CYMBELINE – REVIEW OF 2024 STRATFORD FESTIVAL PRODUCTION

Reviewed by James Karas

The third offering at the Stratford Festival’s opening week is William Shakespeare’s Cymbeline. He wrote the play late in his career in 1609 and the number of times the Festival has produced it since 1953 can be counted on one hand. 

The current production directed by Esther Jun gives the play a feminist twist but otherwise takes it at face value. The costumes reflect ancient Britain and Rome in no particular way that I could discern, and the actors could be speaking the lines of a modern play.

In case the plot has slipped your memory here is a brief reminder. Cymbeline, a king in ancient Britain but a Queen in this production had a daughter Imogen by a previous marriage. Queen Cymbeline is now married to a Duke who had a son, Cloten, in a previous marriage. He wants Imogen to marry Cloten, but she has married Posthumus, a commoner of high standing, instead.

The Queen banishes Posthumus to Rome and Imogen rebuffs Cloten who wants to kill her. In the meantime, Posthumus makes a serious bet with the Roman Iachimo that no one can seduce his wife. Iachimo says he can and manages to get in her bedroom and get convincing but false evidence that he has done so. Posthumus orders his servant to kill Imogen. The servant does not, and Imogen runs off to the forest and leads us to the second serious complication in the plot.

In a cave she finds Belarius, Guiderius and Arviragus, and the latter two happen to be Cymbeline’s sons, missing since childhood. Cloten comes looking for Imogen and his head is chopped off. Imogen mistakes the headless body of Cloten for that of Posthumus as she comes to from the potion that the bad Duke gave her.

I have to shorten this. Posthumus fights for Britain and is arrested as a Roman. The missing sons are revealed, the nasty Duke dies, the good guys win, and they all live happily ever after because this is a tragicomedy. I hope that is perfectly confusing or I will tell you about the appearance of Jupiter and the visit by the ghosts of Posthumus’s ancestors. 

Allison Edwards-Crewe and Jordin Hall in Cymbeline, 2024. 
Photography by David Hou.

The play has forty characters played by 23 actors, many of whom play two or three parts. Roles that may be played by men are done by women and it all works well.

The redoubtable Lucy Peacock, who exudes authority and acting talent plays Queen Cymbeline. Superb.

The central role of Imogen is played by Allison Edwards-Crewe, a demanding part that goes from a woman in love, to victim of grotesque false accusations of infidelity with a stranger, to hungry exile in the wilderness who begs for food from strangers. She faces the unbelievable horror of coming to from a potion that she took and finding herself by, what she thinks, is her husband’s beheaded body. Edwards-Crewe performs superbly in the kaleidoscope of parts.

The fiery Posthumus (Jordan Hall) has almost equally varied parts to play. He goes from ardent lover, to banished exile in Rome where he makes a (stupid) bet about his wife’s fidelity that sends him into murderous rage and he orders his servant Pisanio (Irene Poole) to kill her. When Britain and Rome go to war, he becomes of necessity a Roman soldier but disguises himself as peasant and fights bravely for Britain. Hall goes through all the phases of his character’s life and his character finally finds redemption and reconciliation.

Guiderius (Michael Wamara), Arviragus (Noah Beemer) and Belarius (Jonathan Goad) make an interesting trio. As I said, the first two are princes abducted by the wrongly banished third and are raised in a cave. The princes could be savages but they cannot be that for the purposes of the play. They show support and affection for their “brother,” Imogen disguised as Fidele. The three redeem themselves by fighting for Britain and are reconciled and regain their position. Well-done acting.

Rick Roberts is Queen Cymbeline’s husband who provokes a war with the Romans over payment of tributes. He is a nasty character and there is no redemption for him. He dies in the end clearing the path for virtue to triumph. Tyrone Savage as Iachimo is a smooth, arrogant Roman patrician who is sure of ability to seduce a woman. When Imogen does not fall for his charms, he stoops to fraudulent entry to her bedroom. Iachimo does admit his disgusting behavior and with contrition comes redemption. Fine performance by Roberts.

Cloten (Christopher Allen) is an interesting and obnoxious character. When rebuffed by Imogen, he decides to kill her. He is a worthless doofus who bounces around in his arrogance, but he is eventually beheaded by one of the princes and we are not sorry for him. Allen has a juicy role, and he does a great job with it.  

Cymbeline with its many characters and numerous scene changes makes an ideal vehicle for the Tom Patterson stage. The 40 characters run in and out frequently at times attended by servants or officers. The large open space was ideal for the well-orchestrated battle scenes.

There is not much opportunity for sets in the Tom Patterson but Set and Lighting Designer Echo Zou did provide a huge tree trunk that had religious significance and dramatic lighting effects. Michelle Bohn’s costumes of long dresses and tunics suggested an era of yore without aping the clothes shown in American moves.

