Saturday, June 19, 2010

Shaw Festival season gets underway in Niagara

Last weekend I got my first trips to the Shaw Festival underway, catching a couple of shows at the small but inviting Royal George Theatre. It was great to get back again, and in fact, I return this weekend to the Court House Theatre for Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard. I'll report on that one later on in the month. For now, though, let's look at the play Harvey and the musical One Touch of Venus, both of which run until October.

Harvey, by Mary Chase, is the lighthearted tale of a man and his best friend, an invisible rabbit named, well, Harvey. Harvey lives in the imagination of one Elwood P. Dowd, an eccentric young man who causes his well-to-do family no end of embarrassment and frustration as they try to keep him away from visiting society folk who just wouldn't understand his situation. Their efforts fail, of course, and in the end, following a disastrous visit with William Chumley, an aging doctor who runs Chumley's Rest, the rest of the family have their eyes opened to the wonders of Elwood, and accept him rather than try to change him. They realize, as Elwood says in the play, "Some people are blind." When they open their eyes and see the world around them, things change for the better.

Harvey opened in New York in 1944 and ran for over four years, winning the1945 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. A Broadway revival in 1970, starring James Stewart, ran for only 79 performances; Stewart also starred in the film version in 1950, directed by Henry Koster.

I liked this production immensely. Peter Krantz, who sometimes disappoints me with his characterizations, shines in this production, perfectly cast as Dowd. He is surrounded by a strong cast including Mary Haney as Veta Louise Simmons and Norman Browning as the gruff but funny William Chumley. Jennifer Phipps puts in a short appearance as Mrs. Eugene Chauvenet, and makes the most of the moment, and Donna Belleville is equally memorable as Betty Chumley, the doctor's wife. My only disappointment was Zarrin Darnell-Martin as Veta Louise's daughter, Myrtle Mae Simmons, who comes off overly harsh in the play as someone with no compassion for Elwood and wanting to sell the house from under him.

The sets and costumes are all first-rate, with the scene changes particularly well done and fun to watch. Harvey continues at the Royal George Theatre until October 31st and rates a strong 3 out of 4 stars.

The second show of the season for me was also at the Royal George, the musical One Touch of Venus, with music by Kurt Weill, lyrics by Ogden Nash, and book by Nash and S.J. Perelman. Eda Holmes directs this production, and it is a pleasure to watch as the ensemble cast is very strong.

Many may not be familiar with the musical, but will know at least one of Weill's songs from the show, the evergreen "Speak Low", which is one of those classic, steamy love-songs we associate with a bygone era. I have always loved the song, and still remember Canadian singer Riki Turofsky's sensual turn on her disc of Kurt Weill songs that came out years ago on LP.

One Touch of Venus ran longer than any other Weill musical, opening in 1943. It ran longer even than his 1941 hit, Lady in the Dark, and made Mary Martin a star. The musical is based on F.J. Anstey's The Tinted Venus, which tells the whimsical tale of a statue of Venus who comes to life briefly and falls in love with Rodney Hatch, played by Kyle Blair with great spirit. Hatch is the first person Venus sees, and he can't believe his luck, even though he is betrothed to another. Alas, the love affair does not last, as Venus, eventually realizing getting married and settling in the suburbs to raise a family isn't for everyone, least of all her. She ends up a mere, beautiful statue again in the end, with Hatch left with wonderful memories of what could have been.

The rest of the cast surrounding Blair is equally effective, with a couple of oddities. For example, Neil Barcley, a huge talent in more ways than one, is wasted here as Stanley; he barely gets to do much with the role. And Gabrielle Jones as Gloria Kramer, who is Hatch's intended, comes off a little too shrill for me in this production. Shrill, yes, but also effective if you consider why Hatch was attracted to Venus in the first place. As the beautiful Venus that comes to life, Robin Evan Willis is very good; she's a tall woman and looks every bit the part of the goddess of love. Other peformances of note include Mark Uhre as the art afficionado Whitelaw Savory, who has bought the statue of Venus to town and is constantly after Hatch to return the statue when he thinks it's gone missing, and Deborah Hay as Molly Grant, Savory's Girl Friday who almost steals the show with her strong presence and knockout costumes.

The orchestra, led by Ryan deSouza, is compact but effective, and the sets and costumes perfectly suit the producting and the tight quarters of the Royal George Theatre. One Touch of Venus continues until October 10th, and rates a strong 3 out of 4 stars.

Next up, a visit to The Cherry Orchard...

June 19th, 2010.

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