'Timon of Athens' is a long way from being one of Shakespeare's best plays, to me like many it seems it is something of a lesser work. Some great lines, some powerful scenes and a very interesting titular character, but on the odd side structurally, not always riveting dramatically and in some way there is an incomplete working-draft feel (which is what it essentially was). It still interests and lesser Shakespeare, as cliched as this sounds, is a lot better than most things.
As far as the filmed Stratford Shakespeare productions from the past 12 years or so to now, their production of 'Timon of Athens' is one of the lesser ones. It is still a very good and inventive production and a lot of effort is done making the play accessible and relevant in a play that lends itself fairly well to modernising as long as it's done well. Not everything works though and it doesn't completely overcome the weaknesses of the play itself.
Did think that some of the updating jarred a little with some of the text, such as regarding money. On the most part, it is mostly very compelling but dramatically sprawls about later on which is largely to do with the play itself.
Like Stratford's mostly very impressive production of 'Macbeth', this production's biggest issue is the uneven performance of Joseph Ziegler. He does have authority and a strong presence, but for my tastes he tends to overact and come over as too histrionic and lacking in nuance, especially his over-shouty line delivery.
However, the rest of the performances are extremely good with the performances of Apemantus and Flavius particularly impressing in their steely intensity and pathos. Once again the comedic roles are actually funny and not overplayed. It's a well designed and atmospheric production that never looks ugly or mishmashed, which can be the case with updatings. Nicely shot and the ambience feels authentic in making one feel like they are there. Scoring fits nicely.
Shakespeare's text has lost none of its poetry and emotional complexity. Stratford did a lot of inventive and daring Shakespeare production, while still being easy to understand and never distasteful. It is not easy making 'Timon of Athens' cohesive or the second half consistently interesting, but mostly this production does quite well on this front. The production is full of energy and has some fresh ideas not seen before and in good keeping with the play's drama, including a fun dance number.
Concluding, very well done indeed. Just wish that the Timon was better, Jonathan Pryce (magnificent in the BBC Television Shakespeare production) is a major benchmark of how to interpret this role. 8/10.
