Saturday, August 24, 2013

'Waiting for Godot': Theater of the Absurd at its Finest



After seeing 'The Three Musketeers' just a week ago and not enjoying it as much as expected, I wasn't sure what Waiting for Godot would hold. Out of our theater clan, only my mother had read the play and was very nervous if we would like or think it was just way far out there. To our great surprise and by unanimous decision, Waiting for Godot is the biggest success of the Stratford 2013 season thus far.

Beckett's masterpiece follows the story of two men over the course of two days. Alone on an empty road, Estragon and Vladimir are waiting, waiting for Godot. He is to meet them on this road and fulfill a purpose that the two know will change their lives. As they wait, they meet a traveler named Pozzo and his servant Lucky who engage the two for a short time before continuing on this road. The two are left alone, and decide to return the next day to wait for Godot. The second day begins just as the first, and like the first, Estragon and Vladaimir meet Pozzo and Lucky once more. However, Pozzo and Lucky do not recognize them and do not remember meeting and discussing life with them the previous day. The two continue on their way, leaving Estragon and Vladimir alone once more: waiting for Godot. But even when the two decide to finally leave this road, they do not move and continue to wait.

After watching Beckett's masterpiece, I was immediately reminded of Tom Stoppard's Rozencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. The two have no free will and are forced to play out the destiny written for them. Stoppard's play eventually leads the two to their death (SPOILER), and they find themselves doing it all over again. Beckett's characters are much like Stoppard's in their lack of will power and knowledge of their circumstances, and because of this Waiting for Godot requires top actors to fill some heavy and important shoes. Estragon (Stephen Ouimette) and Vladimir (Tom Rooney) were absolutely breathtaking and proved themselves true masters of absurd theater very quickly. Their relationship and interactions made Beckett's play an absolute joy to watch and left the audience thinking about life and our everyday choices in a whole new way. Their fellow comrade Pozzo (Brian Dennehy) was equally captivating and after watching Dennehy (and yes, I am talking about the TV, movie and Broadway legend) in his first ever Shakespeare I was extremely excited to see him act in a whole new light as Pozzo. He was beyond amazing, from the booming of his voice to his commanding stage presence. Lucky (Randy Hughson) was also amazing as a perfect opposite to Dennehy. Hughson spent most of his stage time carrying Pozzo's belongings, walking back and forth to serve Pozzo and completely silent. Only given one fairly long monologue, Hughson's role relied more on his movements rather than his thoughts and feelings, showing a more restrained form of acting that was not inferior to the others in any way. The four put together were a marvel and an absolute dream cast that I wish could be captured on film.

Since seeing Godot I have had nothing but absolute great things to say. I am so incredibly glad to have seen this production and would see it again in a heartbeat. My favorite trip to Stratford by far this season, but in the words of  Samuel Beckett: "Nothing to be done" 

For stage photos and videos from this production, visit
 http://www.stratfordfestival.ca/OnStage/productions.aspx?id=20243&prodid=47015

For more information about the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, visit 
http://www.stratfordfestival.ca/Default.aspx
 
**Look out for future blogs/reviews on Stratford productions**

Monday, August 5, 2013

Noël Coward's 'Blithe Spirit' Makes the Stratford Shakespeare Festival Very VERY Funny

Yesterday marked Stratford trip two of six for the Walker clan. Even though we got in this season a bit late, Stratford never fails to provide us with an amazing day filled with a show, food and stunning change of scenery. And what a show we saw. Only our second comedy (following our trip to see 'The Matchmaker' just last year) and having read no Noël Coward works prior to Blithe Spirit, we didn't know what to expect. But as always, the actors of Stratford Shakespeare Festival gave amazing performances in the very theater we saw our first Stratford production in four years ago.

A fantastic comedy written in five days, Noël Coward's Blithe Spirit is a funny yet sophisticated comedy that tells the story of Charles, a wealthy man who has recently remarried. A novelist looking for incite , Charles and his new wife Ruth invite the town medium, Madame Arcati, to preform some "tricks" to be used in his latest novel about a suicidal fortune-teller. Excited but unaware of her mockery, Madame Arcati arrives at the house to perform a seance and while getting in touch with the other side discovers that someone there wants to speak with Charles. But when nothing happens and Madame Arcati leaves Charles first wife Elvira, who has been dead for seven years, suddenly appears. Only seen and heard by Charles, he must discover why and by whom Elvira was called back without losing the love and sanity of his new wife Ruth and the long lasting affections of Elvira.

It's not a secret that many actors in Stratford do two shows a season. Charles (Ben Carlson), Madame Arcati (Seana McKena), Dr. Bradman (James Blendick) and Edith (Susie Burnett) also star in the intense drama Mary Stuart, while Ruth (Sara Topham) stars as Juliet in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and Elvira (Michelle Giroux) plays Portia in The Merchant of Venice. The casting of Blithe Spirit was spot on and couldn't have been better. We had seen Carlson, McKena and Topham is various shows before but had never seen a Stratford production with Michelle Giroux, one of my favorite actors in the entire production. From her absolutely gorgeous costume to the tone and inflection of her voice, she completely captured the spirit of Elvira and was a perfect opposite to Carlson. Likewise, Topham greatly captured the insanity and aggressiveness of Ruth as she tries to comprehend the situations she finds herself in. For a comedy with such sophisticated speech, Blithe Spirit gave audience members many good laughs and a look at some very sticky situations.

Blithe Spirit was truly entertaining and I would see over again in a heartbeat. Everything about it was wonderful and well-done, leaving us thankful to have seen it and hungry to see The Three Musketeers, Waiting for Godot, Mary Stuart and Othello in the next few weeks.  

 Clip One:
Elvira (Michelle Giroux) and Charles (Ben Carlson) speak for the first time


 
Clip Two:
Ruth (Sara Topham) tries to explain the situation that occurred following Madame Arcati's (Seana McKenna) "tricks" the other night


For stage photos of this production, visit 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stratfest/sets/72157633814502820/

For more information about the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, visit 
http://www.stratfordfestival.ca/Default.aspx


**Look out for future blogs/reviews on Stratford productions**

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