[NEohioPAL]Berko review: Stratford Ontario Shakespeare Festival

[Roy Berko]

STATFORD FESTIVAL OKAY, BUT NOT UP TO ITS USUAL
EXCELLENCE

Roy Berko

(Member, American Theatre Critics Association)

--THE TIMES NEWSPAPERS--

Lorain County Times--Westlaker Times--Lakewood News
Times--Olmsted-Fairview Times	


	Driving up to the Statford Festival is especially
lovely n the fall.  Depending on which routing you
take, you either go up through Buffalo and pass
through the Erie wine country or through
Detroit/Windsor and meander through the Canadian
countryside.  If you want a stop along the way, both
routes offer something special.  The Buffalo route
gets you into Niagara Falls where the attractions are
not only the falling waters, but a new casino and
excellent outlet malls.  The Detroit Windsor overnight
could include a visit to the revitalized Greektown
area of the Motor City, where two casinos are
situated, or the Windsor Casino.  Visits in that area
include the historically interesting Greenfield
Village.  Either route will take you about 5 1/2 hours
from Cleveland to Stratford, Ontario, Canada.


	Productions, many of which run to the end of the
season (approximately November 7),  include:    ‘A
MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM,’ ‘GUYS AND DOLLS,’ ‘MACBETH’,
‘KING HENRY VII (ALL IS TRUE),’ ‘THE COUNT OF MONTE
CRISTO,’ ‘ANYTHING GOES,’ ‘NOISES OFF,’ ‘TIMON OF
ATHENS,’ ‘CYMBELINE,’ ‘KING JOHN,’ THE TRIUMPH OF
LOVE,’ ‘THE SWANNE:  QUEEN VICTORIA,’ ‘THE ELEPHANT
SONG/THE HUMAN VOICE.’ 

	This season’s productions center on the theme:  “It’s
the idea of a world beneath:  a secret, subconscious
or even supernatural counterpart of what we experience
on the surface of things.  There’s more to life than
meets the eye.”

Capsule judgments of the shows I saw:

	‘NOISES OFF’ by Michael Frayn is a farcical play
within a play.  Everything that can go wrong, does go
wrong.  Chaos unfolds as we see the play both from the
perspective of the audience and what goes on
backstage.  If properly done, the Canadians, with
their abilities to do farce, should have been able to
make this show a total hoot.  Unfortunately, in spite
of excellent performances, Brian Bedford’s directing
is way too slow, causing more of a comic rather than a
hysterical feel.  This makes the play pleasant, not
reaching its potential.

	In Pierre Carlet de Chamblain de Marivaux’s ‘THE
TRIUMPH OF LOVE,’ love defies logic.  Princes Leonide
of Sparta attempts to win the heart of Agist, the
rightful heir to the throne Leonide now occupies. 
Agist has been taught to reject love as a source of
human weakness.    This is not, by any turn of
imagination, a great play.  The plot is contrived, the
show is too long, but the well-staged and well-acted
production does hold the audience’s attention.  Claire
Jullien and Lucy Peacock give fine performances.   

	‘GUYS AND DOLLS’ is a combination of the tales of
Nathan Detroit, a small time gambler who runs the
“oldest established floating crap-game in New York”
and Adelaide, his doll; the high roller Sky
Masterson’s gambit of winning a bet by talking the
up-tight missionary doll, Sarah Brown, into going to
Havana with him; and the multiple character studies of
the likes of Harry the Horse, Nicely-Nicely, Benny
Southstreet, and Big Julie.  These are the people of
Damon Runyon.  For the musical to work, there should
be a New York cadence, a New York sound.  That is, for
those aware of the sound, the cadence, and Runyon’s
characters.  Interestingly, most Canadians aren’t
familiar with those elements, so that becomes a mute
point in their appreciation of the show.  From my
perspective the show missed its point but from the
Canadians I talked to this was not an issue.  

	The musical contains such delightful songs as “I’ll
Know,” “My Time of Day,” “If I Were a Bell.”  The
show’s highlights are Adelaide’s “Bushel and a Peck,”
“Adelaide’s Lament,” and “Take Back Your Mink.” 
Sheila McCarthy was delightful as Adelaide.  “Sit
Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat,” a big production
number, centers on the ability of the character
Nicely-Nicely commanding the stage.  Bruce Dow did
exactly that!  Most attenders will like this
production

	‘A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM’ was my favorite of this
season’s Stratford productions.  The play about
spellbound lovers who chase each other through the
woods by night, is one of Shakespeare’s best comedies.
 Creatively directed, beautifully acted, the humor
well keyed, and the play perfectly paced, this was a
fine, fine production.  Complete with creative
costuming and trapeze acrobats bungy jumping over the
heads of the audience, the production let totally
loose in every aspect of its staging.  Thom Marriott
was wonderful as Nick Bottom.  Michelle Gioroux as
Helena, Nazneen Contractor as Hermia, Jeffrey Wetsch
as Lysander, and Haysm Hadri as Demetrius all were
special.   This is a fine, fine staging of a fine
play.

Alexander Dumas is known for writing swashbuckling
novels.  One of his favorites is ‘THE COUNT OF MONTE
CRISTO.’  The story concerns treason, a dashing young
sailor, imprisonment, a daring escape and a quest for
vengeance.  The show opens with a thunderstorm,
intensified in effect by swelling music and a moving
boat.  The sword fights are exciting, the costumes
lush.  In the end, this, like any good melodramatic
play, can’t be taken seriously, but it can be a good
time, if you are willing to put aside your definition
of what “good” theatre is all about.  

The most problematic production of the Stratford
season was ‘MACBETH.’  Overplayed in many segments,
the production lacked a consistent voice.  The script
probably has more famous speeches than any other
Shakespeare play.  “Is this a dagger” was given an
effective underplayed interpretation.  On the other
hand, “Out, out damned spot,” was totally overdone,
making the meaning secondary to the staging.   This
was not a shining version of a script by the company’s
signature author.

Besides the performances there are post-performance
discussions, warehouse, backstage and garden tours. 
Check these out.  They add a great deal to the
Stratford experience.

Lodging?  I’d opt for one of the many bed and
breakfasts.   Our favorite is The Jennie Forbes
Cottage, Kathy and Don Spiers’ charming 1857 regency
cottage within walking distance of all the theatres
and downtown.  (website: 
www.jennieforbescottagebb.com).
 
Though not as lovely a city as Niagara-on-the-Lake
where the Shaw Festival operates, the shopping is
better in Stratford.   I strongly recommend Davis
Canadian Arts (106 Ontario Street).  This is a
wonderful art gallery that offers Canadian traditional
and contemporary sculptures, ceramics and paintings. 
For women’s quality clothing make sure to stop at The
Touchmark Shop (137 Ontario Street).  The
establishment offers unique and one-of-a-kind products
at excellent prices.  Restaurants tend to be
expensive, not always giving good value for the
dollar.   The exception is The Annex Room (38 Albert
Street).  

CAPSULE JUDGEMENT:  The 2004 Stratford Festival of
Canada is performing an adequate season.  There is
nothing in this season’s program to match last year’s
perfect ‘THE KING AND I’ and the spectacular  ‘THE
ADVENTURES OF PERICLES.’  This is not to say that you
shouldn’t attend.  Several of the productions,
including ‘A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM’ are quite good,
but the offerings, at least those I saw, aren’t up to
Stratford’s usual excellence.




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Roy Berko's web page can be found at royberko.info and many of his theatre and dance reviews appear on artscleveland.net.


		
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