Disenchantment
Sir: Mr Kenneth Hurren's review (5 Sep- tember) of the Stratford production of The Dream makes rather shocking reading, if one has attended a performance. Un- doubtedly, a critic is entitled to his own views and (inevitably) his own prejudices, but Mr Hurren's gross misrepresentation ex- ceeds tolerable bounds.
As a middle-aged, conservative playgoer, I regretted (as perhaps your critic did) the complete absence of the country background from the presentation; however, I found it impossible not to respect the thought and care which had gone into the production. If Mr Hurren regularly visits the theatre, when did he last see a Dream which offered such a detailed respect for the text? (A minor, but easily described, example of this respect in the Brook production is the way Bottom finds justification in the author for his comic business of forgetting Snug's name.) Why does he allow, in his review, no acknow- ledgement of the remarkably integrated confidence of the playing? (I mean, amongst other things, the breathtakingly sure and beautiful way the company can transform zestful chaos into a magical calm, or melt from a kind of holy raptness into infectious joy.)
I gained my impressions at the official
Screen, by Barry Malzbery (Olympia 32s), reviewed among 'New Novels' last week, will not be published until 8 October.
first night. Unless your critic saw a radically different performance, there are many petty
inaccuracies in his report (e.g. , , some- times [sic] appearing on stilts') and his mem- ory has obviously blurred separatt moments together (e,g. his description of 'I know a bank . . .), with Mt result that the total lin, pression he gives is seriously at fault. Some of his remarks seem wilfully misleading (e.g. `It is performed as a circus entertainment' hardly gives an unsuspecting reader an in- dication of the thoughtful gravity underlin- ing the comedy—which I found to reflect the multi-level meaning of Shakespeare's text
more satisfyingly and richly than the last dozen productions of the play that I have been privileged to see).
Personally, I find your critic's reference to 'this impertinent travesty' an ironically apt description of his review. Mr Brook's reputation is, of course, secure enough from this attack, and the future of the actors maligned by Mr Hurren will possibly not be affected; but, for the sake of your unwitting readers, Sir, would you please invite a sec- ond critical opinion of the presentation? Norman C. Stevenson 45 Ravenhill Park, Belfast BT6 Ono
Previous page
