Queenʼs
Men Editions

Para16This scene is a little gem. The theatrical treatment was brilliant. The accusations of unprofessional research behaviour by an administrative professor who plays cards with a bar-wench at night were hilarious! The fun of this scene was the impressiveness of the ’scientific spectacle’: the brazen head, the alchemy vessels, the devil with horns on the screen above. Bacon has the upper hand in this scene because he is not a hypocrite, and he is sincere in his pursuit of his research. All the actors except for the assistant professor with Burden were excellent. Jamilla as the clown Miles was splendid—she had the right air, and carried off some lovely bits, like the backrub for an overly tense Bacon, and the shared whispers over lab results. Her voice was excellent, as was Bacon’s and Burden’s. The Hostess from Henley was a fantastic Teutonic surprise, complete with red crinolined skirt, Bavarian busty blouse, and German tankard. Costumes were very well planned: the dark robe on Bacon, Burden in a suit (why did he take off his jacket at one point? Hot as hell in that lab? The action was bizarre, as he was centre-stage). The other professor was under-dressed, and seemed more like an RA or secretary with clip-board and quill = problem props, because she read her lines. But the film sequences, Burden’s pipe (how professorial is that?), and the music were all excellent choices, even though the music was too loud. Technical problem was not intended by the cast. Brilliant choice: making the brazen head female! Now this is a love affair completely beyond Burden! No sex—it’s all about the mind. Favourite moments: Miles giving a back-rub; the on-screen devil who delivered the Hostess; the Hostess herself; and generally Bacon’s impatience with the stupidity of Oxford’s establishment/authority figures. Overall, this was a splendid scene.

Para17Great coordination of scene with video clips and music: very ambitious, despite the overly loud sound. Miles as sycophant: very good at showing how much Bacon is propped up by Miles’s cheering and support. Brazen head was lovely bit of video as backdrop, with glowing lights. Bacon’s spell was sync’d up with the music, as he chanted along. Great comic choice.

Para18Well done! Your production was ambitious and well executed. The video backdrop (which was spellbinding, pun fully intended) provided an eerie glow without overly distracting from the action on stage. I greatly enjoyed Bacon, Miles, and Burden’s performances. Jamilla’s brilliant comedic timing as the overeager, quasi-hyperactive Miles clearly conveyed that Bacon and Miles believe Bacon’s own hype about his powers. In this way, your scene looks forward to Bacon’s fall in some very important ways. I also appreciated your careful attention to costuming. You clearly differentiated between the characters, and Bacon’s robe managed to convey that he was a friar (the cross was clearly visible, even from the back row) while leaving room for us to also see him as a boxer in that moment when Miles massages his shoulders to warm him up for his great magic trick. I particularly liked this moment because it conveyed your interpretation of Bacon as England’s great champion in this scene. I also loved that the Hostess was differentiated from the other characters in terms of both her accent and her colourful, non-modern costume. These touches suggested that the Hostess has come from an even greater distance than the text implies, which worked to make Bacon’s magic seem even more impressive to a modern audience whose sense of geographical distance differs considerably from that of a sixteenth-century audience.

Para19I really enjoyed this performance. I liked the contest between Bacon and Burden. It became almost like a boxing match (an idea that was highlighted both by Bacon’s robe and by Miles’ massage). This was definitely a clash between giants. I was also intrigued by your eerie, pseudo-scientist depiction of magic. It was ominous—and that feeling was only highlighted by your use of music. All roles were amazingly well performed (except that the assistant had to read her lines off the clipboard). The chemistry between Miles and Bacon was wonderful and Burden’s reaction to the Hostess was similarly delightful. I also liked the added bit with the pick-pocketed pipe (adding insult to injury after Burden’s failure). This was simply a delightful performance—the highlight of the day. The only criticism I can offer is that the music overpowered the actors for a while. My favourite moments included the shh scene, the arrival of the Hostess, and the interplay between Miles and Bacon.

Para20The performance seemed built around showing Friar Bacon as a powerful but narcissistic magician and scholar. The group struck an excellent balance of showing Bacon’s skill and knowledge while using comic elements to also how his foolishness. Miles and Bacon had an excellent rapport: little details like Mile’s nigh-dropping of the stack of books on Bacon’s desk, and his adoring gesture showed him as a young impressionable scholar in awe of his teacher. Bacon played to Mile’s adoration, pronouncing his words with flourishes of hand gestures and heroic posing, showing his narcissism. Miles also often imitated Bacon’s gestures when speaking with Burden and co., revealing he is learning Bacon’s narcissism. The Hostess was excellent, not at all shy, delightfully and brazenly flirty (and had a wonderful London accent). Burden spoke his lines well, and to the audience—very engaging. The second scholar spoke somewhat too quietly, and tended to hide behind the other actors. Costume indicated the degree of scholarship, with Bacon’s robe not only indicating his mastery of the magical and scientific mysteries, but also distinguishing him from the less knowledgeable academics. The Hostess’s bar wench dress was hilarious, with the bright colours matching her unabashed personality (much to Burden’s dismay!). The chicken leg and beer mug allowed her to extend her presence in a hilarious way. Great imagination in the creation of the set, the brazen head and the summoning demon. The music could have been quieter, but it really worked at the Hostess’s sudden entrance. Many favourite moments in this one: the Hostess’s appearance and entire time on stage, Mile’s championing of Bacon with hand in air, giving him massages, and acting as his Vanna when showing off the brazen head were all very comical.

Para21I loved this scene for its clever and elaborate staging, and for the excellent work the actors did to bring out the mingled comedy and drama of the scene. As with most of the audience, I found the relationship between Miles and Bacon especially compelling, but all of the actors did an excellent job (although Alanna was too quiet and shy). I found the use of multimedia extremely effective, and I thought the conjuring scene was fantastic, aside from the unfortunately over-loud music. Further, Hailey’s performance as the Mistress of Henley was delightful, and she showed excellent comic timing. The use of props (beer stein, pipe) was clever and added further detail and texture to this scene.