Another Monday Night....

Wow, haven't done one of these in a long time....well, here goes!

I say ... and you think ... ?

1. Rude :: People
2. Leather :: Jacket
3. Headquarters :: Company
4. Good guys :: Bad guys
5. Blowing :: Hard
6. Doddering :: What?
7. Instructional :: Videos
8. Standards :: High
9. Eatery :: Restaurant
10. Vampire :: Slayer

Thorton Wilder's 'The Matchmaker' Comes Hilariously Alive on the Stratford Shakespeare Festival Stage

Our theater realm expanded today at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival as we traveled back to the Festival Theater to see Thorton Wilder's The Matchmaker. Like Shakespeare's Cymbeline I had never read the play and knew nothing about it, besides the fact that it is a comedy. The Matchmaker is the second non-Shakespeare play we have now seen to date and I was glad to see it soar above all expectations and exceeded in hilarity, style, professionalism and class.

The Festival Theater is a lot like the Riverwalk Theater here in downtown Lansing. A large and somewhat square stage with audience seats on both sides and right in front, provides a unique audience experience from every angle. Like the Tom Patterson Theater, there is no bad seat in the Festival Theater as every angle is different and every actor can be heard even if their back is turned. Looking in the theater for the first time I was amazed at the beautiful set. Starting as a small house with fancy couches and chairs, moving to a train station and railway cars, to a hat shop in the middle of New York, to a fancy restaurant (that I personally would love to be taken to) and finally to an old house where the characters would meet and identify themselves again was truly amazing. I was excited to see the stage crew as an actual part of the show, moving pieces and creating a whole new scene at intermission. Like every Stratford production we've seen, the sets and stage were right up to par.

Being the first non-Shakespeare and comic play that we've seen at the festival, I was very interested in the casting. We go to the Festival so much every year now that I can hear an actors voice and recite a list of what else I've seen them in without looking at the program. Wilder's comedy was no different. Our main reason to see it was Seana McKenna, who portrayed one of Britain's most famous Kings and rulers, Richard III last season. Amazing in one of Shakespeare's least uplifting plays I was interested to see how she would handle a comedy and the role of Dolly Levi. McKenna brought great life to Dolly and made her a very funny, individual, strong, relatable and strategic character. McKenna continues to surprise and delight me with her acting ability and passion that she puts into every role. Along with McKenna I was ecstatic to see half the cast of Cymbeline up on the festival stage. Eleven of the seventeen main roles were played by Cymbeline characters and it was quite something to see them all laughing and having a good time in a comedy. Not one character was weak and got a laugh out of the audience some way or another. One of the best things about Stratford's casts is that they always look like they're enjoying what they do, both on and off the stage.

The first thing I said while leaving the theater is that my High School should see this play when taking their yearly Stratford trip. I was pleasantly intrigued and a bit stunned at the whole message of Wilder's play. Put many ways by each character, they all basically said the same thing: adventure is necessary in life but at some point everyone needs a break from adventure where they can sit at home and be peaceful. Being a recent High School graduate leaving for College in just a few short weeks, this message rang very true to me and felt like my own personal goodbye from Stratford as I leave home, leave my high school friends and head toward my future.

Like every trip to Stratford I am always leaving the theater wanting more and having great respect for the Festivals season and its actors. As we move on from The Matchmaker, I hope to still see Sophocles' Elektra and see more of Stratfords best.

CLIP ONE:

Malachi Stack (Geraint Wyn Davies) appeals to Horace Vandergelder (Tom McCamus) to hire him as an apprentice in his hay, feed and provision store.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7dfM8NTc9Q

CLIP TWO:

Dolly Levi (Seana McKenna) invents a description of a beautiful young woman to entice Horace Vandergelder (Tom McCamus) to delay his engagement to Irene Molloy (Laura Condlln).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnfoFearRiE

Cymbeline; Best Shakespeare of the 2012 Stratford Shakespeare Festival Season

A few weeks ago marked our third visit this year to the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. Leaving at the crack of dawn, we headed up to see the last of the Shakespeare plays put on this season; Cymbeline. It was just by  pictures of the cast and short synopsis in the season guide that I had first wanted to see this lesser-known Shakespeare play. I knew nothing about it and only recognized the female lead who played Maria from last years fantastic production of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. Walking into the theater I did not know what to expect, but in the end I was glad I had pressured my parents to go. Out of the three Shakespeare productions put on by the Festival this year, it was no surprise to find Cymbeline its crown jewel.

