[NEohioPAL]Berko review: Shaw Festival of Canada, Part 2 July 11-14

[Roy Berko]

‘More on the 2007 Shaw Festival--’THE PHILANDERER,’
‘LILLIES’ and ‘THE CIRCLE’

Roy Berko

(Member, American Theatre Critics Association)

Each year The Shaw Festival season runs from April
through October.   A visit to Niagara-on-the-Lake,
Canada, about four hours by car from Cleveland, allows
those living on the north coast to see up to ten
productions, plus noon-time offerings and special
events.

In my previous column I reviewed ‘SUMMER AND SMOKE,
’‘HOTEL PECCADILLO’ and ‘MACK AND MABEL.’   If you
missed those reviews go online to www.royberko.info.


THE PHILANDERER

In the late 1800s, the liberal Norwegian, Henrik Ibsen
began to pen plays about the “new woman,” an
independent female, who did not view the man-woman
relationship structure as the man being in charge with
the female subservient.  G. B. Shaw took up the same
cry, and along with his commentaries on religion,
morality, the educational system and politics, pushed
the women’s liberation cause beyond that of Ibsen.  

Shaw’s ‘THE PHILANDERER’ is a typical Shavian comedy. 
It is long on laughs and has many social messages.  It
centers on the concept of what it means to be a man or
a woman.  Because the battle between the sexes
continues to this very day, the play remains relevant.
 

‘THE PHILANDERER,’ which was written in 1893, was only
Shaw’s second play.  Years later, the more mature Shaw
decided that the play needed a more complete ending,
and added a fourth act.  The Festival is presenting
both the three and the four-act versions this season. 
Having only viewed the three-act presentation I cannot
comment on the fourth segment.  A friend who saw the
quad production commented that the last act was more
in what we now consider the Shaw later-years style and
more completely wrapped up his message.  

The play takes us into the Ibsen Club where supposedly
modern men and women strive to live social lives of
equality, or at least pretend to do so.  The action
centers on Leonard Charteris, a man committed to
remaining unattached. He is a philanderer who believes
that only conventional people marry.  He believes in
"charming friendships."  But, when he meets Julia
Craven, a self-described "new  woman" who belongs only
to herself and is the property of no man, he finds he
may have met his match, and maybe his mate.

In one of the play’s most delightful scenes, which
skewers the medical profession, Peter Krantz, as the
aptly named Dr. Paramour, becomes depressed when he
learns that a new liver disease he thinks he's
discovered doesn't exist. Never mind that the news
means his patient is perfectly healthy.  It is just
one of those Shaw inspired moments inserted to zap a
group or cause whose actions he finds ridiculous.
  
The festival’s production is on target.  Ben Carlson
is a delightful cad as philandering Charteris.  Nicole
Underhay (Julia Craven) effectively develops the
womanly-woman.  Nicola Correia-Damuge (Sylvia Craven)
is clearly the manly-woman, who foreshadows the women
who will come forth in the next generation’s
liberation movement.

Director Alisa Palmer has paced the show well and
pointed the comedy lines.  Judith Bowden’s set is
beautiful and practically designed.

CAPSULE JUDGEMENT:  The Shaw Festival does Shaw like
no other acting company.  Their production of ‘THE
PHILANDERER’ is a delight while making the author’s
points with fine acting and technical finesse.  This
is a “sure see.”  I’m sorry I didn’t experience the
longer version as it would have elongated the
wonderful experience.

LILLIES

In 1990, Jackie Maxwell, the Shaw’s Artistic Director,
staged the first reading of a new translation of
‘LILLIES,’ a play originally written in French by
Michel Marc Bouchard.  The script went on to be
produced across Canada and in Europe.  Maxwell,
decided to include ‘LILLIES’ in the 2007 Shaw season.

‘LILLIES’ is a mystery of hidden desires, the living
out of fantasies, and the consequences of forbidden
love.  Set at a Catholic boys school in a small town
in Canada, a secret love affair between two of the
male students, a closeted jealous student, a gay drama
teacher who pushes against school’s homophobic
regulations, and a murder, are all part of the action.

The staged reading, directed by Maxwell,  was cast
with all males, though three of the characters are
women.  The single gender casting adds an interesting
dimension to the proceedings.  

