Report on the first 7 shows to open at the Stratford Festival in Ontario

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 6/15/05 at 12:12am

Founded in 1953 under a summer tent on a hill near downtown Stratford (Ontario) the original mandate of this summer festival was to present Shakespearian plays. Today, in their 52nd season the mandate has expanded to include all kinds of theatre.

The first 7 shows (of a 14-show season) have opened.

The best was INTO THE WOODS. I've seen this show many times (including twice with the original Broadway cast and once more at the closing plus the 2002 revival) but the director and designers gave it an entirely new visual look that was stunning. A great cast that sang and acted it well and a really good sound design that allowed every lyric to be clearly heard made it a most enjoyable production. (My full review will be published in the next edition of THE SONDHEIM REVIEW.)

The weakest was CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF (by Tennessee Williams.) It wasn't awful, just uneven in direction and pacing and the supporting roles (Big Daddy, Big Mamma, Mae) were better than the leads playing Brick and Maggie.

The rest fell somewhere in between: FALLEN ANGELS is a 1920s Noel Coward comedy that was very funny and very smartly done.

HELLO DOLLY! was enjoyable despite the weak singing voice of the leading lady. The dancing, especially The Waiters' Gallup was sensational.

The latest in the Wingfield series, WINGFIELD'S INFERNO was enjoyable country bumpkin fare. Actor Dan Needles plays Walt Whitfield and in a series of letters to the editor he chronicles the efforts of the local townsfolk to rebuild their beloved Orange Lodge. It is a one-man show and he does all of the voices. Very clever and amusing.

The two Shakespeare plays were both good but neither proved sensational. AS YOU LIKE IT was heavily promoted as being set in the summer of 1969 and featuring songs by the Bare Naked Ladies. This was fine but the setting really had nothing to do with the text, which was the traditional script for the play. It just opened the door for some colourful costumes. As for the songs, the BNL set new tunes to the verses that have always been sung in the show, so despite the promotion it was not a musical based on Shakespeare's play.

THE TEMPEST received a traditional staging and marks the final appearance of Stratford vet William Hutt who is retiring after this season (he is 85 - though looking a good 20 years younger.) He was fine even if his voice had
less of the booming command that it has had in the past. The rest of the cast was great and the text was well served. The most touching moment was William Hutt's final bow and wave goodbye to the audience.

Still to come at Stratford are: THE LARK, MEASUER FOR MEASURE; THE DONNELLYS: STICKS AND STONES; ORPHEUS DECENDING; THE MEASURE OF LOVE and EDWARD II.

Anyone planning a trip up to Southern Ontario to attend the festival this summer?

[kyle.]

Posted: 6/15/05 at 12:25am

i agree! i LOVED their white washed into the woods!

i only wish the revival would have been fresh and beautiful like this production.

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 6/15/05 at 12:42am

Kyle - When did you see it? I was at last Wednesday's performance.

Loved the Pillsbury dough boy/Fatty Arbuckle look for the Baker!

And (I forgot to mention) they restored the segments of "A Very Nice Prince" and the Witch's "Lament" that were cut from the show (but left on the original cast album!)

What else did you see?

[Link Larkin Wanabe]

Posted: 6/15/05 at 1:33am

Gah,

I REALLY want to see Into the Woods, but don't think I will get the chance due to budget and time constraints. How was the sound design for Hello, Dolly? My proffesor, Peter McBoyle, was responsible.

Akiva

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 6/15/05 at 1:57am

Sound design for DOLLY was OK but not as good as the design for WOODS. I found when the chorus sang (in the opening and in "Sunday Clothes") the lyrics were indistinct. The solo lines came through fine.

[erinrebecca]

Posted: 6/15/05 at 8:40am

I'm going to Stratford for a week end of July to see several plays, including William Hutt in The Tempest. I saw him in it several years ago, and also visited Toronto to see him in WFG last year. He's probably the most amazing actor I've ever seen onstage, and I've seen lots. The effortlessness with which he becomes a character is a joy to watch. Also looking forward to ITW, and Thom Allison in Hello Dolly. I'm sorry to hear that Cynthia Dale is lacking in Cat, I loved her in Anything Goes and G&D last year.