Many elements made this production memorable. Put on in the Tom Patterson Theater, one of five theaters that put on Stratfords productions each season, it can be a challenging theater when it comes to staging. With only the long runway stage, two exit/entrance aisles and two sets of stairs on the second level in the center of the audience, the actors always seem to be running around and coming from every which way. Because of its unique stage, Patterson provides audience members a unique theater experience that usually puts them right in the middle of the action. Cymbeline was no different and I found myself personally involved throughout the entire play. The cast made good use of the stairs and two aisles especially: walking within audience reach or sneaking up and reciting a line from behind another. Along with its unique stage, the sets of Cymbeline were simple yet beautiful. I was especially wowed by the green curtain that hung above the stage, at first tattered in Cymbeline's palace and later spread to become a tree as the story moved into the forest. The stage and set were only the beginning of what made Cymbeline one of the best productions this 2012 season.


The real marvel of the production was the cast. I was surprised that Cymbeline demands actors who can be evil one minute and then have a remarkable change of heart the next, providing a true acting challenge. The entire cast was flawless and couldn't have been any better. Geraint Wyn Davies (King Cymbeline), Cara Ricketts (Innogen) and Graham Abbey (Posthumus) were incredible in their staring roles and supported by an equally incredible cast. It's quite uncommon now for me to look at a program and not recognize someone that I've seen in a past Stratford play or musical. I was especially excited when John Vickery (Belarius) took the stage and spoke for the first time. I immediately recognized Vickery's voice from his breathtaking performance at Titus himself in last years production of Titus Andronicus, and I was beyond thrilled to be watching him once again. The entire cast was magnificent and made Cymbeline a true joy to watch.


Cymbeline has now been checked off our list along with all the other Shakespeare's put on this season. As we head back up to Stratford this Thursday to see Wilder's The Matchmaker and hopefully later in August to see Sophocles' Elektra, we will always be reminded of Cymbeline and amazed at what a wonderful trip to Canada it turned out to be.

Richard III and Titus Andronicus Deliever Bloody Good Performances at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival

It wasn't until last year that I knew anything about the Stratford Shakespeare Festival and its amazing performances. It was a rare thing that we came upon the festival and I'm glad to say that we can't stay away for very long. I've always loved Shakespeare's works, no matter how gory, historical, tragic or comedic they may be and every visit to the festival leaves me wishing I lived in Canada and could attend every Shakespeare (and non-Shakespearean) performance of the festival season. We made another trip yesterday to see one of Shakespeare's most famous historical dramas and his lesser-known first violent tragedy.


RICHARD III

I've never read Richard III and didn't know much about the show beforehand. I'd watched the clips that Stratford posted on Youtube and only knew that it was a story of murder and doing anything to come into power. It was exciting to see the show in the Tom Patterson Theater, the only theater we had not been in besides the Studio Theater. Only 50 ft long and 19 ft wide, the theater has little space and is much like the Riverwalk Theater in downtown Lansing, having three sections of seats surrounding the stage, hallways for the actors to enter and exit and hidden spots for the actors to appear and scare the pants off the audience.

Besides a new stage, I was most excited to see Richard III played by a woman. Because I knew nothing about the show and what it called for, I didn't know how much of a difference a woman could make in the role. I was blown away from the first time Seana McKenna came onstage slightly hunched over and in the creepiest wig I have ever seen. I had read in an article just before the show of an interview with McKenna who said she sees Richard as an actor who just wants to be somebody and uses sarcasm, cunning and humor to win people over. Her portrayal of Richard in this way shone through her brilliant performance and made Richard a very likable yet unlikable character who will do anything to become King. Along with the rest of the amazing cast, they made one great show.