If Director Esther Jun had an overriding view of the play, I did not get it. She worked with the plot that she had and took us through the text very competently. It took a bit of adjusting to get the change of King Cymbeline into Queen Cymbeline and the consequent alterations in who does what but it was not a huge issue.
___________________________
Cymbeline by William Shakespeare opened on May 29 and will run in repertory until September 28, 2024, at the Tom Patterson Theatre, Stratford, Ontario. www.stratfordfestival.ca

James Karas is the Senior Editor, Culture of the Greek Press

SOMETHING ROTTEN! - REVIEW OF EXTRAVAGANZA AT 2024 STRATFORD FESTIVAL

 Reviewed by James Karas

For its second production during openings week the Stratford Festival offers its grand musical  Something Rotten! It has a book by Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell with music and lyrics by Wayne and Karey Kirkpatrick. Calling it grand is an understatement but it is a good start for a show that breaks all expectations in sheer energy, stamina, comic exuberance and entertainment. Extravaganza is closer to the mark.

A few words about its plot. We are in Elizabethan England, the Renaissance and a vibrant society is coming out of the Middle Ages, wars, plagues and other horrors and has reached the age of Shakespeare. Nick Bottom (Mark Uhre) and his brother Nigel (Henry Firmston) are in the theatre business and want to produce a play called Richard II. Great idea but William Shakespeare (Jeff Lillico) is about to do the same and they are out of luck and broke.

Their financial supporter, the formidable Lady Clapham (Khadijah Roberts-Abdulla) threatens to withdraw her backing forthwith unless they come up with something original. But what? The soothsayer Nostradamus (not the real one but his nephew) says that a musical is a great idea. Sounds great so they try a musical about the Black Death. Not very cheerful and Lady Clapham is not impressed.

Back to the soothsayer. What will Shakespeare’s greatest play be? He struggles and sees something to do with Danish pastry or an Omelette or eggs and the brothers embark on Omelette, The Musical. More about this later.

In Elizabethan England, the Puritans were on the rise, and one could say becoming a big pain in the behind, to avoid the three-letter word for a donkey. There is the fire-and-brimstone Brother Jeremiah (Juan Chioran) and his lovely daughter Portia (Olivia Sinclair-Brisbane) and she falls in love with Nigel. If you have a Portia, there must needs be a Shylock (Steve Ross) who loves the theatre but is not allowed to partake in any way because he is a Jew.

That is the bare skeleton on which this fabulous musical is created. There are many more people involved but I can’t mention them all.

There are more than 20 musical numbers including reprises that are powerful, resounding, in-your-face muscular, with some lyrical songs. The dances choreographed by director Donna Feore are relentless, fantastically choreographed and of jaw-dropping quality. The audience went crazy from the start and one way of describing their enthusiasm is to point out that there were two standing ovations during the performance. It may happen in other productions, but I have never seen it before.

The singing and the dancing displayed discipline, coordination, precision and athleticism of the highest order. This is choreography to savour.

Something Rotten! is also a hilarious comedy. There were countless off-colour jokes, in fact they were plain dirty jokes. Sexual puns and suggestive and not-too-subtle gestures of a carnal variety galore and a show that wanted to make us laugh and did.

Something Rotten is about the birth of the American musical and it did not hesitate to quote and parody numerous famous examples of the genre. I lost count but references to Cats, The Sound of Music, Fidler on the Roof, Cabaret, Chorus Line and many others added to the humour.

The names of Shakespeare’s contemporaries were mentioned and there were quotations from the bard’s works and hilarious parodies of them. Hamlet or Omelette came in for rough handling when it was thought to have something to do with eggs. There were dance routines involving eggs and omelettes and of course Hamlet’s address to the skull “Alas, poor yolk.” The kaleidoscope of witty lines seemed endless. 

 Members of the company in Something Rotten!, 2024.
Photography by David Hou

The individual actors and the ensembles performed with outstanding ability. Uhre and Firmston come first in line for their stupendous work, but the others are in the same line up. Lillico as the showman and literary crook Shakespeare, Juan Chioran as the stentorian and dirty-minded Puritan and Olivia Sinclair-Brisbane as his beautiful and rebellious daughter Portia. She even gets the trial scene from in The Merchant of Venice, where Portia the lawyer defends the theatrical criminals and despite The Quality of Mercy they are sentenced to beheading. There is another form of punishment, but you must see the musical for yourself to find out.

Starr Domingue plays Bea, another rebellious woman who wants to work in the theatre but is forbidden because of her fixtures. We like her attitude and Domingue’s spunky acting.  Steve Ross’s Shylock and Chameroy’s Nostradamus are marvelous actors and singers and one cannot praise their performance enough.

Set and Costume Designer Michael Gianfrancesco’s work was spectacular, but we were almost too busy keeping up with the singing, dancing, dirty jokes and parody of musicals to stop and notice it. But the dance numbers done by eggs and omelettes could hardly go unnoticed.  It is a major contributor to the musical.

