Two winners on Tom Patterson stage at Stratford Festival

I wrote earlier this week about the fact Stratford Festival's production of Mary Stuart has been extended three times already, now running through to October 11th.  It is quickly becoming one of the must-see productions at this year's Festival, and with good reason.  It features an all-star cast, exceptional direction from Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino and a sparkling adaptation of the original Friedrich Schiller text by Peter Oswald.

The story sounds rather contemporary, too, as Cimolino writes in his Director's Notes:  "Here is a story about religious extremism, fanatics willing to die for their God, gender politics and a society struggling to find its way to democracy."  Sound familiar?  Of course it does, as it refers to any number of countries in the world today.

The play was originally written in the shadow of the French Revolution, when France had overthrown its king and become - sort of at least - a much more liberal society.  That being said, there was still bloodshed, terror and eventually a dictatorship still to come.  The year was 1800 and Schiller wrote about England rather than France or Germany and the issue of religious freedom.

There is more than enough intrigue in Oswald's new adaptation; even though you know the ultimate outcome, it still holds you in suspense.  The idea of having Mary Stuart, otherwise known as Mary, Queen of Scots, meet her English counterpart Elizabeth is a delicious one.  They never did meet in real life, as Mary remained confined to the Tower of London before Elizabeth eventually gave the order to have Mary executed years later.  What we have here is a sort of "what if" scenario; that situation we all think of being in at one time or another if we could only face a tormenter face-to-face and say what was really on our minds.

The cast really makes this production soar:  the all-star lineup includes some of the best talent from the Stratford Festival, all in top form here.  James Blendick is always reliable, as he is here in the role of Amias Paulet; Patricia Collins does solid work as Hanna Kennedy, and Peter Hutt is effective as Aubespine.  But the real accolades go to the two female leads in this production, going head-to-head for the hearts and minds of the audience.  Lucy Peacock gives a typically strong performance as the persecuted Mary Stuart while Seana McKenna is a dynamic Elizabeth.  Both these Stratford veterans rarely disappoint; here they joust in the second act's meeting scene and the sparks fly.  Oh to have been a fly on the wall if this exchange had actually happened years ago!

Other roles worthy of mention are Brian Dennehy rather oddly cast I thought as the Earl of Shrewsbury, although he was good; Geraint Wyn Davies as the Earl of Leicester and Ben Carlson as Lord Burleigh.  See what I mean about an all-star cast?  Oh, and Ian Lake as the misguided Mortimer, leather pants and all, makes quite an impression as well.

Overall the sets are spare but well executed on the Tom Patterson stage, and the largely period costumes are very lavish.

Mary Stuart continues until October 11th and although much of the run is sold out, you might still be able to get a seat at one of those last performances in October.  The production is at the Tom Patterson Theatre and rates a very strong 3 out of 4 stars.

Also on the Patterson stage is Samuel Beckett's modern masterpiece, Waiting for Godot, continuing until September 20th.  I remember seeing this play at Factory Theatre in Toronto as part of a school trip on a rainy night many years ago, and I just couldn't get my head around it.  It has been a challenge ever since then, but successive productions with exceptional casts, especially at the Stratford Festival, have given me the opportunity to understand and fully appreciate the genius of Beckett's play.

Here, director Jennifer Tarver marshals the considerable talents of several Stratford stalwarts, all well versed in the complexities of the text and the challenges it presents.  It is a challenging show, but the rewards are great.  In her notes, Tarver rightly disputes the old adage Waiting for Godot is a play in which "nothing happens, twice" by suggesting it is really very little that doesn't happen in this play.  She says Beckett takes humanity and the universe and puts them under a microscope.  While on the surface it appears nothing happens, underneath it all a lot is really going on.

Stephen Ouimette appears as Estragon opposite Tom Rooney's Vladimir and both bring a lot of clarity and when needed, humour to their roles.  They meet up with Brian Dennehy as Pozzo and Randy Hughson as his servant Lucky.  Dennehy and Ouimette always work well together as they do again here; Hughson as Lucky is truly magnificent in his suffering and the eventual unleashing of his verbal tirade in the second act.

There are two young lads taking the part of the Boy, alternating in the role:  Ethan Ioannidis and Noah Jalava.

The set is very modern and sleek, typically minimalist as the play requires.  The costumes, well, they are as you would expect, pretty old and shopworn yet perfectly suited to the production.

Waiting for Godot is certainly an acquired taste, and I have acquired that taste over the years.  It is a play that grows on you over time, and this production will not disappoint.  It rates a strong 3 out of 4 stars and continues at the Tom Patterson Theatre until September 20th.

Enjoy the theatre!

August 3rd, 2013.