'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**

 

'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**

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**

Stratford Shakespeare Festivals 'Elektra' Proves To Be As Good Or Maybe Even Better Than Shakespeare

Saturday, September 1st marked our fifth and final trip to Stratford and its yearly Theater festival, which critics praise and town survival depends on year round tourism. Up until Saturday we thought we had seen everything there was to see: Shakespeare's famous comedy Much Ado About Nothing, historical drama Henry V, rarely put on love story Cymbeline and Thorton Wilder's fantastic comedy The Matchmaker. It seemed that after seeing such great shows nothing could be more different or top our best production list of the 2011-2012 Festival season. Our final show, Sophocles' Elektra, proved us all wrong.

Along with Shakespeare's Cymbeline, Elektra was put on in the quirky yet lovable Tom Patterson Theater known for its runway-like stage. Every production put on in the Patterson leaves me amazed and wondering how hard it must be to stage these shows in such a strange space. Nevertheless, Elektra left me with my brain full and more. The set for the show was never changed and things never moved except for the actors. The set was made up of three tables, each with a piece of a broken Greek statue. Two panels on each side of the wall were covered in markings that were unreadable and underneath them piles of full trash bags. The final part of the set lay at the edge of the stage towards the audience: a long fish tank filled with dirt. I have great appreciation for this clever yet modern twist that director Thomas Moschopoulos and Designer Ellie Papageorgakopoulou put on the  Elektra set, still keeping Greek history and culture present and the main focus of the stage. The amazing set was only the start to this truly unique production.

Elektra follows the life and events of Elektra, the sister of Orestes and daughter of Clytemestra and recently murdered father Agamemnon. We meet Elektra as she mourns the death of her father and proclaims to the world that her brother will return home to avenge his death, put in motion by their mother. We then meet The Chorus of Women, friends of Elektra who attempt to calm her fury and stop her from mourning every minute of every day. A little later in the play we meet Elektras mother Clytemestra, a smooth and careful character who does not deny her involvement in her husbands death and admits to Elektra that she is living with her new lover Aigisthos. When the party learns from an Old Man that Orestes has been killed in a chariot race, Clytemestra rejoices in this news while the others mourn. We then meet Elektra's sister Chrysothemis who has lived with their mother and new lover Aigisthos. When she learns that Orestes is dead Elektra turns to her for help in revenge. Chrysothemis accepts at first but the rejects the offer so she does not get blood on her hands and rip the family apart further. Elektra is left alone with the Chorus and greets a young stranger who has brought the urn holding her brothers remains. Elektra begins to tell this stranger about her brothers good nature and her hope that he would return to avenge their fathers death. The stranger surprises them all when he announces that HE is Orestes and faked his death to gain entrance to the household. Amazed at this news, Elektra sends him into the house to kill their mother. When Orestes returns bloody the Chorus exclaims that Agisthos is approaching the house and Orestes must hide himself and bring the body, expected to be his own. Agisthos comes in rejoicing at the news of Orestes death and tells him to uncover his body so he can see him dead with his own eyes. Orestes instead tells him to do it himself and Agisthos pulls the sheet to reveal the body of his lover Clytemestra. He quickly learns that this stranger is Orestes and he will soon die by his hand. We last see Agisthos being dragged screaming inside the house by Orestes. The Chorus quietly leaves as Elektra sits in front of her mothers bloody and mangled body, silent.   

The cast of Sophocles' drama was filled with great talent, perfection and many familiar faces. Yanna McIntosh (Elektra), Ian Lake (Orestes), E.B Smith (Pylades) and Graham Abbey (Aigisthos) played roles in Cymbeline while Laura Condlln (Chrysothemis) and Seana McKenna (Clytemestra) played roles in The Mathchmaker. If they played a good character in one they would be evil in the other, giving a much different side of their acting and themselves. From the entire cast, McIntosh, McKenna and Abbey stole the show. McIntosh's portrayl of Elektra was so different and unique, making the audience think about her as a character and what she really wants to accomplish by the end of the play. McKenna and Abbey played much smaller roles but equally stole the stage. Only on the stage once in the show McKenna and Abbey proved that they could do more than comedy or a great love story. Abbey, on stage for no more than five minutes, was beyond captivating and as he was being dragged into the house I found myself wanting him to come back and do more. To add to the cast, most parts of the show and its dialogue were sung and done in rhythm. The Chorus sang mostly and often pounded or stomped on the tables when left alone on stage or when listening to a story. Because of the vocal and involvement demanded  it could be said that The Chorus has the hardest part in the entire play. After seeing this production I now have a greater knowledge of Sophocles and a greater respect for this acting challenge.

It was bitter-sweet leaving Stratford for the season and realizing that the next time I'll go again will be over some college break. I have been incredibly lucky to see five productions this year and I cannot wait to go back next season and see more of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival.

CLIP ONE:

The cast of Elektra in rehearsal, with commentary from the artistic team on the significance of the Chorus in Greek tragedy

CLIP TWO:

General Director Antoni Cimolino, Artistic Director Des McAnuff and Director of Communications David Prosser discuss the Stratford Shakespeare Festival's 2012 production of Elektra. Athenian director Thomas Moschopoulos takes on the second part of the Oresteia story as told by Sophokles

 

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