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 6/15/05 at 1:32pm

Cynthia Dale wasn't terrible as Maggie the cat, just a bit overwrought at times whereas Maggie should be more tightly controlled. CAT has always been my favourite of the TW plays but this production using the revised script from the 1974 revival seemed repetitive. (How many times were we told Big Daddy was just suffering from a "spastic colon"? It seemed to be mentined every few minutes.) In the final act, however, Dale was pretty much on the mark. The best performance was by James Blendick as Big Daddy.

I will be curious to hear how you feel William Hutt's Propsero compares with the previous performance.

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 6/16/05 at 12:35am

I have had a lot of PM's about student discounts.

For anyoen under 30, Stratford offers a great deal on tickets: $20 each! You have to register online for their PLAY ON program and then you can see what shows are available at that price each week.

Go to: www.stratfordfestival.ca/playon

[brdwaybaby17]

Posted: 6/23/05 at 9:49pm

Ah, yeah, I started a post about my trip to Stratford some time back... the thing that bothered me about Cynthia was her accent... she just couldn't do one. It seemed as though she was trying too hard... and it just didn't work for her.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 6/23/05 at 10:01pm

ITW looks gorgeous.
Review in the Detroit News

[Link Larkin Wanabe]

Posted: 6/24/05 at 12:01am

Oh my god.

I HAVE to see that into the woods after seeing clips and pictures it looks AMAZING. Kudos to Stratford for not going the safe route they usually go. The design seems very close to my asthetic. Yay...that makes me happy.

Akiva

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 6/24/05 at 12:24am

The visual look of the Stratford WOODS is amazing, but also the performers do their own takes on the roles and do not try to copy the original Broadway staging as so many do. For me it was the highlight of the season ... so far!

[Link Larkin Wanabe]

Posted: 6/24/05 at 12:28am

Yeah,

it just seems like a really great move for Stratford, which isn't known for taking big artistic risks. I am also looking forward to what they do with the Donelly's.

Akiva

[MarkCohen]

Posted: 6/24/05 at 12:35am

I really really really want to see Into The Woods. If I can get student tickets that cheap maybe I can pull it.

[brdwaybaby17]

Posted: 6/24/05 at 4:33pm

I have to say it was really good... except for a few things that have yet to make sense to me... the witch's costumes... the giant... but everything else was truly great. I love Dayna Tekatch and Bruce Dow! Really nice people too!

[teh_pretty]

Posted: 6/24/05 at 6:33pm

I'm so excited to see Into the Woods, now. It looks great, aside from a couple sketchy ideas I'm not sure about yet.

Has anybody seen any of the shows at the Shaw Festival in Niagara on the Lake yet?

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 6/24/05 at 11:47pm

Yes...I have seen GYPSY, YOU NEVER CAN TELL and THE CONSTANT WIFE. (My review of GYPSY will be in the upcoming issue of The Sondheim Review, along with my review of INTO THE WOODS.)

The best was YOU NEVER CAN TELL, thanks to an imaginative production and a great cast headed by Mike Shara (seen on QUEER AS FOLK and in the Toronto edition of TAKE ME OUT.) This is not one of Shaw's best plays and 10 years ago they did a rather lacklustre prorduction of it. This time they got it right and it's a pure delight.

THE CONSTANT WIFE is also a delight. More dated than YOU NEVER CAN TELL, but good fun and performed zestfully by a great cast.

GYPSY is very good, but not quite as dazzling as it ought to be. There is nothing really wrong with it, but somehow it just doesn't have the punch it needs. The production features Nora McLellan as Rose who starts small and gradually builds to a powerful climax at the end of each act. However there are moments early on when she seems a little too low-key for such a dynamic role. It's a minor flaw in an otherwise solid production and watch for Jeff Lillico making the most of his solo as Tulsa.

Next week I go back to see JOURNEY'S END, and the Kurt Weill musical HAPPY END. I am also seeing GYPSY again with the alternate actress as Rose.