Theatre of Stratford

The performances of The Jew of Malta and Love’s Sacrifice by the Royal Shakespeare Company were both very different pieces in regards to plot. Both had contrasting moods and tones. This was achieved by their casting; women were casted. These plays’ female characters were specifically written for young boys during the 15^th and 16^th century.  There are a few styles of productions where traditional casting is set, meaning: all cast members are male. A product of the times, but times have changed. In my opinion, as an actor, creating an internal monologue requires great understanding of yourself and utilizing skills of empathy. For these two productions, it was very appropriate to cast the female roles as females.

The Jew of Malta was written to be a comedy satirizing the church, monarch, and the dark stereotypes of Jews. A very key player for Barabas’ ploys was his daughter Abigail. With out Abigail, Barabas wouldn’t have been able to smuggle his hidden cache of treasure, nor would he have been able to engineer the death of Mathias and Lodowick. She used her beauty and sensuality to seduce Barabas’ male marks. This could have easily turned from comedic to a very dark progression. The actress who portrayed Abigail was naïve and flirtatious. Those were great choices, but I think it was because she understood what it means to be a young women. The same effect could be achieved with a male actor, but the audience could interpret as camp humor during the most serious and intimate moments.

In contrast, Love’s Sacrifice needed female cast members due to the subject matter. Most of the key players are women. Women are tossed into a maelstrom of a masculine world. These women suffer. For example the actresses Colona, Julia, and Morona achieved a very compelling conflict. They were the victims of Ferentes infidelities. They were able to be even more empathetic to what it means to be wronged in such a way especially from a woman’s perspective. The same could be made about females playing male roles. If a woman were casted to play Philippo Caraffa, it would be a challenge for her to understand the justification of his actions from a male psyche. 

These two productions were executed well. The roles of the female cast member gave real direction for the production and if I were in charge of casting I wouldn’t have changed a thing.