The summer theatre festival season is once again upon us, and again this season, I am spending many a day or evening attending theatre performances at both the Shaw and the Stratford Festivals. So I thought for the next few weeks, I would share with you my capsule comments on some of the offerings at both festivals in case you are planning to attend. We'll begin with three shows at the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake:
The Cassilis Engagement, by St John Hankin (Court House Theatre until October 5th):
Once you get past the author's unorthodox name, you are presented with a period piece that doesn't appear the least bit dated. The story deals with a well-to-do English family coming to grips with their son's choice of woman to marry. She is a commoner, and they know she won't fit in. But Mrs. Cassilis wisely plays the waiting game, allowing the young lady to find out for herself when she visits their country estate for a period of time. Of course, she is bored to tears by the life lead by the well-to-do, and longs for her London home, excitement, and just plain more fun. Former Shaw Artistic Director Christopher Newton directs and he is clearly in his element here: watch for the clever set changes in between acts, beautifully choreographed to the music. Not a single detail is overlooked, and the set is very bright and sunny. Standout performances include Donna Belleville as the busybody godmother The Countess of Remenham; Goldie Semple as Mrs. Cassilis, and Mary Haney is hilarious as the rough-edged Mrs. Borridge. Honourable mention goes to Laurie Paton as Lady Marchmont and David Leyshon as the smitten Geoffrey Cassilis. As for his fiancee? Trish Lindstrom is sweet yet tart as Ethel Borridge, as she discovers what she's in for should she marry into the family. Oh, and one other performance of note: Patrick Galligan as Major Warrington gives another exceptional performance in a season of same for this talented actor. Perhaps not for everyone, but I think most will find this play funny, relevant, clever and beautifully performed. Three out of four stars.
The Philanderer by Bernard Shaw (Royal George Theatre until October 7th):
This is early Shaw; in fact his second play, dating from 1893 but not publicly performed until 1907. Directed by Alisa Palmer, this is a clever and elegant presentation, with nice sets and costumes, good ensemble work and of course, Shaw's trademark biting humour and witty repartee. The only drawback here is the fast pace of the dialogue might be hard for some to follow, as they take things at a very good clip. That said, I think most will enjoy the show, especially if they are fortunate enough to catch a performance with the rarely-performed fourth act. I missed that at my performance, and wish I could have seen it, for at the end of three acts you are left with unanswered questions and wanting more. Shaw termed the play a "topical comedy", and it is clearly that, dealing with the so-called "New Woman" and the sexual desires of both men and women as they face the new reality. Good ensemble work here, including Deborah Hay's understated and elegant Grace Tranfield; Nicole Underhay as a vixen playing Julia Craven; Norman Browning as the stuffy but funny Mr. Joseph Cuthbertson; and Peter Hutt typically extroverted as Colonel Daniel Craven. Ben Carlson is okay as Leonard Charteris, the young lad all the women seem to want to be with, but I personally found him to be a bit too wishy-washy for the part. Still, a good performance overall, and a solid three out of four stars.
A Month In The Country by Brian Friel, after Turgenev (Court House Theatre to October 6th):
Director Tadeusz Bradecki serves up an interesting bit of theatre here: one you have to warm to over the course of the performance, as the first act is a little slow. It runs about 1 1/2 hours, but the dialogue is very good and the ensemble work is typically excellent. The staging is simple, but beautifully done. This is a Russian play dating from 1850 originally, updated by the Irish playwright Brian Friel which makes it a little easier to swallow for modern theatre-goers. Once again, we have an interesting scenario played out on stage - a woman, Natalya, married to an adoring husband, but attracted to other men as well. During this month in the country, lots of challenges face the dynamic Natalya and her many gentlemen. Some of the performances are a little iffey: for example, I never did take to David Schurmann's Herr Schaaf, a tutor who just seems to get in the way, and Michael Ball as a goofy Afanasy, a neighbouring landlord. Not his best peformance, I find. But others are very good, indeed. Thom Marriott is strong as servant Matvey; Marla McLean does a nice turn as Natalya's ward, Vera; and Patricia Hamilton is very strong as Arkady's widowed mother, Anna. As for the rest, Sharry Flett is typically excellent as Anna's companion, Fiona Byrne is conniving and attractive as Natalya, and Blair Williams is solid as Arkady. This will not be everyone's choice for a good time, but if you see several other plays at Shaw this season, it will make a nice addition to the fold. Three out of four stars.
More from Shaw in my next report next month!
Mike Saunders
July 30th, 2007.
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