The Wykehamist
AGMR, Henry IV Pt. 2 AGMR’ s voice was elegant and sharp. He felt more at ease with his speech than most— his words flowed beautifully, and carefully controlled volumes in the face of what is, on the surface, a very aggressive monologue, made the message of his scene all the more potent.
Filippo Aki Pignatelli( H, 25-), Henry V It is evident that Filipino is no stranger to the theatre. The vitality, dynamism and energy he brought to his acting gave the words of the monologue much newfound power. This scene in particular felt well chosen, and suited Filippo well.
KF & LJQ, Henry V The unparalleled dynamic between the two dons was utterly captivating and, perhaps more importantly, hilarious. Whilst the French mostly escaped me, the expressions, the posturing, and the exagerrated pronunciation meant that the language barrier really mattered very little.
NGK, Henry V NGK’ s commanding voice and presence is well known. I expect, given the extent of his scholarship; he somehow feels things more than the rest of us do, and on a more fundamental level. On this extremely fortunate day, though, I was able to share in that emotion. His knowledge of the speech was seamless. Every word was timed deliberately, as were, impressively, the breaths and pauses between them. He truly lived up to expectations.
Anthony Kim( E, 21-) & Maya Evdokimova( H, 24-), Much Ado About Nothing Maya brought to the stage the only true costume of the night, comprising a Victorian white dress and a gold hairnet that completely captivated the audience. Anthony’ s use of tone was exceptional and his acting was, as always, very fun to watch. Once again, the strength of QEII’ s dynamic duos did not disappoint.
Conor O’ Sullivan( B, 23-), Julius Caesar Carrying over his adept skills from debating, the pacing of Conor’ s monologue was its most compelling feature, convincingly presenting rhetorical questions and exclaimations of fury and desperation to a raptured crowd.
Johnny Wyatt( C, 21-), As You Like It Playing three characters at once( which he tentatively warned us of before beginning his performance), Johnny set himself a very difficult task that was achived remarkably well, notably with the help of a dynamic range of accents. Filled with energy, the audience felt not imposed on, but very lucky to be able to witness the several conversations Johnny presented— it felt as though we were privy to some piece of secret gossip, and were wonderfully excited about it.
LJQ & SFS, A Midsummer Night’ s Dream Whilst the differences in height between the actors was a source of great amusement, it was their skill that made this scene the highlight of the evening. SFS’ bounding around the stage could not have been performed more brilliantly. LJQ transformed herself into something powerful and terrifying, achieving this effect through a controlled but quivering voice. I would have personally preferred an encore.
Toby Burrell( H, 22-), The Winter’ s Tale Toby is no stranger to acting. His skill is notable, and his voice, body language and accent will be remembered. A versatile performer, who evidently loves drama— and makes us love it too.
APD, The Winter’ s Tale Appearing unexpectedly from backstage, APD’ s performance was surprising and rousing. He seemed to enjoy becoming Leontes to such an extent that he disregarded the audience in the best way possible, shown by his own full immersion in his piece. A very natural and intuitive actor, his stage presence, as well as the vocal range he was able to achieve, was impressive.
RJHM, Twelfth Night A late entrance and lost voice did not stop the talented RJHM from providing us with a beautiful and delicate end to the evening, performing extracts from a play that he, as a young chap in his College days, had participated in and subsequently fell in love with.
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