Miskin Theatre perfomance of a Shakespear play was outstanding

Their first year students put on a Shakespeare play last week (Pericles) as their first show open to the public.

The cast were exceptional in their performance showing charisma and good dramatic techniques with some funny and emotive facial expressions.

They were word perfect, and even if one could not fully understand the full meaning of the language the dramatisation proved to be more than enough to satisfy the need for knowledge found in the audience which sat on the edges of their seats to watch.

The story of Pericles is one of great emotion where Prince Pericles has to run away from his home land after finding out that the King Antiochus is having an incestuous relationship with his own daughter (he would be killed if he told on the King or turned down the daughter).

Pericles was firstly played by Perry Millward who offered the audience powerful emotions through his acting and his facial expressions which were extraordinary in offering his speech great emotion.

After a dangerous voyage across the seas he washed up on the shores of Pentapolis where the King (played by Connor Farrin whom was very funny through his use of words and facial expressions which made the audience fall about in fits of laughter) was holding a tournament for the marriage of his daughter Thasia.

Pericles was now played by Tok Laju captivated the audiences’ excitement when he and Thasia (played by Shannen Turner) fall in love.

After this Pericles decides to return to Tyre when Thasia is pregnant with their daughter, Marina.

The boat scenes were very good, the music from the in-house-band became louder and very powerful and sheets of material were used to show the roughness of the seas.

Marina is born on the ship and Thasia is pronounced dead after the birth and casted into the sea (which is tradition in Pentapolis).

After this she is found in Ephesus where she is brought back to life and rules - Joanna Sheldon then took over the part from Shannen Turner and gave a softer edge to the character as before she was seen as very powerful.

Marina is taken in by friends of Pericles and is brought up in their care with their daughter; however, the mother Dionyza turns evil and plots Marina’s death after she becomes jealous of Marina’s beauty and grace.

The portrayal of Dionyza here was outstanding, the actress Shara Wells captivated all of the audience with her expression and speech where she really did become evil moreover her wardrobe with her wearing more make-up became a great symbol for the audience.

However luckily, her plan fails as Marina is stolen by bandits and taken to a brothel.

The brothel scene has to be my favourite with Chris Pett singing a chinesse song in a very short black mini-dress and very high red heels.

His humor gave a necessary lift to the scene and his legs have to be the best I have ever witnessed and made every woman in the audience green with envy!

I am very sure that he will end up on the West End hopefully in a theatre production like Pricilla Queen of the Desert.

Meanwhile, Pericles returns to collect his daughter but is told she is dead and is deeply distraught by this.

Pericles goes to Mytilene (where Marina was in the Brothel) and the Governor (Lysimachus) sees Pericles’ distress and brings him Marina to cheer him up (who he befriended after going to the Brothel and seeing that she was of upper-ranking birth and holding great grace).

Pericles and Marina are joyfully united and finally in a dream he knows that his wife is alive and he goes to fetch her.

This ending scene was outstanding in giving the audience that tipple of too much emotion in which many began to cry, Thasia played by Joanna Sheldon and Pericles played by Michael Kitney kissed with great emotion and passion and their amazing dramatic skills meant that it was not only believable but made everyone in the audience extremely emotional.

Overall the acting skills of all in the cast were outstanding and the use of the music and different technical devices - such as the scene where Pericles was running away they had many people on the stage with their arms becoming barriers - which offered the audience an understanding of the play without the need for understanding each individual word through their impressive dramatization, use of colour, music and scenery.