Stratford, Ontario — “All’s Well That Ends Well” is one of Shakespeare’s least-loved comedies. “Gaslight” is a desperate old soap opera that offers a trope for women as victims. And “Chicago” is covered in Bob Fosse’s fingerprints. Or is it a footprint? —A musical can hardly be imagined without him.
But on a recent trip to Canada, I spent six days at the home of the Stratford Festival and another day at Niagara-on-the-Lake, where the Shaw Festival takes place. Also saw his one in the classic ‘Richard III’ left unharmed.
Is there anything healthy about the revival in the air here? See for yourself, with performances running through the end of October.
Perhaps the biggest surprise was Stratford’s ‘All’s Well’ at the brand new Tom Patterson Theatre. As usual, it’s the sickening story of a Crow playboy named Bertram who treats Helen, a young “gentleman” in his mother’s house who is his loving friend, as a discarded child’s toy. Helen finally gets her revenge Textbook “Bed Trick” I don’t feel comfortable trapping him.
In fact, “All’s Well” often appears as a Shakespearean supercut. Bertram’s mother, a recently widowed countess, retails pearls of wisdom like Polonius. The fop soldier makes her Malvolio-like comeback.Dying French King magically rescued from apparent death 32 other characters from Kanon.
But under the direction of Scott Wentworth, Stratford’s production turns matter into an asset, with a vibrant and detailed performance. Bertram (Jordan Hall) is not frivolous. On the brink of masculinity, he fears being trapped in the past. Similarly, Helen (Jessica B. Hill) taps into the other side of unrequited love: anguish that borders on anger. For both, and even for poor Fap (Rylan Wilkie), wanting the best makes the conflict all the more compelling.
Subtle changes have transformed the Countess (Sheena McKenna, wonderful) and the King (Ben Carlson, as well) from plain old gents into complex characters. This is achieved by rethinking motives rather than delving into simplistic language. For cuteness, there’s a restless, Satie-esque piano etude by Paul Shilton.
As such, “All’s Well” is less of a runaway knockabout than a moving look at its maturity stage, first avoided at all costs, then pursued uncertainly, and ultimately is revealed as a way to be achieved with dignity if you are lucky. A little Lou.
Walk a few blocks along the Avon River from Tom Patterson to the Festival Theater, where “Chicago,” directed and choreographed by Donna Fiore. Feore is the first person allowed by the show’s rights holders to replace her Fosse’s choreography in a major production. As she has shown in her previous Stratford musical revivals such as ‘Guys and Dolls’ and ‘The Music Man’, she values every new step.
But really, like Fosse, she’s not really into steps. (His style is pretty much the same regardless of the material.) Rather, she tells a story she chooses to emphasize, based on her late 1920s ballroom dancing. The story isn’t about the cynicism of the American justice system, it’s not about how two “jolly killers” (Jennifer Ryder Shaw and Chelsea Preston) get off the hook by turning crime into showbiz, it’s about women’s independence. And it’s about negotiating the tricky new situation of independence. Ban.
So when six incarcerated women perform a “cell block tango”, we see the men bumping into each other. Fiore directs the scene in which Hunyak, an immigrant who has maintained his innocence to the end, is executed as follows. aerial act, a lady of destiny (Bonnie Jordan) descends from the top of the theater with a satin ribbon that becomes her noose. We won’t reveal how the selfish lawyer Billy Flynn, played by Dan Chameloy, will depart.
Still, this “Chicago” is almost an enjoyable take because it’s almost inevitable with full sets and costumes, rather than the bleak aesthetic of the long-running Broadway revival. , at times looking like an ultra-chic sorority wake.) Feore clearly drew inspiration from Kander and Ebb’s great song “All That Jazz,” and the show is a liberating note. starts with . : “Oh, I’m nobody’s wife/But oh, I love my life.”
Such sentiments are not found in Patrick Hamilton’s 1938 thriller Gaslight. It depicts a woman driven insane by her husband. In early versions of the story, including the 1944 George Cukor film, wife Bella was a bewildered victim of psychological torture and a mostly passive participant in her husband’s escape from Jack. Rescued by police detectives, we know she could be the next to get married.
But in the work of Jonna Wright and Patti Jamieson, wholly revamped for Shaw Festival in a feminist direction, the gaslit Victorian setting and the general theme of mind control Very little of the original survives, except for It’s now two-way too. Bella (Julie Lumsden) soon realizes Jack’s (André Morin) actions and hatches a plan to turn the tables on her. She has to save herself because the police detective is invisible.
Generally, I think that if a material is widely offensive to a creator, it shouldn’t be produced. (There are plenty of new plays that need to be staged.) However, this “Gaslight” makes a compelling case for refurbishment, not because it suits our tastes, but because it is so satisfying as a genre drama. It doesn’t hurt that the Kelly Fox-directed production is taut and luscious. The sets and costumes are by Judith Borden. Ramsden is particularly compelling as a woman awakened to her own power.
Whether or not the revision will become a new classic remains to be seen.It could definitely be a hit on Broadway, where the original ran for three years in the 1940s under the title Angel Street.
But which works have managed to continue and why remains a great mystery. Having Shakespeare on his page certainly helps, but even he succumbs to the pressure of representation and fairness. “The Merchant of Venice” is anti-Semitic, “The Taming of the Shrew” is sexist, and “Othello” is definitely sexist and racist.
It looks like Richard III will be on the block this year. When the first Stratford Festival took place in 1953, it was no surprise that the undisabled Alec Guinness played the King. But this summer, when a play with stunning symmetry kicks off a new Tom Patterson, in a production starring Colm Feore, he’s Donna Fiore’s husband. I had just seen a garbled take on The Public Theater in Central Perk, with Danai Gurira playing the lead role without acknowledging Richard’s disability.
Fiore more than acknowledges Richard’s body. In a way, this production, directed by Stratford artistic director Antoni Cimolino, is just that. Cimolino bases the action on what is most likely the king’s skeleton discovered in 2013. Feore walks with one leg bent at an almost 90-degree angle, causing him to slouch violently and fall in some performances. If that wasn’t enough to clarify the importance of disability in the character’s conception of this work, the scoliotic curvature of Richard’s spine is sewn into his costume, designed by Francesca Karou.
I shouldn’t like it. Even if, as I do, I believe that one day everyone will be able to play anyone, it would take a handicapped person who rarely gets a job to give the role of Plum like Richard to someone else. Too many actors.
Still, what can I say? Feore is very cool and good at reading traditional roles. (Thanks to Patterson’s astounding sound effects, he barely speaks up or needs to speak up.) , a quartet of women who haunt, marry, or murder, and are very good.In fact, in this production, it’s a quintet of women.The assassins he hires to do his worst deeds – get in his way. Murdering the Boy Prince – It’s Jane, not James Tyrell anymore.
Despite its modifications and modern framing devices, this remains a traditional revival in the best sense. It restores the power of the story by keeping the word believed. That’s what makes all the Canadian revivals I’ve seen so powerful. (Well, there was a half-hearted “Hamlet.”) If there’s anything that promotes that quality here, it’s the repertoire system. there are 10 works Ongoing this season. show is 11Talk about maturity! Most things get better the more you do them.
Stratford Festival
The repertoire of “All’s Well That Ends Well,” “Chicago,” and “Richard III” ends October 30th. Stratford, Ontario. Stratfordfestival.ca.
show festival
“Gaslight” is in the repertoire until October 8th. Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. shawfest.com.