The presentation was highlighted by fine performances 
by Kawa Ada as one participant in the love triangle, 
Blair Williams as his mother, Guy Bannerman as a
priest and Ric Reid as an adult who, as a youth, was a
member of the love triangle.

CAPSULE JUDGEMENT:  Unfortunately for festival-goers,
if they didn’t see the performance on July 13 they
will not be able to see it.   That’s really sad, as I
found ‘LILLIES’ to be the most interesting scripts of
this season and even in a staged reading format, for
which the cast only had three rehearsals, the tension
and idea development was excellent.  It can only be
hoped that Maxwell considers producing a staged
version at a future Festival.  (On a local note, I
would encourage one of our more adventurous theatres 
to consider a staged presentation of the script.)


THE CIRCLE

Somerset Maugham, the author of ‘THE CIRCLE,’ is noted
for writing plays concerning the British upper-classes
and marriage.  He believed that, “in order to
understand a society one should study its marriage
laws and the arrangements between the sexes.”  Like
Shaw, Maugham used humor and witticism to develop his
philosophical points of view.  

Maugham questions the 1920 ‘s belief that “men rule
the world, wield the political and social instruments
of power, and that their women are bred to keep their
place while being quietly loving and supportive and
provide the country’s great houses with future heirs.”
 

‘THE CIRCLE,’ which is considered by dramatists as
Maugham’s finest play, has an interesting structure
which centers on two love triangles,  one relationship
in the past, one in the present.  The writer is a
master at conversational style and the turning of a
word to make an effect.  His abilities are displayed
well in this witty script.  

Interestingly, the final curtain of 1920’s productions
of the play were generally met with hisses and boos as
the audience was both shocked and repelled by the
unexpected conclusion.   Modern day audiences,
considering the high rate of infidelity and divorce, 
are less likely to respond negatively.

The story centers on the three-year marriage of Arnold
and Elizabeth.  He is a wealthy member of the British
parliament.  Arnold’s father and mother were divorced
when he was young.  The mother ran off with the
father’s best friend, who, if not for the scandal,
might have been elected Prime Minister.  Elizabeth
invites her lover (Edward Lutton), Arnold’s mother, 
the mother’s current husband, and a female family
friend for a visit.  Of course, the reason for the
visit is to create havoc.  The results, as can be
assumed, turn out to be a showcase for questioning the
need for marriage, what is the basis for love, and
challenges whether love is an important ingredient in
a successful marriage.

Director Neil Munro had a clear concept, and
accomplished it with proper pacing and imbuing his
cast with the necessary attitudes and character
development.  He has even incorporated clever set and
props changes as part of the production.

The cast is excellent.  David Jansen is properly
uptight as Arnold.  Beautiful and talented Moya
O’Connell is delightful as conflicted Elizabeth.  Gray
Powell’s Edward Lutton is appropriately frustrated by
Elizabeth’s decisions and the alteration of her
choices regarding him.  Wendy Thatcher is a hoot as
Arnold’s estranged mother.  Michael Ball is wonderful
as the curmudgeon/puffed-up second husband of Lady
Kitty.  David Shurmann is attitude perfect as Arnold’s
father.

The production is performed in a beautifully appointed
drawing room set, in the intimate Royal George
Theatre. 

CAPSULE JUDGEMENT:  By today’s standards, ‘THE CIRCLE’
is a piece of fluff.  In the 20s, when it was first
staged, Maugham’s script confronted real issues and
gave a flash of what was going to happen during the
era of women’s liberation.  The fine production is
worth seeing, if for no other reason than to get a
glimpse of early 20th century attitudes about men,
women and marriage.

In the next column I’ll review  ‘THE CASSILIS
ENGAGEMENT’ and “THE KILTARTIN COMEDIES’ and some
information about other attractions in or near
Niagara-on-the Lake. 



Roy Berko's blog, which contains theatre and dance reviews from 2002 through 2007, as well as his consulting and publications information, can be found at http://royberko.info
      
Roy's theatre and dance reviews appear regularly on NeOHIOpal, an on-line source.   To subscribe to this free service via the World Wide Web, visit http://lists.fredsternfeld.com/mailman/listinfo/neohiopal.  His reviews also appear on www.coolcleveland.com


       
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