Preview: Shakesoc’s All’s Well That Ends Well

So it’s finally Term 3, exams are in the air or, for some, have already arrived, but never fear: a new term means new shows to be seen! Arriving in week 2 is Shakespeare’s All’s Well That Ends Well, a student production put on in association with ShakeSoc Warwick.

The play follows Helena, low-born ward to a Spanish countess who is in love with Bertram, the son of the countess who doesn’t return her feelings. Bertram then leaves for Paris to attend the ailing King of France; Helena follows him there and having struck a deal with the King whereby if she can heal him, she can marry whomever she chooses, she ends up marrying Bertram.

A sequence of lies, manipulation and infatuations follow as the play moves through war, the trials of marriage and the importance of the place you hold in your family.

However, this being Shakespeare, the tale doesn’t end here and a sequence of lies, manipulation and infatuations follow as the play moves through war, the trials of marriage and the importance of the place you hold in your family. Crossing the lines between comedy and tragedy, at its heart, All’s Well That Ends Well is a play that explores the similarity between love and war – the conquering, the seduction, the the betrayals and the outmanoeuvring.

Unique to this production of the play is its gender-blind casting. The lead roles of Helena and Bertram are played by Bonita Trigg and Nadia Dawber respectively, casting a different light on this presentation of love. Changing the gendered dynamic of the lead characters and of the supporting cast gives this production a very different resonance to those preceding it.

Changing the gendered dynamic of the lead characters and of the supporting cast gives this production a very different resonance to those preceding it.

In the capable hands of director Siobhan Brennan and and creative producer Greta Bendinelli, All’s Well That Ends Well promises to be a show of intrigue, fairy tale logic, and cynical realism. If you’re aiming to take a well earned break from ‘revising’ then catch it in the Humanities Studio from 5 to 7 May.