I know I am late getting around to my notes from Stratford, but better late than never, I suppose. It has been a disappointing year for me: not the productions, the ones of which I saw being uniformly excellent; what was disappointing for me was the fact this was the first year in twenty-five years I did not attend all productions during the season. Lots of reasons for that this year, the main one being duty calls: major work around the house this summer took up most of my summer vacation time. So, I took one for the theatre, as it were, and limited myself to a couple of weekend trips totalling four productions. Let's look at those now...
Oklahoma! (Festival Theatre; runs to November 4th):
The Stratford Festival just has a knack for staging spectacular versions of classic musicals, and this ranks right up there with the best. The music is by Richard Rodgers and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and the cast does the musical justice. Dan Chameroy is a big crowd-pleaser as Curly; the object of his affection is Blythe Wilson's Laurey Williams and she matches him every step of the way. Most of the supporting cast is first-rate, with Nora McLellan almost stealing the show as Aunt Eller and David W. Keeley as nasty Jud Fry. The only quibble I had was the character of Ali Hakim, played here by Jonathan Ellul. He does the best he can with this thankless role; I fail to see why all the ladies are attracted to him. Overall, the staging is bright and exhuberant, and the sets are magnificent. It rates a full four stars, and you still have time to escape to Oklahoma this year!
My One and Only (Avon Theatre; runs to October 28th):
The second musical at Stratford this season is at the smaller Avon Theatre, although the production doesn't suffer a bit from the smaller space. Like the production of Anything Goes! a couple of seasons back, this so-called 'new Gershwin musical' just makes you feel good. The sets and costumes are exceptional; the choreography is nothing short of breathtaking. As for the cast, Laird Mackintosh is suitably nice as Captain Billy Buck Chandler, the daredevil pilot smitten by the bathing beauty Edythe Herbert, current star of a 1930s Hollywood-style swimming and dancing extravaganza, played by Cynthia Dale who goes from strength to strength each season at Stratford. His real-life partner, Dayna Tekatch is a real spark-plug as Chandler's mechanic sidekick Mickey, who eventually falls for the nasty Prince Nikki, played with much bravado by David W. Keeley. Others in the cast worth watching for are Mark Cassius as Mr. Magix and Marcus Nance as Reverend J.D. Montgomery. Michael Lichtefeld has the cast moving about the stage with total precision, and Berthold Carriere handles conducting duties in the pit. Tommy Tune was the man behind the original production of this Gershwin recreation, which was a huge success on Broadway back in the 80s. This new production need not apologize to anyone - it is a sure fire hit and rates a solid four stars. My One and Only continues at the Avon Theatre until October 28th.
To Kill A Mockingbird (Avon Theatre; runs to October 27th):
This play, based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Harper Lee, still resonates with today's audiences and has not aged at all over the years. Set in racially-divided Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression, widowed lawyer Atticus Finch raises his children in a difficult environment. His decision to defend a young black man falsely accused of raping a white woman causes tremendous strain within his tight-knit family, but the eyes of his children are opened to the racial intolerance around them during the trial. Peter Donaldson, one of the solid male leads for many years at Stratford shines as Finch, and his assistant Heck Tate is handled well by Keith Dinicol. The real star of this production, however, is young Abigail Winter-Culliford as Finch's daughter Scout. She very nearly steals the show herself. Susan Schulman is the director for this production, and the subject matter she handles with great care. Sets and costumes are evocative of the era and complement the production perfectly. Some pretty touchy subject matter here, dealing with an era when blacks were less than second-class citizens. But it serves as a reminder of how far we've come, and how far we have yet to go. Three stars and worth a visit before the end of the season, To Kill a Mockingbird runs to October 27th.
A Delicate Balance (Tom Patterson Theatre; ran to September 23rd):
Unfortunately, this production closed much too soon, as many more would likely have wanted to see this jewel of a production of Edward Albee's famous play. There is another bittersweet aspect to A Delicate Balance, as William Hutt was scheduled to come out of retirement to play Tobias opposite Martha Henry's Agnes, but he died suddenly in June. David Fox did a fine job as Hutt's replacement, but you could only imagine what the production would have been like had Hutt played the role. Both Hutt and Henry had played opposite each other in many productions, almost always with spectacular results. That's not to take anything away from this production, to be sure, as it still manages to shine with all cast members putting in exceptional performances. Fiona Reid is a standout as Agnes' alcoholic sister, Claire, and Michelle Giroux is suitably bitchy as daughter Julia, escaping yet another failed marriage. It is especially interesting to watch James Blendick's subdued portrayal of neighbour Harry - truly worth the visit in itself! I hope Stratford finds a way to revive this production in the future and give it a longer run - it ended far too soon. Even without William Hutt, it rated four stars.
So, that's it for my visits to Stratford this season. Next year, lots of interest is already building as a new era begins following the passing of the torch by Artistic Director Richard Monette. His tenure at Stratford has been marked by tremendous highs and some excruciating lows, but he always entertained us over the years. Farewell, Richard, you will be missed!
Mike Saunders
October 18th, 2007.
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