Eastview Theatre, a company of young high school performers from Minnesota present the European Premier of David Mann's reinterpretation of The Godfather, Corleone.
Mann's idea was simple enough - retell the Godfather in the style of Shakespeare. A simple idea, but one that required skilful handling. Puzo's story is of course eminently suitable for a Shakespearean treatment: the feuds, jealousy, bloody fights and family strife could have come straight the bard. Translating it into iambic pentameter and condensing it into just over one hour ran the risk of the production seeming like a gimmick. Fortunately the risk is avoided as show is faithful to story, humorous and well staged.
The wordplay is excellent, and the cast manage to carry it off. There are moments when their youth is evident though, with occasional lines hurried and voices forced. As some cast members take several different roles, it is sometimes a little confusing for those not hugely familiar with the original story to work out who is on stage. However, the physicality of the performance is handled well, the sword fights excellent and the final 'shoot-out' particularly well done. The show's publicity does not give names to the specific cast members taking each role, but other stand out interpretations were those by the actors playing Sonny, Michael and Fredo, with Johnny Fontaines swagger also noteworthy.