Love's Labour's Lost in Santa Monica

Dominic Dromgoole the Artistic Director of the Royal Shakespeare company's recreation of London's Globe Theatre carries the rare features of success in things artistic, the pound at the box office and fund-raising. His production of "Love's Labour's Lost," a hit of the Globe's 2007 season, is one of Shakespeare's early romantic comedies set in France and plays at Santa Monica's Broad Stage November 19th -29th.

Considered by some a difficult play to produce with its "complex word games, literary parody and pedantic verbal jousting," Mr. Dromgoole's production is noted for its physical comedy, "full of brio" and "robust." In the following interview the director discusses aspects of the play's background, notes on-the-road and advice to first-time directors of the Bard's work.

Espresso-Refill: What was your first experience of Shakespeare in a professional setting?

Dominic Dromgoole: Lord, can't remember, have dim memories of Brook's "Dream" when I was about six years old, a very intense "Macbeth" in a small studio theatre, and a wonderful trip to Stratford with my mother.

ER: What were the greatest challenges working the recreation of the Globe theater?

DD: Getting as much of the detail right as possible, and most importantly getting the spirit right, a place where people meet and instantly get excited.

ER: Why is LLL of particular interest to our 2009 audience?

DD: Because it is fun, and fresh and human, and reminds us of the healing powers of merriment.

ER: What was LLL’s appeal the Elizabethan and Jacobean audiences? Do the royal court references present a challenge?

DD: It is the filthiest play ever written, rammed with puns, innuendos and sexual allusions so dirty that they make most modern comedy seem tame. It was a popular hit in its day, and that must have been the reason. The court references are fun and cheeky, but not really of much interest to anyone but academics, so it's not worth worrying them too much.

ER: Do you identify with any of oaths in LLL?

DD: No, they seem absurd to me now, as I'm sure they did to the audience then.

ER: How often is the company given notes while on tour?

DD: They just got a whole wodge yesterday. About once a week - each new venue throws up new thoughts.

ER: Do you see generational differences in actors skills or values? Habits?

DD: Younger actors find it easier to embrace the Globe ethos - lights up, direct address, robust playing - than older actors who still live more in the shadow of Victorian Shakespeare and that whole tradition.

ER: What are the most common mistakes actors make when approach acting Shakespeare?

DD: Forgetting the audience. Shakespeare wrote for an audience, and it is important for actors to remember that their moment, or line, or scene, or journey, is not about the effect it has on them, it is about the effect each has on the audience.

ER: One of Shakespeare’s early comedies and set in France, did you find relevant information that relates to Shakespeare’s French landlords the Mountjoys? Was it playable?

DD: Eminently playable, and full of joy. Charles Nicholls' new book, The Lodger, is full of good stuff abut the Mountjoy's. It is remarkable how many strong and vibrant French women there are in Shakespeare's early plays. He was clearly very impressed, and slightly intimidated by someone in that household.

ER: Did you explore the play’s anti-immigrant sentiments?

DD: I think Shakespeare started out with one idea of what Armado was going to be - a satirical portrait of a comical and silly Spaniard/foreigner - but then the moment Armado opened his mouth, something shifted, and he started writing something rich and complex and sophisticated, as he always did.

ER: Two of Shakespeare’s sonnets appear in play. Does the acuity of the sonnet’s verse contrast with the play’s prevalent verse style?

DD: They are funny, and slightly extraneous set-pieces, but actually rather than being acute, they both introduce moments of quite startling tenderness in quite a robust comic world.

ER: Do you see any similarities of the “little Achademe” illustrated in the play in today’s society?

DD: Not really. Madrassas maybe, but to set the play near one of those would skew the comedy rather heavily.

ER: What is your advice to directors on their first outing with Shakespeare?

DD: Read the play twenty times, try not to read about other productions, make the actors feel comfortable and playful, and, above all, treat it as a new play.


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Photo: Mr. Dromgoole, © Sheila Burnett

"Love's Labour's Lost"
at
The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage

Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center
1310 - 11th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90403

310. 434. 3412


www.thebroadstage.com