A couple of the early-season openings at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival that are expected to do quite well this season are two of the musical offerings, and since I have seen both of these already, let's look at them and see what they have to offer.
Stratford as a rich history of producing inventive, witty updates to the classic Gilbert & Sullivan comic operas from over a century ago; many of us who have been going to Stratford for some time will remember with affection Brian McDonald's popular productions at the Avon Theatre in the late 80s and early 90s. Back then it all seemed very new to many audience-goers, catching a production of The Gondoliers or The Mikado or H.H.S. Pinafore with clever new lyrics and dialogue reflecting the social and political climate of the day here in Canada, often delivered in the patented 'patter-songs' by Stratford veteran Richard McMillan.
That was then and now is now. Now, we have a new version of The Pirates of Penzance, or, The Slave of Duty, directed on the Avon stage by Ethan McSweeny. McSweeny confesses in his programme notes this is his first foray into Gilbert & Sullivan, and he has decided we don't need to embellish them so much as uncover and exploit what is already present in both text and score, which are already quite witty. True enough, but perhaps he doesn't go quite far enough in this new production, and the result is a rather lacklustre affair not sure what it wants to be: a G&S comic opera or a live stage version of Pirates of the Caribbean.
Oh sure, there are some clever touches with the set design and the Victorian-era backstage cues in front of the curtain rather than behind, but this show just appears too silly at times, lacking the style and grace and indeed a lot of the wit of the McDonald-era shows of many years ago. There is one nod to updating the script in the famous patter-song I am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General, sung with gusto in this production by C. David Johnson. In the usual G&S encore of the piece, they poke some fun at Stratford Artistic Directors past and present, ending up with a big picture of - who else? - Des McAnuff. Sources tell me the original idea for the number was scaled back somewhat during previews but perhaps they went far enough with it as we see it now and that conclusion was wisely arrived at early on in the preview run.
Other performances worth noting are Sean Arbuckle as Thomas the Pirate King, Kyle Blair as his indentured apprentice, Frederic, and Gabrielle Jones as Frederic's nursemaid, Ruth. Also worthy of note is a very sweet performance by Amy Wallis as Mabel, the apple of Frederic's eye, and Steve Ross as Sergeant of the Police.
This Pirates of Penzance won't be remembered as their best production of this season, although it is fun. But there are better offerings this season, both musical and otherwise, so unless you are a die-hard G&S fan, look elsewhere at Stratford this year. It rates a two out of four stars and continues at the Avon Theatre until October 28th.
Meantime, over on the Festival stage, one of the big-budget productions this season Stratford is pinning its hopes on is the Harry Warren/Al Dubin classic, 42nd Street, continuing until October 28th as well. Director Gary Griffin and choreographer Alex Sanchez team up with designer Debra Hanson to produce a lavish, sparkly production evoking the glory years of Hollywood musicals. The finale of Act One, for example, has the cast in gold and silver outfits singing "We're In the Money" with all the glitz and glamour of days past. It ultimately proves to be the show-stopping number of the production, and there is another full act to go at that point. But for me, the finale to the second act seemed almost anti-climactic after that big show-stopper at the end of Act One. Sure, there was lots to like in the Second Act, but it doesn't quite reach the heights you are expecting after everything you've seen up to that point.
Musically, the show can't be faulted, save for the Shuffle Off to Buffalo number in the Second Act, which just didn't work for me. Otherwise, this production is first rate. If nothing else, it shows younger audience members what Hollywood did best during their glory years and gives older audience members a wonderful opportunity to relive those years which, while not perfect, had a lot of good memories tied to them.
The cast is exceptional here, as it should be for a marquee musical at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. Kyle Blair again shows up in a musical, this time as Billy Lawlor, and he is great. The so-called great impresario, Julian Marsh, who is staging this big show, is played by Sean Arbuckle with just the right amount of ice in his veins but ultimately, a big heart to go along with it. Other supporting cast members with good turns are Steve Ross as Abner Dillon and Naomi Costain as Annie "Anytime" Reilley.
But the two female stars of the show, each battling it out for the audience's affections, are crowd favourite Cynthia Dale returning to Stratford to play Dorothy Brock, the "big name" in this show within a show, and young upstart Peggy Sawyer, wanting to break into the chorus and ending up the star of the show, played by Jennifer Rider-Shaw. Jennifer has appeared in many Stratford musicals in the past, including Evita and last season's Jesus Christ Superstar. But here she gets to let loose and tap her way into audience members' hearts with a fabulous performance. It's a funny thing, but I was less enthused about Cynthia's return after seeing the show than about Jennifer's show-stopping performance. Cynthia is great, but this perhaps is not the best vehicle to signal her return to the Stratford musical scene, as she really doesn't get to do the big dance numbers this time; those go to Jennifer. A calculated risk on her part? Perhaps...
Anyway, people will love this show and it will pack them in for the duration of the run at the Festival Theatre through to October 28th. I don't think it is the best musical they have ever done, but it is darn entertaining nonetheless. 42nd Street rates a strong three out of four stars.
July 30th, 2012.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment