All’s Well That Ends Well brings this year’s Titchfield Festival Theatre Summer Festival to a close with a modern language version of Shakespeare’s comedy, opening on 15 August.

Set in France and Italy, All’s Well That Ends Well is a story of one-sided romance. Helen cures the French Queen and she grants her permission to marry Betram, the man she loves. He sets her tasks to win him over and joins the army to fight in Italy. She follows him and his friend Parolles there and completes her tasks with a kidnap trick and a bed trick. It is a play of lies trickery and more lies. With fun, frolics and adventure: Will All be Well at the End?

Director Emma Bevan spoke to Simon Frost about the play.

Simon:  Why did you choose to direct Alls Well this year - and what do you most love about the play?

Emma: All's Well That Ends Well is not performed as often as Shakespeare's other comic plays and I thought it would be good for us to perform a lesser known play. I saw a production of it many years ago and enjoyed it. It's a play where a woman takes control of her own destiny which doesn't always happen in a Shakespeare play. There are strong female characters in the play and in our version we've made some of the male characters female as well. Men in this play are often cowardly or foolish. Having said that the females can be devious and the men brave and funny.



Simon: This will be a 'modern language version' of Shakespeare's play. Tell me more about how you have approached it - is it TFT's own version? Apart from the language, what will be different about the play?

Emma: For the last few years I've rewritten the Shakespeare play I've directed into modern language. I keep the essence, changing words and phrases we wouldn't recognize today. There is a place for modern language versions to show an audience that is wary of seeing a play in old English that Shakespeare can be enjoyed and understood. We get good audiences and it's a good introduction to the Bard. It is set in the Elizabethan era with popular music played classically. 

Simon: Critics have said that the play highlights love as an unhealthy obsession.What do you think?

Emma: The play is criticised as showing a formidable young woman with an unhealthy obsession and we wonder why when we meet the object of her love. However we are not offended by it as we don't like him. What this play does is to doubt the traditional hero's merits and question the judgement of the heroine. By doing that I think we question the 'love' shown and certainly we don't see it is as something to emulate or strive for. We dismiss it rather than worry about it's effect and I wouldn't describe the play as a love story, although it can be described as that.

Simon: Do you believe that all the difficulties we sometimes face in situations can be forgotten in the event of a happy ending? And if so, why?

Emma: I don't think we forget difficulties with a happy ending. I think we appreciate what we have more when we've strived to get it. Alls Well That Ends Well is a typical Shakespearean play in that it all comes together at the end. You could think it contrived, and it is, but it is a play and audiences demand a happy ending when watching a comedy. 

Simon: Why should people come along and watch the production?

Emma: Audiences will enjoy a bit of naughtiness, some good humour and seeing some interesting characters as well cheering for or berating them. Most people are not very familiar with this play and I'd encourage them to come and see it. It is fun and not to be taken seriously.