THE HARROVIAN Student Newspaper Issue 2
Leadership for a better world
Something Wicked* This Way Comes *Wickedly good, that is by Madeleine Duperouzel (Y12, Brooking)
“Is this a dagger which I see before me The handle toward my hand?” It is to these infamous lines that Macbeth’s grasping hand reaches out towards the audience. His gaze is fixating; many audience members turn around to see if there really is a dagger, perhaps floating behind their seats. For a moment, the audience is suspended in disbelief, almost at one with Macbeth, his chilling intensity silencing the room. The spell breaks as Macbeth tries to grab the dagger, only to swipe his hand through thin air. The audience heaves a collective breath. Rohaan Vaswani (Y10, Cale), actor of the titular role, is excellent throughout. It is at this point that the audience sees the beginning of Macbeth’s descent into madness, driven by a desire for success and glory. Macbeth’s intense spiral into insanity is arguably the most interesting part of the play – it raises questions about fate and destiny: did Macbeth truly have control over his actions, or was he driven to do it by a pre-ordained fate? No one yet has the answers, perhaps Shakespeare intended the audience to forever ponder over this conundrum; however Rohaan Vaswani does a wonderful job of showcasing the degeneration of Macbeth’s character – from the initial hallucination, to the paranoia following the murder of the good King Duncan, to the enraged and jealous killings of friends, and their family, and suspected foes alike. The dark and brooding character is brought off the page and onto the stage with a force and vigour seen usually in Globe Theatre Productions, not school performances.
January 2015
The wicked and sinful character is supplemented by a cast of talented young actors – while watching, one almost forgets that the majority of the cast are in Years 9 and 10. Cisy Ye, playing the leading lady, Lady Macbeth, is the perfect accompaniment to Vaswani’s King of Scotland. She plays the part with such conviction that the audience believes she actually wants to be Queen of Scotland. Her ambition and malice is so clearly highlighted, each line laced with equal mixes of hysteria and fury, that the audience trembles to hear her scream and yell. She perfectly embodies the domineering and ambitious queen. Her own descent into madness is chilling and lines so often rushed over – “Out, damned spot! Out I say!” – suddenly take on a new weight and tone, as they ring through the auditorium. All the while, three figures in white dresses dance across the stage, controlling actions of the characters, initiating freeze frames, and generally acting as focal points for the audience during the performance. These are the witches, and this particular interpretation follows a route not often followed – instead of hideous and deformed hags, the witches are angel-like creatures, showing their malicious intent instead through their words and actions. With a committed cast, an excellent and knowledgeable crew, and some brilliant directing, the play was the school’s first Shakespeare success. Carefully constructed scenes charted the leading character’s descent into insanity, while supporting actors and actresses highlighted the evil of Macbeth and brought new life and light into characters sometimes overlooked. Well done to everyone who brought the show to life!
24 Hour Charity Run by Jonathan Billow (Y12, Nightingale)
On the 15th and 16th November, seventeen brave members of Harrow International School proudly took part in a non-stop, round-the-clock and purely exhausting 24 hours of running. This run, however, was not simply for entertainment, nor was it just for personal achievement, this run symbolised a greater cause. Led by an organisation called Running To Stop The Traffik, the purpose of this event was clear and bold: to raise awareness and funds to fight modern-day slavery and human trafficking. On a freezing cold Saturday morning, with the winter winds stinging viciously, our team grouped together at the top of the Peak. Enthusiastic yet focused, tired but determined, tense but nevertheless, ready. Our girls’ team, who performed admirably, consisted of: Alexa Fung (Y10, Kingston),