Stratford Festival 2008
 Stratford
Shakespeare Festival by definition and tradition is very much a
Shakespeare affair, this year with Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet,
The Taming of the Shrew and others, but there are also plays
of other types, and by other playwrights.
Caesar and Cleopatra
by George Bernard Shaw
What a play! What acting! Director Des McAnuff obviously had
a clear vision of this play and found the perfect cast for it. He
allowed more humour than other classic productions dealing with
antiquity and power games of famous Romans.
This production presents Caesar more mellow and indulgent, older
and tired, yet still in rare moments a powerful and decisive general.
His relationship with Cleopatra is not a romantic one, but that
of the indulging mentor to a very young protégé. Christopher Plummer
is superb as Caesar, an old man with wisdom derived from a life
of experiences, amused by court shenanigans, nevertheless in charge
of his army and making instant decisions. Every word and every facial
expression count.
Nikki M. James as Cleopatra is a match to his Caesar, somewhat childlike,
enthusiastic, sincere, at the same time set on her course of ruling
Egypt.
Peter Donaldson has a supportive background role, still not missing
any opportunity of getting the audience laugh. Diane D’Aquila as
hissing Ftatateeta and Steven Sutcliffe as British Caesar’s assistant
are very much worth applause. The costumes by Paul Tazwell are spectacular
and the movable set design by Robert Brill a very welcome change
from the former arrangement in the Festival Theatre and deserve
a big credit.
To sum up: a superb production, one of the best this season, great
acting, Plummer enjoying himself and all the attention at his age,
new arrivals from California showing off to the Stratford audience.
We will have an opportunity to see more of Des McAnuff creations
with Macbeth under his direction already announced for 2009.
The shows are nearly sold out, you may be lucky to get tickets for
the balconies. Caesar and Cleopatra runs
till November 9th.
Fuente Ovejuna
by Lope de Vega
This is the very first production of Spanish playwright Lope
de Vega at Stratford. It is directed by a Brit, Laurence Boswell,
who also translated and updated Old Spanish into modern English.
It is set in the fifteenth century power struggle between Portugal’s
King Alfonso and Princess Juana, served by Gomez de Guzman (Scott
Wentworth), and Spain represented by King Fernando of Aragon and
Queen Isabel of Castile (Seana McKenna) over possession of the rural
area where the village of Fuente Ovejuna was located. The villagers
have suffered for years under the cruel and abusive local commander
Gomez de Guzman. After the unprecedented abduction of the bride
and imprisonment of the groom at their wedding ceremony (according
to the tradition of the master’s right for the first night) the
people of Fuente Ovejuna revolt; in the populous uprising against
their tormentor they fight with axes and pitchforks against knights
with swords. When the monarchs conduct the investigation by torture
into the murder of the commander the peasants unite and claim, "Fuente
Ovejuna did it".
It could have been old-fashioned, sad and traditionally boring;
under the direction of Boswell it is nothing of the kind! The translation
and acting give the audience a mix of horror and cruelty with farce,
parts of the dialogs are very conventional, interwoven with strikingly
current colloquial phrases. The villagers are very real and very
natural, their predicaments spelled out in modern English. The stage
fight between the villagers and the knights of Calatrava led by
Gomez is a choreographed masterpiece – in slow motion, with clear
differences between the soldiers and the peasants. The wedding sequence
reminded me of the wedding in Fiddler on the Roof:
enthusiastic dances, rustic décor and loud happy music
with a sudden interruption by the hostile forces.
It is an understatement to say that it is a success and the directing
is superb. Laurence Boswell knows exactly how to handle this Old
Spanish play and bring it into twenty first century North America.
The music composed by Edward Henderson fits so well and so natural,
fight scenes directed by John Stead are unforgettable. Among actors:
Scott Wentworth as Gomez de Guzman is a perfect villain, James Blendick
appropriately stately as a village elder, Sara Tophan an energetic
happy and then vindictive bride, Jonathan Goad a tormented groom.
Great acting, costumes, music – what a play, what a success!
It stays open till October 4th at The Paterson Theatre.
Phone line to the box office: 1-800-567-1600 or 519-273-1600.
The web site to purchase tickets or view (already!) next year plays:
www.stratfordshakespearefestival.com.
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