\\xy that had evolved among the productions thanks to an ensemble of actors who inspired...