The Trouble with Shakespeare: an interview with Henry Filloux-Bennett

The Trouble with Shakespeare: an interview with Henry Filloux-Bennett

29 March, 2011
by: Naima Khan

Artistic Director of the Red Lion Theatres, Henry Filloux-Bennett talks to Naima Khan about repairing his bond with the Bard.

“It took me a while to get into Shakespeare,” is not a phrase you'd expect from the Artistic Director of not one but two London theatres. After legging it down the road from Spoonfed Towers, I'm immediately reminded of how welcoming New Red Lion Theatre is. Even when it's empty and I've only producer Nicholas Thompson and Artistic Director Henry Filloux-Bennett for company. Turns out they're damn good company and Henry makes no bones about his lacklustre relationship with the Bard.

He's soon filling me in on why he's chosen the frenetic ninety minute comedy The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) for his directorial debut since taking over the Old and New Red Lion Theatres in Islington. “At school, I never really got it and I never really enjoyed it. I saw a few productions at National Theatre and at The Globe and still didn't like it. But anyone who is serious about theatre at least needs to understand it even if they don't like it.” I for one, am with writer David Gale who described Shakespeare during an interview last year: “Silly plots, impenetrable language, brings out the worst in actors, why bother?”

But Henry credits The RSC with changing his mind about such classics and he talks about The Complete Works... as though he has a great affinity for it. “When The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) came along” he says “it made me think of people like me, people who maybe don't like Shakespeare as much as they could do.”

Even if you're a Shakespeare enthusiast, you're likely to find a new level of love for his works thanks to the adaptable nature of this play. Originally crafted by the Reduced Shakespeare Company, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) is a revival worth staging and has been going strong since 1987.

In London town, where we go crazy for revivals and new writing has to work like hell to get a pound into its busker's hat, The Complete Works... is able to do what few other plays of its age can: it acknowledges the time and place of its performance every time it's performed. The New Red Lion production will set itself apart and create a shared experience for each audience, never quite recreated for the next. It's part of the reason it works so well with Henry at its helm: “In this show the actors come out into the audience, they reference the space, they know they're here and it makes theatre even more accessible and gives the audience a sense of investment in the play.” And this is the kind of play you want to invest in, one with hilarious dividends. 

Th Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) runs at New Red Lion Theatre until 7th May

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Naima Khan