A Word or Two about the Stratford Shakespeare Festival

I just got back from a day trip to Stratford on the weekend, just after the opening last week of Christopher Plummer's celebratory one-man show, A Word or Two, and I'll have more than a word or two to say about it momentarily.  But first, the latest news from the Festival came yesterday with a release announcing the completion of the changing of the guard at the top of the Festival for the coming season.

I wrote in this space earlier this season when it was announced Artistic Director Des McAnuff would be leaving at the end of this current season, and General Director Antoni Cimolino had been appointed as the new Artistic Director effective November 1st of this year.  Having seen the work Antoni has done in the past with the Festival, I think this is a good fit for all concerned, and we can expect some good things in the coming years at Stratford.

Now it has been announced Anita Gaffney will take over as Executive Director of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival as of November 1st of this year.  Anita has been with the Festival for 21 years now, most recently as Administrative Director and previous to that as Marketing Director, designing the Festival's customer relationship marketing system, which has proven to be a very successful model.  In the release that came out yesterday, Mr. Cimolino noted the family ties run deep at the Festival for Anita, saying:  "It seems most fitting that Anita's father, Oliver Gaffney, literally built the Stratford Festival auditorium.  He passed on to her a profound love for the Festival and a desire to see it flourish and aspire to reach new heights.  This is a passion we share."  We'll see where that combined passion takes us starting next year!

Now, speaking of passion, it is no secret Christopher Plummer has a passion for words.  They are his life and have been for the better part of eight decades.  It should come as no surprise that Plummer, celebrated on both stage and in film for many years now and an Academy Award winner to boot, wanted to help celebrate the 60th Anniversary season of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival as well.  He has been at the Festival off an on for many years now, almost from the beginning.  So, he teamed up with Artistic Director Des McAnuff to revamp his long-running one-man show for the Avon stage, where it continues only until August 26th.

Director McAnuff has helped to bring the words to life along with Plummer and set designer Robert Brill, who has created a staircase of books as a backdrop to the otherwise sparse and simple stage design.  The overall effect is breathtaking when you walk into the theatre, as you immediately sense you are in for something special.

When the lights come up and Plummer appears onstage, sitting at the base of the book 'staircase', the applause is immediate and genuine.  There is a connection between Christopher and the audience almost from the first words he utters, and it never wavers throughout the 90 minute show.  He appears almost frail at first, walking the stage and arranging the props just as he likes them, wearing about the most sensible walking shoes imaginable.  But as the show goes on the words invigorate him - and us - as he breathes new life into passages that have touched him over the years from the likes of Shakespeare, Shaw and Wilde to A.A. Milne, Rostand and MacLeish, and even a friendly nod to famed Canadian storyteller Stephen Leacock among many others.

Christopher Plummer has lived life well over the years, some of his exploits being documented in the show, as well as some snippets of his early years and family life in his native Montreal.  You never find out too much about his early years, just enough thank you very much.  The audience didn't care, of course; they were there to celebrate the written word right along with him and with them, his life as well.

There is alway a danger a show of this nature could veer towards the self-indulgent, but Plummer and McAnuff wisely and carefully choose their course and keep things informative yet light, pleasant but not too probing.  The balance works well.  Oh sure, it would be nice to hear even longer passages than the short snippets we hear; that is natural in a case like this.  But Plummer and McAnuff keep things moving at a good clip and the show never lags.

One of the most gratifying aspects of the show, I found, was the genuine love for Canada and for Canadians he displays throughout.  It celebrates Canada as well as Canadian theatre along with his strong associations with both.  How can you not appreciate and respect him for that?

Criticism?  Not much.  Perhaps wearing a belt when his jacket is undone might be nice.  But other than that, there is not much to dislike about A Word or Two.  Christopher Plummer is a national treasure by now and he could stand on stage and read the proverbial phonebook while they are still around, and the audience would be happy.  He doesn't of course, and we're all the better for it.

The run is unfortunately very short for A Word or Two; it closes at the Avon Theatre August 26th.  But if you are one of those lucky ones to have already bought your tickets, you will be richly rewarded with a loving tribute to the written word from a man who loves them as much as he loves life itself.

The show may not be perfect, but this is Christopher Plummer all alone onstage, for heaven's sake!  When might we have the pleasure of that experience again, you have to ask.  As such, a very strong four out of four stars for A Word or Two from this corner.

Enjoy the show!

August 15th, 2012.