PART FOUR

First night in Vienna and a trip to the Akademie Theatre (One of the three theatres associated with the National Theatre). Having been rather spoilt for choice over the last two weeks, the interior of this theatre did not impress. Everything looked pretty drab and tired and on my balcony seat I had about four inches of leg room.

Unfortunately the show was just as drab as the surroundings. The Burgtheatre company's production of All's Well That Ends Well was a masterclass in what not to do with Shakespeare (or in fact any play...ever).

There was a weak opening as we were vaguely introduced to the characters and their situation. Sloppy casting made it incredibly difficult to work out who was who. The king looked no more than a month older than his son. Scene changes happened during the action in an attempt at fluidity. As the action was so dull I found myself watching the rather chaotic and clumsy way the set was being dragged around the stage.

The actors needed to be told whether they were somewhere or nowhere; is it a bar where the characters hang out, or is it a creative space where the story comes to life. It's wasn't really either and while some actors performed, others stood around trying to look cool like members of a jazz band tapping their toes while listening to a fellow instrumentalist improvising...it all looked awkward. Worst of all, most of the small cast looked miserable and bored. Even in the curtain call the actress playing Helena looked glum. I felt like shouting 'Cheer up, at least it's all over!'

Second night in Vienna found me at the more historic and hugely more charming Burgtheatre itself. Having taken a guided tour around the theatre during the day I was able to recognise the beautiful Klimt paintings that adorn the cielings of the entrance halls (one that Klimt painted of himself at the Globe Theatre watching Romeo and Juliet although the guide was pretty convinced he was never actually there!). The show was the second part of the Faust saga, directed by Matthias Hartmann. For those that don't know the story I'm not going to attempt telling it, it's far too long and you wouldn't believe me anyway...it's bizarre!

The stage was a cube with projection screens for each wall. For anyone that's seen a Katie Mitchell multimedia-based production, the style was very similar. The cast ran about on stage setting up complex film shots that were then recorded live and projected onto the four side walls of the cube. Actors could stand inside or outside the cube, thereby creating a multi-layered effect. Complicated....yes! One example: Faust stood at stage left, talking to a projection of the king on the front wall. Behind the semi transparent projection we could see actors playing council members who were also addressing the king. On the back and side walls were images of castle walls, recorded from a story book open at the front of the stage. The result was moments of genius amid a lot of rather messy, complicated images. Much like staring at a magic eye puzzle: if you see the image it's great, if you don't it's pretty annoying and you end up with a headache.

Little stood out in the acting. Because of the complicated nature of the story a lot of the actors' time was spent story-telling rather than in character. However the actor playing Mephisto captured the demon-in-a-suit physicality perfectly as he crept around the stage.

Being two of the closest capital cities in Europe, it only took me a couple of hours travel from Vienna to Bratislava. On my first day in Bratislava I treated myself to some mindless fun at the Bratislava puppet theatre. The average age of the audience was four and a half and I was given a ticket at the end of the row so as not to block the sightlines of any little people in the audience. I'd love to say it was an eye-opening experience which taught me a great deal about simple creativity. It was not...but it was great fun. The puppets looked truly gruesome, there were some catchy Slovak songs which I'm still whistling and they served chocolate croissants in the interval. What more could you ask for?

A step up the cultural scale took me to the old building of the Slovak National Theatre for a performance of Amadeus by Peter Shaffer. Set in a beautifully lit hospital wing, where the aging Salieri is recovering from his attempted suicide, the piece began as a chorus of around thirty patients in white gowns silently swept the stage.

Salieri spent a lot of time directly addressing the audience as images from his memory appeared before us, all watched over by the two Venticelli cleverly positioned in two of the theatre's old boxes. My first impression was that Amadeus didn't need a chorus and that the crowd of pale patients was unnecessary. But their presence acted as a constant reminder of the show's framing: Salieri's mental health and deteriorating condition. They drove the show, pushing characters onto stage on hospital beds, dragging the emperor in on top of an old carpet and performing the show's music in a haunting tone.

The production was propelled into excellence by two brilliant performances from Mozart and Salieri, the latter whose understated delivery and brilliantly paced slow decline to madness was fascinating to watch.

My last night in Bratislava took me to Slovakian National Theatre's new building. It could not have been more different in style from its older brother. Built in 2007 it feels more conference centre than theatre and the auditorium itself was particularly characterless.

The production was Hamlet and I had come prepared. Over a beer with a Bratislavan the night before I had been phonetically taught Slovak for 'To be or not to be' which I spent much of the show listening out for. The show began with a slightly self-indulgent scene as the casually dressed company engaged in some Bratislavan banter about who would play each part. If it had a point it drifted firmly over my head. Once they'd got through all of that we were treated to an incredibly dramatic opening as the coffin of Hamlet's father rose up out of the stage to the accompaniment of pounding drums and full orchestral backing. Very very exciting.

By far my favourite aspect of the show was its striking design. The huge curtain that hid Polonius from Gertrudes bedroom fell with a crash as he was murdered. An army marched across the stage in their hundreds. The end of an elegant red banquet table poked out onto the stage suggesting a luxurious court celebration. Although there was very little set on stage, this wasn't the dull bare bones of Munich's Romeo and Juliet, it was striking, elegant and epic!

Ophelia gave a very impressive performance avoiding the usual crazy-woman stereotype and instead delivering a very searing and vulnerable decline to madness. Hamlet only really impressed in the scene with his mother. As she left the stage at the end of the scene with her back to her son, we saw him release a silent scream of 'Mama!'.

I'm nearing the end of my travels now. But before heading home it's Twelfth Night in Warsaw and five nights of brilliant theatre in Berlin (including Robert Wilson's Threepenny Opera with the Berliner Ensemble!!). I hope you will watch out for my last blog at the end of my final week.