Bed swapping, bribery, obsession, moral dilemmas and coercion – it’s all going on in OTG’s All’s Well That Ends Well at Oxford University Parks this summer!
If you’re not familiar with Shakespeare’s All’s Well That Ends Well, you could say it’s akin to a Jacobean soap opera, complete with bed swapping, bribery, obsession, moral dilemmas and coercion.
Brought to you by Oxford Theatre Guild from July 14 – 25, director Richard Readshaw is thrilled about bringing this lesser known play to Oxford University Parks and giving it its moment in the sun.
“All’s Well That Ends Well asks whether it’s possible for the lads to redeem themselves and become better people, because it definitely has echoes of the manosphere.”
“We are really excited about introducing All’s Well That Ends Well to Oxford. The RSC did it 10 years ago and The Globe more recently, but it’s still very much under the radar which I think is a shame,” he says.
Alls Well That Ends Well – Helen
“So we’re having a whale of a time in rehearsals because All’s Well That Ends Well has got boundless energy. Put it this way, it’s a romp through the perils and rewards of family relations and love. And as performing the rarer Shakespeare plays is exactly what OTG is good at – we keep trying new things rather than the obvious classics, and I hope that comes across.”
‘we’ve set it in 1930s France with more of a Peaky Blinders nod and a Django Reinhardt soundtrack’
In a nutshell, All’s Well That Ends Well is about resourceful young woman Helena, who heals the King of France and is rewarded with the right to marry Bertram, a nobleman. But because she’s of lower social status, Bertram refuses to accept her, setting impossible conditions for their marriage that Helena cleverly fulfills to win his eventual devotion, through trickery, bribery and bed-swapping.
Alls Well That Ends Well
Widow Diana Mariana
Yet despite blending lighthearted romantic trickery with the darker, more cynical themes of forced marriage and toxic pride, All’s Well That Ends Well is often classified as one of Shakespeare’s “problem plays” rather than a straightforward comedy.
‘basically All’s Well That Ends Well is a lively, romantic comedy with several twists and turns’
Richard agrees: “Even though it’s billed a comedy, it does not feel comic because it’s so full of the contradictions and paradoxes of human behaviour which makes for a great play. So I hope these are the kind of conversations that people have afterwards, around good and bad behaviour – whether it’s possible for the lads to redeem themselves and become better people, because it definitely has echoes of the manosphere.”
“But one of the strengths of Shakespeare is that he rarely makes moral points, he doesn’t take sides.”
Richard Readshaw pic
“More than that, what I liked most about All’s Well That Ends Well, were the female characters, because they are so remarkable,” Richard adds.
“Take Helen – she may be a victim but she has agency. She is a heroine but her strategy to trap her lover is quite dubious considering the bed swapping scheme and she goes all out to get him, so she’s not exactly a moral paragon. In fact, the more I delved into All’s Well That Ends Well, the more I realised how interesting the female characters were.”
Alls Well That Ends Well. Parolles and Lafeu
So whose side does Richard think Shakespeare was on? “Helen’s,” he says “I think he had a lot of sympathy for her, because one thing’s for sure – the women in All’s Well That Ends Well are the most admirable of the lot.”
‘it’s so full of the contradictions and paradoxes of human behaviour and I hope people have these conversations afterwards, around good and bad behaviour’
But how to frame All’s Well That Ends Well in Oxford University Parks? “We couldn’t stage it in a modern setting because of the status constraints and gender casting, so we’ve set it in 1930s France with more of a Peaky Blinders nod and a Django Reinhardt soundtrack.
“It is also set amongst the trees, giving it a nice woodland setting, and more of a travelling company feel.”
Alls Well That Ends Well. Bertram and Helen
So how is Richard feeling about it all? “It’s exciting and daunting at the same time. I have done quite a few Shakespear’s over the years, but there is no better way of working out what a play is about than rehearsing and performing it, so it’s been great fun.
“Plus we have an amazing cast of 15 – a great mix of experienced players and some brilliant new young players. But basically All’s Well That Ends Well is a lively, romantic comedy with several twists and turns.”
‘the women in All’s Well That Ends Well are the most admirable of the lot’
“So come and make yourselves comfortable – we’ll have a bar selling drinks, and seats so people don’t have to sit on the ground. Open air Shakespeare is a great tradition here in Oxford – so we hope as many people as possible come and see it.”
