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A Case for Shylock
By Gareth Armstrong
211 Pages
Nick Hern Books
£12.99
Dateline: 31st August, 2004
A Case for Shylock is a nice combination of theatrical anecdote,
travelogue and analysis of two characters, the author and his subject.
The first fifty pages demonstrate an ability to write well and take
us through Gareth Armstrong's career prior to his life-changing moment.
He is yet another actor who was hooked at an early age (7) by a sight
of Laurence Olivier, the King who launched a thousand thesps.
In examining his early career, he contrasts long tours to Africa with
the British Council and three different parts in The Archers.
Off-line, he suffered the loss of a partner to AIDS with all of the
trauma that this inevitably causes.
He writes well of an actor's ups and downs and is particularly good
on the rehearsal process, in particular how actors adopt their parts
and interact with each other.
In 1997, Jonathan Church cast him as Shylock at Salisbury Playhouse
and immediately, he noticed a difference as his colleagues sent him
to Coventry. It wasn't the bad breath that he suspected but the aura
that attaches to Shakespeare's character. This might have been the spur
that led him to his one-man exploration of a Shakespearean phenomenon
Once Shylock was conceived, the birth was swift, if unexciting.
First, the writer/actor needed a proper focus and then a script that
could hold the attention. He also needed to convert himself from Welsh
Presbyterian minister's son to possibly the most infamous (fictional)
Jew of the lot.
That he succeeded in doing so is a tribute to his own dogged determination
and the help of director, Frank Barrie and original producer, Guy Masterson,
both of whom have had their own successes with one-man shows.
The real take-off point for the now 50-year-old Armstrong was a four-week
gig on the Edinburgh Fringe. After a rave review from The Scotsman,
he suddenly received invitations that eventually took him around the
world.
The author has taken his role very seriously, ensuring that he fights
the oppression of Jews from the stage, likening his campaign to that
for gay rights. He has also had a great time over the last few years
in his adopted persona.
A Case for Shylock is enjoyable for its glimpse into an actor's
life on the road but more so for the new light in which it portrays
Shylock. This book could prove popular, especially with its low cover
price.
Philip Fisher
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