|
Will and Me
By Dominic Dromgoole
Penguin £16.99
294 pages
Dateline: 16th April, 2006
The subtitle of this book gives away its subject-matter. Dominic Dromgoole
has recently taken over from Mark Rylance as artistic director at the
Globe and therefore a book about "How Shakespeare Took Over My
Life" is timely.
There is little to criticise in this entertaining round-up of a lifelong
love affair with the works of England's greatest poet and playwright,
if you can forgive a tacky front cover that shows the author struggling
to keep a straight face as he addresses a skull, apparently at the checkout
in Sainsbury's.
Dromgoole comes from a theatrical family and therefore he was literally
introduced to William Shakespeare in the cradle. By the age of seven,
he was a fan and, at 10, made his first outing to Stratford to see Romeo
and Juliet and As You Like It.
Refreshingly, he is happy to admit, "I couldn't understand a blind
word anyone was saying". He has analysed this and come to the conclusion
that "The opacity still worries me. Partly it's 400-year-old language,
and there's nothing you can do about that. Partly it's the pernicious
influence of verse-speaking that cares little for sense or clarity as
long as you're boldly going ti-tum ti-tum".
Many prospective visitors to Shakespeare's Globe will be delighted
at the prospect of clear verse-speaking and there is a danger that,
like so many politicians, Dromgoole may have made a rod for his own
back. Woe betide him if any of his actors is not both audible and intelligible
throughout.
Will and Me combines the autobiography of a colourful member
of a yet more colourful family and an appreciation of what William Shakespeare
means not only to this author but to so many other readers, writers
and viewers. This is far more than just a standard piece of autobiography
though, and indeed Dromgoole's theatrical life both at the Bush and
with the Oxford Stage Company is skirted over.
The book's true value is in a passion for words and particularly those
of the Bard, and a real enthusiasm to instil a love of his work into
every reader. In this, the author helps himself by including lengthy
extracts from the Works to make points about his own life.
The relationship with Shakespeare is very much two way as not only
does the man from Stratford illuminate almost every aspect of Dromgoole's
life but, through his passion, the director gives impressive insight
into Shakespeare's. Indeed, many biographers have got no closer to the
essence of the playwright than this memoirist.
Dromgoole does make some bold statements and really seems to believe
that that the Complete Works of William Shakespeare are his Bible. Indeed,
at one point this atheist controversially lists Shakespeare, Buddha,
Christ and Mohammed as equivalent "religious" leaders.
The last eighty pages of the book take a different turn as Dromgoole
decides to embark on a week long walk from Stratford to the Globe in
London, accompanied by his friend Quentin Seddon and, initially at least,
his Oxford Stage colleague Mark Rosenblatt. Sadly, Mark's feet hold
up for no more than a couple of days, leaving the other pair to philosophise
about Shakespeare, bicker and enjoy a cross country walk that becomes
increasingly painful.
The theory is that Shakespeare must have embarked on walks of this
type himself on more than one occasion and this is a way for Mark Rylance's
Globe successor to get into his skin.
The walkers don't quite get the slumming right though. It seems unlikely
that a sixteenth-century walker would have stayed in luxurious country
homes with spas and Jacuzzis, nor that once he reached Bray, he would
have hired a taxi to take him home to spend the night with his family,
before the wife helpfully drove him back to where he had left off.
One can forgive this writer a lot. His patent love of Shakespeare is
encapsulated perfectly when he explains that "to understand his
work, you have to understand yourself. To look properly at his complete
and ever-expanding universe, you have to look hard at the infinite possibilities
within yourself".
The writer's other prime asset is a tremendous sense of humour, best
exemplified by his analysis of Malvolio as "the man more in need
of a blow job than any character in literature".
The mouth now waters for Dominic Dromgoole's opening season at the
Globe, although his guests may make him may rue his statement that "my
experiences of open-air theatre were generally disappointing".
Surely he is not planning to put a cover over Sam Wanamaker's recreated
masterpiece?
Philip Fisher
Articles from 2006
Articles from 2005
Articles from 2004
Articles from 2003
Articles from 2002
Articles from 2001
Articles from 2000
Articles from 1999
Articles from 1998
Articles from 1997
|
