Season updates from the Stratford Festival

Just as I wrapped up the Shaw Festival season on Thursday with news and notes that have crossed my desk lately, I thought I would do the same with the Stratford Festival this weekend, as there is plenty of news to report on the last couple of weeks.

The season has been a very successful one at Stratford; so much so, several productions have been extended beyond the original closing dates, with some more than once.  The latest extensions include:  Mary Stuart, extended a fourth time at the Tom Patterson Theatre until October 19th; Measure for Measure, also at the Tom Patterson Theatre until September 28th; Waiting for Godot at the same venue until September 26th; Taking Shakespeare at the Studio Theatre until September 27th; and one of the big musicals this season, Fiddler on the Roof starring Scott Wentworth as Tevye, has been extended at the Festival Theatre until October 27th.

Personally, I feel Fiddler on the Roof is a much purer musical experience than the other big musical, The Who's Tommy over the Avon, which actually is described as a rock opera.  As good as Tommy very clearly is, I found myself much more satisfied after Fiddler, actually.  While Tommy is a visual extravaganza that truly caters to an audience accustomed to visual stimulus on a regular basis while watching movies and such, Fiddler caters to those who were brought up on traditional musicals with a message for a longer period of time.  I enjoyed both shows immensely, but Fiddler to me is the better musical this year.

Other productions still open and ready for your late-season enjoyment at Stratford include:  Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet at the Festival Theatre until October 19th; Peter Raby's adaptation of the novel by Alexandre Dumas, The Three Musketeers, at the Festival Theatre until October 19th as well; Scott Wentworth as Shylock in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice until October 18th at the Festival Theatre; the aforementioned rock opera Tommy at the Avon Theatre until October 19th; Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit at the Avon until October 20th; Shakespeare's Othello at the Avon until October 19th; and Judith Thompson's The Thrill starring Lucy Peacock until September 22nd.

I know The Thrill is closing tomorrow, but if you have not seen it already and have the time tomorrow, I would highly recommend it, as it is an exceptional show.  My other recommendations from the several  Stratford shows still running would certainly include Mary Stuart if you can even get a ticket; The Merchant of Venice; Measure for Measure; Taking Shakespeare; Tommy and of course, Fiddler on the Roof.

I was very much impressed with new Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino's maiden season at the helm of the Stratford Festival.  He may not have the star power of some of the earlier Artistic Directors, but he is solidly grounded in the classics and the Stratford Festival culture, so he is very well equipped to raise the Festival to a higher level than we have seen in recent seasons.  His innovations such as the Forum offerings allowed people to make the Festival more than just a theatre outing, thus enriching their overall experience.  I would expect even more of this in coming seasons.

If you have not heard the lineup for 2014, released some time ago, let me recap it here.  Cimolino has chosen a dozen plays that collectively explore the theme of Madness:  Minds Pushed to the Edge.  Highlights include Shakespeare's King Lear, the Gershwin musical Crazy for You, Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream and Farquhar's The Beaux' Stratagem all at the Festival Theatre; Noel Coward's Hay Fever, the Darion/Leigh musical Man of La Mancha, and James Reaney's adaptation of Lewis Carroll's Alice Through the Looking Glass, all at the Avon Theatre; Brecht's Mother Courage, Shakespeare's King John and Antony and Cleopatra all at the Tom Patterson Theatre; and over at the Studio Theatre will be Bouchard's Christina, The Girl King translated by Linda Gaboriau, and wait for it, another production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, described as a Chamber Play interpretation of the classic Shakespeare text.

The two productions of A Midsummer Night's Dream present an interesting point/counterpoint at next year's Stratford Festival.  As Cimolino noted earlier this season, "For the first time in our history, we will examine a Shakespeare play in two different productions within the same season."  The first at the Festival Theatre will be directed by Chris Abraham who directed this season's Othello;  the second at the Studio Theatre by one of the most highly-regarded, internationally-acclaimed directors of Shakespeare, Peter Sellars.  Cimolino notes each director will "present two very different approaches to Shakespeare's text".

One other note that provides some icing on the theatrical cake for Stratford this season, earlier this month, acclaimed actor Seana McKenna received the degree of Doctor of Sacred Letters, honoris causa, from the University of Trinity College in the University of Toronto, where she attended on scholarship as an Honours English major before making her Stratford Festival debut as Helena in the 1982 production of, what else?, A Midsummer Night's Dream!

In the citation made by Antoni Cimolino, McKenna was described, quite rightly, as "simply one of the greatest actors Canada has every produced", before she was "hooded" by Toronto Star theatre critic Richard Ouzounian.  I would agree wholeheartedly with Cimolino's citation, as she proved yet again this season in Mary Stuart, for example, her stage presence commands your attention and respect.  She is indeed one of the Festival's brightest lights and certainly one of the best actors this country can claim as our own.

For my reviews of all Stratford productions this season, just refer to the archived links to the right of my blog posting; for my ratings of all productions this season, log on to my website at www.finemusic.ca and click on the Calendar page.

If you still have time to catch a late-season performance at the Stratford Festival, fall is a wonderful time to visit the city and the Festival.  For tickets, call the box office at 1-800-567-1600 or log on to www.stratfordfestival.ca.

See you at the theatre!

September 21st, 2013.