From: murray@aristotle.ils.nwu.edu (Thomas Murray)
Subject: Stratford Festival (ONT) reviews (LONG)...
Organization: The Institute for the Learning Sciences, Evanston, IL
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 1992 00:05:39 GMT

Well, I just got back from my second trip to Stratford, Ont. I managed
to catch 5 productions the over the three-day weekend, four of which I
hadn't seen yet.

ENTERTAING MR. SLOANE by Joe Orton

Kath	Barbaara Bryne
Sloane	Ted Dykstra
Eddie	Alan Scarfe
Kemp	Edward Atienza

Director	David William (Artistic director of the festival)
Design		Gary Thomas Thorne
Lighting	John Munro

This the season's newest production, opening about a month ago at the
Avon theatre. Having never seen this play, or anything else by Orton,
I had no idea what to expect (a great way to experience a performance,
don't you think?).  Though it probably doesn't rate as one of the
all-time productions of my life, there was nothing disappointing about
the production.  Just lacked a little of that "umph", which I
attribute to David William's direction (I'm not one of his biggest
fans, and he's a bit of a scapegoat for me).  Overall, however, it's
very typical of Stratford's professionalism and consistency. The
design of the show was wonderful: very detailed and "cluttered" (must
be a bear to change that show over with the other productions). And
the cast was first-rate. Barbara Bryne (Jack's Mom from INTO THE
WOODS) has played Kath many times, both in New York and in L.A. (Mark
Taper Forum), and the experience shows.  She plays her character
somewhat similar to Jack's Mom, with a dimented quality layered on
top.  I loved it, but I love almost everything she does.  Ted Dykstra
can chalk up another great performance for the summer (along with his
sensational Ariel in THE TEMPEST).  Alan Scarfe and Edward Atienza are
both wonderful as well, though I noticed Alan Scarfe has a tendency to
draw out the ends of *all* his phrases.  I hadn't noticed this in his
other work (Propsero in THE TEMPEST, Vanya in UNCLE VANYA), so I
wasn't sure if this was just for this character or not.  It drove me
nutty at first, but I got used to it.  But what a great voice: huge
and resonant.


H.M.S. PINAFORE by Gilbert and Sullivan

Buttercup		Marsha Bagwell
Ralph Rackstraw		Michael Brian
Sir Joseph Porter	Douglas Chamberlain
Josephine		Joanne Hounsell

Director		Brian Macdonald
Musical Director	Bethold Carriere
Choreographer		Anne Wooten
Design			Susan Benson
Lighting		Michael J. Whitfield


This was the real surprise for me on this trip.  I wasn't expecting to
enjoy "yet another Gilbert and Sullivan", but I must admit I loved it!
The chorus sounded wonderful.  This is a sound of which any music
director would be envious.  The men's chorus in particular was out of
this world.  The basses were *real* basses, and the tenors *real*
tenors.  This wasn't a show full of baritones singing top or bottom.
The different voice colors were especially nice in the unison singing
(of all places!), getting that nice full sound composed out of two
different-colored voices.  Wow!  With a chorus this wonderful,
naturally you expect *alot* out of the leads. Unfortunately you didn't
get it, vocally.  They sounded good, but not amazing.  Michael Brain
(Ralph) sounded pinched in that high tessitura (you could see his neck
bulging) and far too loud for the rest of the ensemble. Joanne
Hounsell's voice was a little strident, but otherwise fine.  Douglas
Chambelain was more the actor/singer, and a really wonderful actor at
that!  Marsha Bagwell was probably the most satisfying vocally.  So
you can use that as your guage.  Fortunately, these people all had
good enough voices (and impeccable diction) that no amplification was
necessary (except for a couple places that were extremely tastefully
enhanced). Jon, I bet you would love this production.  And what they
lacked in their singing, they made up for with strong acting.  As was
the design (very, very colorful), lighting, and choreography (which
made everyone appear to be a dancer).  The nicest touch was the
wonderful orchestra (11 strings, augmented with a synth
unfortunately), well-conducted by the music director, Berthold
Carriere.  The program also lists him as providing some additional
arrangements, but I don't know the show well-enough to know what he
did.  Nothing stuck out.  Overall, a very, very entertaining evening.