One of the things I've always loved about Stratford productions is the level of creativity when it comes to the sets, costumes and especially staging. The Patterson Theater being very long but not very wide proved no challenge and everything ran smoothly. The stage was flat and had only one small raised platform near the front which gave a creepy feeling off as the main set of the Tower where the murders take place. For such a small space, its use was excellent. The set was very simple, as the stage had to be a two different throne rooms, a church, a tower and a battlefield. It was cool to see that above the set were white and red roses signifying the War of Roses that sets the two families against each other in their quest for power.


My two favorite moments of the show came in the second half of the production. When Richard sleeps the night before the final battle, in his dreams he is visited by the ghosts of all he's killed, who remind him of what he's done and end with the same curse "despair and die". The staging of such a creepy turning point was wonderful and showed how Richard is more vulnerable and weak than he thinks. The other fantastic moment was the ending where Richard fights Henry the Earl of Richmond. The final moments with Richard in the battle were done in slow motion, showing the ghosts helping Henry and bringing Richard to his death. The last few words of the show are a prayer and end with a ghostly "Amen".

Richard III was such an amazing show and one of the best I've seen at Stratford so far, and for me, Richard will always be one hell of a woman.


TITUS ANDRONICUS

It was at the very last minute that we decided to make Titus Andronicus our second show of the day. I had been talking about it for weeks and was excited when I convinced the committee to go see it. Shakespeare's most violent show and first tragedy is not very well-known and is so unusual it seems hard to believe that it belongs to the Bard. The theme of the play is revenge, and as it is heaped upon one character after another, the result is nothing short of a horrific bloodbath.

There are many characters in story of Titus which can make it difficult to keep track of who is related to whom, but when it comes to theme of revenge, the result is the same. One side is wronged, they exact brutal revenge on the other side who returns the bloody favor. Who will be left standing? In the play Titus Andronicus, the answer is "not many". The cycle begins when Titus brings home the last few prisoners of the Goths; the queen Tamora, her lover Aaron and three sons Chiron, Demetrius and Alarbus. The Romans immediately call for a sacrifice and without thinking Titus give Alarbus back to the Gods right before Romes eyes. It is from here that Tamora vows revenge on his family and the horrific cycle of revenge is set in motion.

The staging of Titus Andronicus was significantly different than that of Richard III. The main piece of set and prop used was a large cage that in the first scene held the imprisoned Goths, was the scene where the eldest son of Tamora is slain and finally used by Aaron to set up a crime and falsely accuse two of Titus' sons and condemn them to death. Besides using the main stage, portions of the show took place among the audience. Members of Tamora's family often interacted with audience members on the lower levels while the Andronici utilized the hidden spots above the stage, one of the two just a row behind us. Being so close to the actors made certain points of the show more powerful, even though the final scene on stage was the most powerful of all.

To pull off a show like Titus you need a spot-on cast who together can create a true ring of revenge. John Vickery played the man himself Titus Andronicus. He was perfect for the role, having the true Shakespeare voice and embracing his characters purely evil side. Alongside Vickery was Amanda Lisman who played Titus' beautiful yet early on violated daughter, Lavinia. Her performance as Lavinia was breathtaking and mesmerizing from beginning to end. Her character goes through such pain throughout the show, being raped by Tamora's remaining sons and having her hands cut off and tongue cut out. Lavinia is silent most of the show but even in silence Lisman delivered a chilling performance as a mute who will get her revenge. Completely opposite of Titus but just as perfect was Dion Johnstone playing Aaron. It was interesting to watch him in this production after watching him in our first Stratford show last year as Caliban in Shakespeare's last play The Tempest with the famed Christopher Plummer. His performance was much like The Tempest as he crawled all around the stage and used his body to show the simplest things. Together the cast worked well together and were not afraid to get their hands dirty.

Ironically, many members of the company were main characters or appeared in Richard III just a few hours earlier and had not one show of murder, but two. Watching these two shows on the same day was amazing since each have a very different story to tell and told them in very different ways. These shows back to back takes a lot of stamina and a true love for Shakespeare's tragic side.


