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And they called it puppet love
VENUS AND ADONIS
Little Angel Theatre
SHAKESPEARE’S erotic poem Venus and Adonis was written in 1593 after the playhouses were closed to stop the spread of the bubonic plague.
The Bard was broke so he dedicated the tale of the sex-starved love goddess Venus and proud Adonis to an affluent 19-year-old, the Earl of Southampton.
The 1200-line poem is rarely staged because it is full of magic and fantasy.
But it is brought to life gloriously at the Little Angel Theatre using Japanese puppets.
Harriet Walter, fresh from playing Cleopatra at the Novello in one of the shows of the year, narrates in this mesmerising Royal Shakespeare Company production. The Little Angel Theatre, “the home of British puppetry”, usually plays to an audience of primary school children.
But this April showcase is for adults only.
From the moment the busty Venus floats in on a dove-drawn chariot you know you are in for something different.
She spies proud Adonis who is obsessing over tomorrow’s boar hunt.
She tries to seduce him, wrapping her legs around his waste, inviting him to “feed where thou wilt” – she confirms: “graze on my lips; and if those hills be dry, stray lower, where the pleasant fountains lie.”
You can see how the poem would have tickled the teenager’s fancy – and unlocked his coffers no doubt.
Adonis cracks, of course, feeding all over – but the lure of boarhunting proves too much and he gets up and leaves.
The tale struck a familiar note – I’ve played many a game of snooker when I really shouldn’t.
Watch out for the character Death – I won’t give it away but it was spectacular – and the boar, a cross between a crocodile and a stegosaurus, was truly menacing.
The ticket is expensive, £20 for an hour – you could almost see an hour of football at Arsenal for that – but this is a quality RSC production with a leading actress that comes highly recommended.
Until April 22
020 7226 1787
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