Final two shows at Shaw and Stratford

It's hard to believe we've arrived at the end of another season of writing about my two favourite theatre festivals in Ontario, Shaw and Stratford, but here we are, three months after I began writing for another summer season.  I have two shows left to write about, one from each festival, and then I will take a short break before doing a final overview later in the month on how each festival performed this year.

Let's begin with the final production I saw at the Shaw Festival this year, Henrik Ibsen's Hedda Gabler, in a new version by Richard Eyre.  This production, which continues at the Court House Theatre until September 29th, is directed by Martha Henry and stars many of the finer actors at the Shaw Festival this season.  Henry, who is more closely associated with her acting and directing duties at Stratford, made this trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake count as she has given us one of the better Heddas we've seen in a long time.

Now, Hedda Gabler is not for everyone, I'll say right off the top.  It will be a bit of a tough go for some people, but if you are prepared for that going in, and I suspect most will be, you will be rewarded with a richly detailed and nuanced production with just enough tension as Henry holds the directorial reigns taut.  Granted, things get a little too melodramatic towards the end, but you almost can't avoid it with this play, as it puts many a modern-day soap-opera to shame.

I love the sets and costumes designed by William Schmuck, which nicely set off the production in the intimate setting of the Court House Theatre.

It is the cast, though, that truly makes this show special, with Moya O'Connell in the title role simply magnificent.  I'm told she took great pains to even be able to play the piano herself in this production; testament to her dedication to getting the role just right.  She does, giving Hedda the right balance of cleverness bordering on insanity without quite going over the edge.  Hers is a chilling character study of a woman bent on destruction, that of others around her and ultimately, herself.

O'Connell is backed up by Jennifer Phipps in a typically splendid turn as Berthe; Mary Haney as Juliana Tesman and Patrick McManus as Hedda's husband, George Tesman.  But that role of George Tesman does provide some problems, however, as you are struck by how far apart on an emotional and intellectual level the two characters truly are in this production.  How they were attracted to each other, much less marry, is a mystery, really.  He is a scholarly man who is more interested in words rather than women, it seems, and she is icily aloof, making you wonder how they even noticed one another to begin with.  In a modern setting, perhaps, it would be like Penny and Sheldon actually hooking up in Big Bang Theory!  Not going to happen...

The other performance of note is Jim Mezon as the crafty and cooly calculating Judge Brack, who knows what he wants from Hedda and how to get it.  His interest in her is purely unemotional, as evidenced by his coldness when he quietly leaves the final scene in the play.

This Hedda Gabler, the second Shaw production of the play, will leave audiences spellbound.  It is an exceptionally well-crafted work and well worth your attention before it closes on the 29th of the month.  Hedda rates a very strong three out of four stars.

Now, on to the final show at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival this season.  Shakespeare's Henry V was getting a lot of attention early on this season when I talked with locals in the know and the feeling was this would be a lavish production for the 60th season at Stratford, and Artistic Director Des McAnuff's swan song before leaving at the end of this current season.

Thankfully, McAnuff has shunned the excessive stage effects and given us a pretty stark and brutal interpretation of the play.  Often edited to omit the execution scenes, McAnuff here opted to show the execution of Lieutenant Bardolph, for example, in a particularly effective and chilling manner at the end of Act One.  Bardolph, one of the late Falstaff's companions, is a genial fellow who is well played here by Randy Hughson, and his execution is an image you'll take with you long after the play ends.

In spite of the brutality in Henry V, McAnuff wisely accentuates some of the more humorous and lighter moments in the play, especially when Catherine, the daughter of the French King is being wooed by King Henry V.  Catherine, played with great charm by Bethany Jillard, is a delight as we watch her try to learn English in order to converse more clearly with the victorious Englishman.  Her attempt to understand 'elbow' for example, is a delight to watch.

As Henry, Aaron Krohn is both brutal and charming, and in command of the stage throughout the production.  He is clearly smitten by Catherine and appears genuine in his desire to woo her properly.

Others in the cast worthy of mention include James Blendick with that wonderfully mellifluous voice of his as the Archbishop of Canterbury; Tom Rooney as an effective Pistol; Lucy Peacock as Pistol's wife and Ben Carlson as the Welshman, Captain Fluellen.  Also worthy of praise are Keith Dinicol as Captain MacMorris, and Irishman, and Juan Chioran as the French ambassador Montjoy.  I was also interested to see Deborah Hay, long a Shaw Festival stalwart, in a small but effective role as Alice, Catherine's lady-in-waiting.

This Henry the V will certainly add to the lustre of the 60th anniversary of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival and be a suitable sign-off for Artistic Director McAnuff.  It runs to September 29th on the Festival Theatre stage, and rates a very strong three out of four stars.

Enjoy the theatre!

September 14th, 2012.