CLIPS:

• Richard III: King Richard (Seana McKenna) testifies his love to a resentful Lady Anne (Bethany Jillard)

• Titus Andronicus: Tamora (Claire Lautier) and her two sons (Bruce Godfree, Brenda Murray) torment and abduct Lavinia (Amanda Lisman) after the death of Bassianus (Skye Brandon)

A Germany Story - Day 2

Our second day in Germany, started off with our first two hour orchestra rehearsal. Walking into the school all the 'Americans' moaning about how early we had to be there but everyone was excited. The rehearsal flew by and after we'd finished our families came to pick it up. The rest of the day was free time and none of it went to waste. We drove back home to drop off my instrument and music and such and realx for an hour or two . After a few more hours of sleep, GermanSisterTuna and her family took me to the neighboring towns to see some of the most famous things in Germany.


Our first stop was in Durkheim. A small town close to Maxdorf, we drove through the village until we came to some castle ruins on a tall hill. After the (very steep) climb, we went inside the ruins where the tourist in me came out for the first time. I took lots of pictures of the ruins and loved seeing a castle that was once famous hundreds of years ago. In the same town, I got to see the largest wine barrel in the world. The barrel was a restaurant and if it were filled with with wine, it could hold 1,700,000 liters.

We then made our way to another town, where I saw a famous building called The Saine. The Saine is a wooden building that produces a special kind of salt water that is said to good and healthy to breathe in. A few years ago, it caught fire and it burned down. The people wanted to rebuild it and since then it has been a big project. When we visited, most of the building was rebuilt but GermanSisterTuna said it would take some more time to complete.

Next, we went to Battenberg where we saw another set of ruins. High on a hill, the ruins overlooked a large area with four or five villiages including Maxdorf. The view was beautiful and the tourist side of me came out once again.

Our last stop was in Freinshiem, an old city that was once completely surrounded by a wall. Today, only sections of the wall are still there and are the reminder of what once protected the city many years ago. GermanSisterTuna told me that the town is famous for making wine and had many special houses for winemakers. We saw parts of the wall, the center of the town and walked down some very narrow streets along the way. By the time we had seen everything, it was already six o'clock and we made out way back to Maxdorf.

A few hours later, me and GermanSisterTuna left for another adventure. She took me to a special youth dance club where you could dance with other kids. I expected it to be like an American dance club where all we would do is dance wildly and jump up and down. When we got there, she told me that the dances included Tango, Salsa, Cha-Cha, Disco and many others. She taught me some steps and introduced me to some of her friends (who asked me questions about America and my stay in Germany). Some time later when I had learned more of the steps, GermanSisterTuna told me that one of her friends wanted to dance with me. We danced and we talked with some of her friends until it was time to go back home.

Another wonderful day in Germany was over...but there were still nine more days of adventures to be had.

A Germany Story - Day 1

It's a shock that I look at my blog everyday, and haven't realized until now that I haven't posted since August. Since my last post about Stratford, many things have happened Since long before summer, I had been waiting for the big trip of Junior year to come in November, Germany!!! My blog over the next few days, will tell of my tales across the sea's and the wonderful memories I left with to come home to America.

The day that we left for Germany was most exciting. After sitting impatiently in school for two hours we loaded the luggage, boarded the buses and waved to the few parents that were there to say good-bye. We then began our three hour bus ride to the airport. After we had gotten inside the airport, checked everything in and gotten through security.....we had over five hours to wait in the airport. The other plane carrying the other half of the students had left two to three hours before us and were already on their way, while we sat waiting in the airport. By the time, we began boarding we were so tired of the airport that everything was funny and we were all slap-happy with excitement. Needless to say, the seven hours that followed on the plane helped destroy everything that had been slap-happy in the airport.

We finally landed in Germany early in the morning; exhausted, hungry and excited to be back on the ground. After we went through everything airport wise in Germany, we boarded buses that took us to a school in Ludwigshafen where our host students would meet us. When we arrived at the school we were welcomed, found our host student and got our pictures taken. After I found GermanSisterTuna, we went to her home in Maxdorf so I could unpack, get settled and eat.

