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The Fair Maid of the West
The Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
HEYWOOD’s reputation has ranged wildly over the centuries, from being described by Charles Lamb as “a prose Shakespeare” to his many plays being “deformed by pages of drivel.” So there was no need for co-writer and director Isobel McArthur’s programme note defending her decision to “have made wild departures” from Thomas Heywood’s Jacobean romp.
In fact his original play, featuring the adventures of the spunky 17-year-old barmaid Bess (here Liz) Bridges, was so popular that the busy wordsmith immediately served up a second part. Like the production which notably featured in the 1986 opening season of the Swan, the RSC’s smaller Stratford venue, the new production has conflated the two parts into one.
There the similarities end. Whereas Trevor Nunn skilfully reshaped Heywood’s plays for audience expectations a quarter of a century ago, McArthur has gone for the full pantomime treatment.
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