Stratford Festival season gets underway with two winners

Earlier in June I ventured out to Stratford for my first visit of the season and caught my first two shows, so let's get underway with my reviews of offerings at Stratford during their 60th season.  However, before I do, I have a small matter of disclosure to take care of here to be perfectly honest with you.

The weekend we were in Stratford, June 9th & 10th, we caught Thornton Wilder's The Matchmaker on the Saturday night and had Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing scheduled for the Sunday afternoon.  That was the plan; however following The Matchmaker on Saturday evening, some version of the proverbial "creeping' crud" overtook me so that by Sunday morning I was barely able to stand up, with a fever and pounding headache.  In spite of it all, we made it to the matinee performance but had to abandon the show at intermission.  Now this is something I have never had to do in over thirty years of writing on the theatre; but that day it was just not worth it to continue.  The chills, the fever, and well you know how it goes...we did, with my far better half taking the wheel for the drive back as I   reclined and did my best to cope with the situation.

That being the case, my review of Much Ado About Nothing is incomplete, and I wanted to state that at the outset.  Too bad, as it was perfectly wonderful for the first act!  So let's look at Much Ado first and then move on to The Matchmaker.

Much Ado About Nothing was of particular interest for me due to the fact former Shaw Festival Artistic Director Christopher Newton, whose work I have greatly admired over the years, was the director of this production, and I was more than a little interested to see what he did with Shakespeare.  I was not disappointed.  While it is set in a more modern time than Shakespeare originally envisioned it,  in this case late 19th-century Brazil, it all seemed to fit together with an easy elegance Newton is well known for.

Christopher Newton mentions in his program notes he has never actually been to Brazil, although he has always found the country to hold a certain magic for him.  Perhaps this is why it all seems to work: it is a product of his imagination more than anything else, and isn't that a part of theatre to begin with?  The direction is light yet clearly defined, with a lavish set showing off several typical Newton touches.  Truly, this production is a feast for the eyes as well as the ears.

The cast, at least in the first act I saw, was very strong.  Former Shaw Festival standout Deborah Hay appears as Beatrice, niece of Leonato and is very good in the role.  Other standouts include Richard Binsley as the comical Dogberry, James Blendick as Leonato, Ben Carlson as Benedick, and Juan Chioran as Don Pedro.

I wish I could have seen the rest of the performance, so hopefully I can revisit the show before it closes October 27th.  It plays at the Festival Theatre, by the way, and I think it would be unfair to rate the show until I have seen the whole thing.

Now, on to Thornton Wilder's The Matchmaker, also at the Festival Theatre.  This production sports probably the closest thing to an all-star cast at the current Stratford Shakespeare Festival:  Tom McCamus in the pivotal role of Horace Vandergelder; Cara Ricketts as his niece, Ermengarde; Chick Reid as his maid, Gertrude; Mike Shara as Cornelius Hackl, chief clerk in Vandergelder's store; Geraint Wyn Davies as Malachi Stack, who is looking for employment with Vandergelder; Laura Condlin as milliner Irene Molloy; and Nora McLellan as Miss Flora Van Huysen, a wealthy spinster who almost single-handedly overtakes the second act of The Matchmaker.  But what of the female foil for Vandergelder, Dolly Gallagher Levi?  How about Seana McKenna in a very strong comic performance here.  You don't get much better than that, really.

To be honest, I found the action rather slow and almost plodding in the first act until McKenna makes her first appearance; when she does she clearly takes control of the situation much as her character takes  control of Vandergelder, and she proves to be the glue that keeps this almost over-the-top production together and on the rails.  Everything simply comes alive when Dolly takes to the stage, always being the centre of attention as The Matchmaker, ultimately wanting to make the Big Match for herself before the end of the play.

There are lots of twists and turns in the plot, each one more unlikely than the previous one, but it just adds to the fun of this theatrical equivalent to a roller-coaster ride.  Add in a lavish set and great costumes and strong ensemble work all directed by Chris Abraham, and you have what amounts to a definite crowd-pleaser at Stratford this season.  It certainly won't be your most challenging theatrical experience this season, but it is about as much fun as you can have without resorting to a full-on farce.

The Matchmaker continues until October 27th at the Festival Theatre, and rates a very strong 3 out of 4 stars.

June 27th, 2012.