'King Lear' - Obvious Head of Stratford Shakespeare Festival 2014 Season

Above: Colm Feore as King Lear

Love. Murder. Madness - three words that easily describe Shakespeare's famous tragedy about the King who went mad. Trapped by his own mind and at the mercy of power hungry subjects it's no surprise that Lear begins to lose it pretty early on, thanks to two of his daughters who not only abuse and help deteriorate Lear's already fragile mind, but set in motion the following events and horrendous actions. There is nowhere to hide.

Written about a real king, we begin King Lear with an announcement that the King will divide his kingdom between his three daughters - Goneril, Regan and Cordelia. But before he does this he asks each daughter to speak about her love for him and only then will they inherit his kingdom. Goneril and Regan excessively praise him and gain their inheritance while the youngest, Cordelia, expresses her love of him as a father and nothing more. After hearing this, Lear rashly disowns Cordelia and leaves her to a life with no dowry. While this happens we meet Edmund, the villain of the play. The illegitimate son of the Earl of Gloucester, Edmund makes a plan to convince his father that his brother Edgar, the Earl's legitimate son, is actually illegitimate and has made a plot to murder their father. Both families struggle to keep the truth insight and both families ultimately pay the price.

King Lear was our absolute number one must-see of the season and it went far beyond what any of us expected. An all star and incredibly in-sync cast led by Colm Feore along with beautiful costumes and special effects made this production one of my all time favorites of the Festival. Colm Feore was incredible as Lear and brought the madness and complicated king to life in amazing ways. His fool, played by Steven Ouimette, was just as incredible as Lear's confidant and voice of reason. I am always amazed when I see a Stratford actor in more than one production, especially when is comedy and the other is tragedy and watching Ouimette play a more serious character was fascinating to watch. Besides Lear, my favorite two characters of the play were unquestionably the Earl of Gloucester (Scott Wentworth) and Edgar (Evan Buliung). Wentworth and Buliung's father-son chemestry was stunning and brought me to tears more than once. Alongside Feore, Wentworth and Buliung made this entire production for me.

There are not enough words to express the awesomeness of this production. So instead I leave you with three new words to describe Stratford's gem King Lear - GO SEE IT!!!

Stratford Festival's King Lear Trailer

"Nothing will come of Nothing" - Cordelia (Sara Farb) tells King Lear (Colm Feore) of her love for him as a father

For stage photos and videos from this production, visit:

http://www.stratfordfestival.ca/OnStage/productions.aspx?id=24119&prodid=52389

OR visit the Stratford Festival Youtube Channel

For more information about The Stratford Shakespeare Festival, visit:

http://www.stratfordfestival.ca/Default.aspx

**Next Review: Noel Coward's Hay Fever** 

'A Midsummer Night's Dream' - What's Not to Love?

Above: Steven Ouimette as Nick Bottom with Members of the Company

"Give us your hands if we be friends, and Robin shall restore amends!" - Puck

From the very beginning, we are sure that something will go wrong. What is to be amended? The answer lies in Oberon, King of the Fairies and his faithful Puck, who scheme together in the mix-up of lovers. But if Oberon had never wanted Titania's changeling child and never sent Puck to fetch the flower with which to cloud the minds of the lovers, much of William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream wouove: ld have never happened.

A Midsummer Night's Dream is one of Shakespeare's most well-known and frequently performed today, from the high school to professional stage. A tale of misplaced love, we follow the decisions of Hermia who has been ordered by her father to marry Demetrius. Much to her fathers dismay, she does not love him and instead confesses her love for the rebel Lysander. When their marriage is forbidden the two decide to run away into the forest at nightfall, in hopes that they will be married and live together in peace - but all does not go as planned. Followed by Demetrius, friend Helena and at the disposal of magical creatures, the four lovers discover that love can not only be changed in an instant, but also by magic.

I was extremely excited to head to the Festival to see this production as our first of the season. I have never read the play or seen any movie leaving my mind completely open to the characters, their choices and the overall enjoyment of the production. Needless to say, I was incredibly impressed. Hermia (Bethany Jillard), Helena (Liisa Repo-Martell, Lysander (Tara Rosling) and Demetrius (Mike Shara) were hilariously charming as the four crossed lovers who unexpectedly fall victim to Pucks magic. My favorite characters of the production by far were Nick Bottom (Steven Ouimette) and Titania (Jonathan Goad). Director Chris Abraham set the production around the wedding of a gay couple and then played with the mix of gender roles, having a male actor play Queen of the Fairies Titania and a female actress as Hermia's love Lysander. Accompanied by an adorable cast of child actors and other various characters, Abrahams production gave a whole new tone to Shakespeare's play and made such an impact that I will be returning at the end of the season to take part in the "on-stage" interaction experience. 

Easily bewitching and a joy from start to finish, Chris Abraham has given Shakespeare lovers an irresistible new take on a classic that is sure to stand the test of time.

A Midsummer Night's Dream: Dream Wedding

http://youtu.be/CA3ru0rP4iw?list=PLrkRb9nzgclWZHsJ_kFpGPr75zzReIct8

A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival

For stage photos and videos from this production, visit:

http://www.stratfordfestival.ca/OnStage/productions.aspx?id=24197&prodid=52393 

OR visit the Stratford Festival Youtube channel

For more information about The Stratford Shakespeare Festival, visit:

http://www.stratfordfestival.ca/

**NEXT REVIEW: 'Mother Courage and Her Children' by Bertolt Brecht**