BONJOUR, LA, BONJOUR by Michel Tremblay (translated by John van Burek
and Bill Glassco)

Serge		Marc Ruel
Armand		Douglas Rain
Gilberte	Janet Wright
Charlotte	Kate Reid
Lucienne	Pat Galloway
Monique		Michelle Fisk
Nicole		Barbar Fulton

Director	Albert Millaire
Design		Meredith Caron
Lighting	Kevin Fraser	

This is one of Stratford's plays-by-Canadian-playwrights offerings.
Michel Tremblay, from Montreal, is the playwright of last year's
popular LES BELLES SOUERS.  The program notes list Tremblay as a
playwright who likes to use topics that relate to family
relationships, in particular as they relate to women.  Tremblay grew
up around alot of women during World War II, while the men were away,
and his plays tend to focus on them much of the time.  This play is no
different.  The subject matter of the play is quite interesting as
well, but I would prefer not to relate it here.  Part of the utter joy
of this play was being completely unaware of the subject matter of the
play before going in, and then upon encountering it, mentally doing a
double-take, and then realizing what you are hearing is actually what
you think you are hearing.  I've probably blown it already, come to
think of it.  Sorry.  All I'll do is recommend it.  Oh, by the way, if
you are a scenery lover, stay away from this production.  Even *I*
could have designed the scenery for this production.  Whether or not I
could have come up with the idea is another question...


MEASURE FOR MEASURE by Wm. Shakespeare

Duke			Brian Bedford
Angelo			Colm Feore
Claudio			Antoni Cimolino
Lucio			Nicholas Pennell
Escalus			Leon Pownall
Provost			Lorne Kennedy
Mistress Overdone	Kate Reid
Elbow                   Bernard Hopkins (?)

Director	Michael Langham
Design		Desmond Heeley
Lighting	Michael J. Whitfield
Music		Stanley Silverman

This is the "must see" production for the summer (which SCHOOL FOR
WIVES was last year).  This play has virtually all the "big names" of
Stratford in it. It's full of great actors working together on stage,
even when they are in the smaller roles.  Perhaps everyone wanted to
work with director Michael Langham, who is a former Artistic Director.
He seems to be a sensational director. After him, first credit has to
go to the design by Desmond Heeley, who I think is incredible (easily
the most-touted designer at Stratford, and also one of my favorites).
The entire production was very "black", but never stark or cold,
rather sumptuous.  More like black velvet than black satin.  This is a
production to attend just to *see*.  The lighting and staging
complement each other beautifully. Scene changes often take place in
the dark within feet of a pool of light where the action is taking
place.  Yet they are never noticeable.  As a result, the pacing is
quick.  The show flows by effortlessly.  I have never experienced such
a "short" 3-hour Shakepeare play.  It was wonderful.  Complementing
all this are some incredibly skilled actors. Leading the excellent
cast is Brian Bedford (nominated for a Tony for TWO SHAKESPEAREAN
ACTORS).  His ease in Shakespeare amazes me.  It just falls off of
him.  The way he can make drama turn on a dime into a comedy and vice
versa (and still have it make sense) just makes you want to chuckle
out of excitement. His brings the Duke off as someone who really is in
control the whole time, instead of being merely a spectator.  I am so
used to seeing Angelo be the "main" character.  This was different.
In this production, Angelo, played beautifully by Colm Feore, seems
more the puppet.  He is another actor who really knows how to make
Shakespeare come off naturally.  As does Nicholas Pennell.  These 3
actors remind me of great singers who know how to interpret a song, or
a role, so it's *theirs*, instead of being "stock".  It's very
inspiring, and (I think) rare.

Well, enough said about this production.  See it!

The last production was a repeat for me, ROMEO AND JULIET (reviewed a
couple months ago, at the beginning of the summer).  Directed by
Richard Monette (whose productions I try to never miss), and designed
by head of design Debra Hanson, this production features Megan Porter
Follows (Anne of Green Gables) as Juliet, Antoni Cimolino as Romeo,
and Colme Feore and Mercutio.  It was a real treat to see this
beautifully crafted production again.  	Set in 1920's Italy, this
production wins the award for the Shakespeare production most
integrated with the period of the design.  The director (and maybe the
vocal coaches) really brought out the aspects of the language which
would make it sound colloquial.  And yet without sacrificing anything.
Wonderful. CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Company/Corp?) was taping the
afternoon I was there, so maybe it will be broadcast for those of you
up in Canada.

Lastly, I should throw in a little plug for a wonderful exhibit of
designs by Tanya Moiseiwitch at the Gallery Stratford.  She has done
extensive work in Britain, and is responsible for the design of the
Festival Theatre stage at Stratford.  There are tons of designs and
actual costumes from her work there.  It was fun to compare a design
to the actual costume it ends up getting realized as.  And to see
those beautiful and beautifully-made costumes up close..  What a gas!

Anyway, I had a great time, and I encourage everyone to spend some
time up there.  The season runs through Nov. (!!!).  It's kind of
pricey, but there are discount tickets available on the day of the
performance, and you can get up and move to better seats (house
policy!!!) once the doors to the house are shut.

Enjoy.

-tom