The rest of the day (according to our itinerary) was left to us. GermanSisterTuna took me around Maxdorf to see some of the homes and meet some of her family who lived nearby. The few hours that we had when we got back, I spent sleeping (for the lack achieved on the plane).

Later that evening, I went to her choir rehearsal and youth bible group. I got to sing and play games with many of her friends (although I was the only American, I needed everything to be translated and explained).

My first day in Germany was exciting, relaxing and wonderful.
The first of many to come....

Customs, Christopher Plummer, Shakespeare and Canada

Last week, i took my very first trip to Canada! We went up on the weekend to Stratford (Canada) for the annual Stratford Shakespeare Festival. Every year, Stratford attracts tons of tourists for the festival that has yearly productions from Shakespeare to modern plays. We stayed in Canada for a day and a half, and along with all the sight seeing, shopping and eating we saw three performances.

PETER PAN (The Boy Who Never Grew Up)
The first we saw was "Peter Pan". The story tells of a boy who never wants to grow up and takes back three children with him to Neverland, one of them Wendy Darling to be the lost boys and his new mother. When the children realize that they've forgotten their real life and parents they decide to return home, but run into problems with pirates along the way. Peter Pan was the first show we saw in Stratford to ease us into seeing two more Shakespeare plays in those 48 hours. The Avon Theater was jammed with many children who (throughout the show) made their opinions and comments well known to the others in the theater.

EXAMPLES:
1. Peter Pan: (Addressing audience) "Where's Tinkerbell?"
Kid: "She's up there!"
2. (The Darling children have flown off with Peter) Kid: Mommy! It must be magic, I can do it to!

Peter Pan was the oldest boy who never wants to grow up that I've ever seen! He was alright, but Captain Hook and Smee had my vote (as well as one lost boy whose voice cracked the entire time and sounded like a Monty Python character). The show was great to start with and after it was over, we had a few hours to shop, eat and be on our way to the next show!

THE TEMPST
For our second play of that day, we went alongside the river at sunset to the Festival Theater to see Shakespeares, The Tempest. The Tempest was the last play that Shakespeare wrote during his life and many think that some of the lines and concepts are things that Shakespeare wanted to "get across" to "certain people". This production was especially special because of its star actor, Christopher Plummer!! Christopher Plummer played Prospero, a man who once was Duke but banished (along with his daughter Miranda) by his brother to gain power. While on the island, Prospero sees a moment to shipwreck his enemies on his island and take his revenge. But what revenge will he take on his enemies? The show was sold out, and for good reason! Along with Christopher Plummer (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001626/) a truly amazing cast put on a spectacular show. The set was great and the costumes phenomenal! Every moment left you either with goosebumps out or wanting more, but by the time it was over you it seemed we couldn't stop clapping. It was something that I'll never forget.

The next morning before our third and final show, we took a small trip to the Shakespeare Costume Warehouse. We had bough tickets to take a tour of the warehouse where after every show 2 or 3 costumes are selected, stored and never worn again. Instead, they're put on display for others to see and sometimes re worn in other productions. We went to the earliest tour they had and was happy when we found out that it was to be a private tour! We walked through seeing old costumes, props and sets that were used once in a production. It was a great way to start the day and appreciate everything that makes a production possible (besides the actors).

AS YOU LIKE IT
Our final show, As You Like It, was in the same theater at Tempest but instead was a comedy. The show follows Rosalind, a girl who is banished from the court and flees along with her cousin Ceila to the Forest or Arden. While she is in the forest, she learns that the man She loves, Orlando has also flown the court and lies somewhere in the forest. Wanting to take advantage of the opportunity, Rosalind becomes a young man and meets Orlando in the forest to find out how he truly feels for her. The show is most famous for the quote "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women, mealy players". The show has many great monologues and memorable scenes that weave magic into the story of two girls and a boy who fall in love.

As soon as the show was over, we jumped back in the car and drove home to Michigan. In almost two days we had made it to Canada, through customs, shopped, geocached, seen three shows and made it back to Michigan and already wanting to go back for more.