Stratford Festival provides some challenging theatre this season

I just returned from a few days in Stratford, catching five more plays in what is proving to be a generally impressive season at the annual Shakespearean Festival.  So from now to the end of the summer we'll be alternating back and forth between Stratford and Shaw, providing my reviews in this space on our two major theatre festivals in Ontario.

Today, we'll look at a couple of the more challenging plays offered at the Stratford Festival, both of which bring rewards for those who choose to accept the challenge.  Musicals they are not, but there is no denying their impact at the Festival this season.

Firstly, we'll look at Frank Galati's adaptation of John Steinbeck's epic The Grapes of Wrath, directed by Stratford's General Director, Antoni Cimolino.  It continues at the Avon Theatre until October 29th.  As you can imagine, the play's subject matter, dealing as it does with the the escape of a half-million people from Oklahoma to supposed new hope in California during the dreadful "dirty thirties", can be hard to watch at times, but Galati's faithful adaptation of Steinbeck's novel manages to inject some flecks of humour amongst the grey, dreary landscape faced by all those people years ago as they made their way across the country.

To many today, it is almost impossible to comprehend what our parents and their parents would have endured back then, with little or no social safety net to fall back on at the time.  The strife is almost unbearable to watch, let alone endure, but the journey for both us and characters in the play is ultimately worthwhile.  There might be very little light at the end of the proverbial tunnel, but at least there is a little light.

Director Cimolino has provided some lovely touches here, such as a pool onstage at one point the characters splash around in, and some timely music to break up the scenes performed by Anna Atkinson and George Meanwell, both of whom provide a delightful musical balm for the hardships played out onstage.

Performances are generally very good, with top marks going to Evan Buliung as Tom Joad, Victor Ertmanis as Pa Joad, Chilina Kennedy as Rose of Sharon, and Chick Reid as Granma Joad.  Special mention goes to Janet Wright as Ma, and Tom McCamus as Jim Casy, a defrocked priest who tags along with the Joad family on their trek across North America.

The set design is quite evocative of the landscape and period, provided by designer John Arnone, and costumes are provided by Carolyn M. Smith.

The Grapes of Wrath continues until October 29th at the Avon Theatre, and rates a strong 3 out of 4 stars.

Meanwhile, over at the Tom Patterson Theatre, Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus presents its own set of challenges, both for the audience and the cast.  It is a Shakespeare play we don't often get a chance to see, and perhaps infrequently is just as well.  Not to say director Darko Tresnjak doesn't get the job done here; he does, but the rampant brutality of the play, not glossed over in this production, makes it tough to endure, I found.

Shakespeare was a relatively young man when he wrote Titus about 1594.  The Roman characters depicted in the play never actually existed, and their brutal vengeful ways are all products of Shakespeare's very fertile imagination.  It probably is not too much of a stretch to suggest Roman society at the time was at least somewhat accurately depicted in Shakespeare's play, but boy, you have to wonder about a so-called 'civilized' society that treats subjects the way this play depicts them.

As the director emphasizes in his program notes, the violence in Titus is indeed extreme, and in fact, essential to tell the story.  That may very well be, but for this seasoned theatre-goer who has seen just about everything over the years, I still found myself turning away when Lavinia, daughter to Titus, is raped and her hands and tongue cut off afterwards.  Yes, I know it is theatre and not real, but the act is so brutal you find many squirming in their seats in the theatre.

In the climactic final scene when death after death eliminates most of the main characters from the play, the audience is left breathless at the sheer magnitude of the violence, as they witness the brutality of a regime that simply knows no other way.  Revenge may be a dish best served cold, as they say, but Titus raises the idea to a whole different level.

The performances are largely very strong, with top marks going to John Vickery in the title role, losing his hand during the play and ultimately his life at the end.  As his daughter Lavinia, Amanda Lisman handles a difficult role with great skill.  Meantime, Claire Lautier's Tamora, the Queen of the Goths is the     picture of evil, as she directs her sons Chiron and Demetrius to perform the unspeakable atrocities on Lavinia.  As the sons, Brendan Murray and Bruce Godfree actually bring some comic relief during much of the play, presenting themselves almost as a Frick & Frack pairing.  It doesn't always work, but it does help relieve the tension.  Finally, Dion Johnstone puts in a very effective performances as Tamora's virile lover, Aaron.

The set is simply yet beautifully executed, and the costuming is pretty much period, which is a nice change.  But make no mistake, this is not a play for the faint of heart, so prepare yourself beforehand.  That being said, I found it intriguing theatre, and worth the effort.

Titus Andronicus plays at the Tom Patterson Theatre until September 24th, and rates a respectable 3 out of 4 stars.

August 8th, 2011.