Out of the ashes

On this, their first summer tour, the newly formed GB Theatre Company (named for Gillian "Jill" Roca and Barrie Palmer) have taken the Bard to Trinity College Dublin, Ramme Gaard in Norway, Girton College in Cambridge, the cloister at Norwich Cathedral, and Kentwell Hall in Suffolk. The company will now perform limited engagements in Brno, Ostrava and the courtyard of the Royal Burgrave's residence at Prague Castle as part of the Summer Shakespeare Festival.

The troupe is hardly an assemblage of newcomers.Along with Roca, producer and actor Palmer were laboring behind the scenes with the British Shakespeare Company (BSC) during their appearance at last year's festival. In response to mounting requests, the duo stepped up to meet the demand.

"Venues started contacting us," Palmer told The Prague Post. "They asked us if we could put on some shows." 

Palmer and Roca hit the ground running, mounting an ambitious season of performances including The Merry Wives of Windsor and As You Like It with a collection of stars from stage and screen, as well as a seasoned cadre of experienced crew.

Directors Neil Sheppeck and Jenny Stephens collaborated in selecting an interchangeable cast for the two productions, collegially taking turns picking leads for their respective shows.

More than one instance of the happily accidental has befallen the company.

"Susannah Hampton had to drop out of the role of Mistress Page in Merry Wives just before the performance at Kentwell Hall," Palmer explains.

Casting her lot, as it were, with her cast, director Stephens drove four hours to fill in, rehearsed the part and performed commendably. Since then, Roca's daughter Stacey (of The Office and Strictly Confidential fame) has stepped in to cover Hampton as Celia in As You Like It, and Palmer has admirably refrained from a planned turn of his own in the remainder of the run to avoid upsetting the balance of what has become, in his words, "a wonderful ensemble."

GB has managed to pick up the pieces and move on. Their efforts have garnered them excellent notices in the press and warm receptions from attendees of their recent performances. 

Veteran actor Alexander Delamere will test his mettle as Falstaff in Merry Wives, a play Palmer & Co. selected for its brisk pace and ample humor. Recent performances in the role at the castle from Bolek Polívka (in the Czech-language production of Merry Wives) and Norbert Lichý (in Henry V) will contrast their English counterpart's efforts. The jury is out on who will emerge the better.

Following two performances in Prague and another two in Brno, GB will depart for The Collector Earl's Garden at Arundel Castle in West Sussex. If Palmer has one misgiving, it is the brevity of the company's stay.

"We'd like to do more," he attests. "Maybe next year."    

James Walling can be reached at
jwalling@praguepost.com