Steven Berkhoff’s long running one man show ‘Shakespeare’s Villains’ visited the Nottingham Playhouse this week. Though not everyone’s cup of tea, this 'stand-up show meets lecture' takes a somewhat wry look at the Bard's most famous villains for fans and students alike.
The likes of Iago, the McBeths and Richard III are the focus, asking why are they so villainous? are they inherently evil? or just victims of circumstance? and would we view them as such if their actions were transplanted to 2012. Now, more than an hour of a man dressed in black, on an empty stage, doing Shakespearean quotes may make some hearts sink, but in no time the vivid words (described by Berkhoff as paint) combined with an impassioned delivery and more than a bit of mime style slapstick suck you into a world of stage based skulduggery.
The time and setting of each villain is examined and questioned, along with thoughts on what might have been going through Shakespeare’s mind at the time of writing. Married up with the politics and social trends of the time, these observations reinforce Berkhoffs conclusions perfectly, along with deftly chosen monologs and conversations from the plays themselves. All carried off to great effect with no more than a few simple lighting effects and the gestures and mimes of this seasoned performer.
Steven Berkhoff has a long and varied career in film and on stage and has played his share of villains from Bond bad guys to Coriolanus, which is perhaps where the root of his villainous interests lie. I was surprised that he included Prince Hamlet and Shylock in his list of baddies. Though they may fall in to the ‘villains by circumstance’ category, it was interesting to listen to his take on them and provided food for thought, particularly how the interpretation of these characters has changed over time.
If you have any interest in the darker side of Shakespeare or just his magical words you will enjoy this performance. It is a testament to the universal appeal of the characters and Berkhoff’s passion for the subject that he has successfully toured this show across the world over the last few years.
The workshop/lecture feel to the show is aimed firmly at fans and students of Shakespeare, with scores of eager young English students swelling the audience. However, it's no A-level study group and after a captivating show I left ready to revisit Othello and The Merchant of Venice with a new outlook. Hopefully those new to Shakespeare will be keen to do the same.
Shakespeare's Villains plays at the Nottingham Playhouse from Tuesday 6 to Saturday 11 February 2012.
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