Dido (National Theatre, 2nd May 2009)
The production used all the stage. The higher level was the God’s realm and then the inner rooms were revealed to us. It was an interesting use of the set, but the play really relies on Marlowe’s language and you have to listen hard to follow the complexities of the play. I thought that Anastasia Hille was stunning as Dido. I hadn’t read or seen Marlowe’s play before and I found it gripping and moving. There were so many echoes of Antony and Cleopatra in it and I felt Marlowe as a young man was really expressing obsessive love foreshadowing what a more mature Shakespeare was to do later in his career. Many of the reviews commented on the length of this production. I didn’t feel that this production was drawn out and needed the time for actors to develop speeches and for the plot to progress. It is the first time that I have been in the Cottesloe before and found it a really interesting experience.
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The Stage / Reviews / Dido, Queen of Carthage
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Julie Raby 