Donna Feore gets credit for her masterful work as director and choreographer. It looks like an unbelievable achievement, and it is there to be admired and enjoyed.

I am running out of superlatives and can only state that this is a must-see production at the Stratford Festival.

Something Rotten! book by Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell, music and lyrics by Wayne and Karey Kirkpatrick, opened on May 28  and will continue in repertory until October 27, 2024, at the Festival Theatre, 55 Queen Street, Stratford, Ontario. www.stratfordfestival.ca

James Karas is the Senior Editor, Culture of The Greek Press

TWELFTH NIGHT - REVIEW OF 2024 STRATFORD FESTIVAL PRODUCTION

Reviewed by James Karas

I enjoyed it.

The 2024 Stratford Festival opened officially with the usual fanfare of trumpets, limos, red carpet and beautiful attire. The light drizzle did not discourage anyone who came to see the opening night performance of Twelfth Night and the attendant extras.

The production was the debut of Seana McKenna as director at the Stratford Festival and it was a success though one can always quibble about specific items. I may be guilty of the same fault but will insist that it was a highly enjoyable night at the theatre.

McKenna sets the play in the 1960s with modern costumes from that decade. She has chosen gender-neutral casting with the necessary changes and the difficulties that may appear to create. Having the clown Feste played by the talented Deborah Hay poses no issue and she does a fine job except perhaps when she decides to ham it up a bit much.

McKenna casts Laura Condlin in the difficult and controversial role of Malvolio. This Malvolio is a woman and referred to as “she” and the question is how do we take her? Is Malvolio a lesbian in love with her mistress Countess Olivia and dreaming of marrying her?  That was unthinkable in Shakespeare’s time but was it au courant in the 1960s? It did not matter in the end because we just went along enjoying the production.

I do quibble with Condlin’s performance because she did not come out as obnoxious enough to catapult Olivia’s guests and servants to devise a truly nasty revenge on Malvolio. 

                                    From left: Vanessa Sears, John Kirkpatrick as Priest, 
                                Austin Eckert and Jessica B. Hill as Viola.  Photo: David Hou.

Vanessa Sears as Olivia is delectable and wonderful as the dedicated recluse who falls in love with Cesario, who is really Viola dressed as a man and serving as Orsino’s messenger. Sears gets some of the best laughs of the evening.

Andre Sills as the love-struck and love-starved Orsino likes hugging people as do some of the others in the production. This is a nice touch, one of many of McKenna’s, to make physical and then emotional contact acceptable. Afte all, this is warm-blooded Illyria.

Hill as Viola and Austin Eckert as her identical twin Sebastian look sufficiently alike as not to raise an eyebrow from us. They are both likeable, especially Viola, as we see her falling in love with Olivia against her better judgment. Wonderful progression.

The low comedy is provided by Sir Toby Belch (Scott Wentworth), Sir Andrew Agucheek (Rylan Wilkie), Feste (Deborah Hay) and Maria (Sarah Dodd) with the help of Fabian (Michael Spencer-Davis). Toby is the boozy do-nothing manipulator of the flax-haired and foolish Sir Andrew. The scheming and clever Maria works the out letter-reading scene of Malvolio (very funny) and the consequent gulling in which she gains some respect and perhaps not enough ridicule.

McKenna opens the play with an indication of a storm with Viola and Sebastian on the balcony of the Festival Theatre. A nice touch and a scene that does not appear in the text. She also shows some survivors of the shipwreck, backpackers, attendants in Orsino’s court, gardeners, café staff and some others who add the element of a society rather than just the characters in Shakespeare’s play. Again, a very imaginative touch.

For the sword fight between Sir Andrew and Cesario, McKenna simply gives them boxing gloves and the problem is solved.

The sets and costumes by Christina Poddubiuk are appropriate and the pieces of furniture are moved on and off efficiently. For the letter-reading scene where Toby, Andrew and Fabian are supposed to be hidden behind a hedge, Poddubiuk provides several wheelbarrows with small bushes and the actors have the freedom to run from one hiding place to the next and it works superbly.

McKenna shows an active and intelligent imagination getting out the laughs and maintaining a fine pace. She did not hesitate to have suggestive sexual moves and jokes, to let the actors use their bodies in dance moves, free body movements and produce a finely tuned and superb production.

I enjoyed it.
_________________
Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare opened on May 27 and will continue in repertory until October 27, 2024, at the Festival Theatre, 55 Queen Street, Stratford, Ontario. www.stratfordfestival.ca

James Karas is the Senior Editor, Culture of The Greek Press

HEDDA GABLER – REVIEW OF 2024 COAL MINE THEATRE PRODUCTION

 Reviewed by James Karas

In the corner of a basement in a former bank building at Woodbine Avenue and Danforth in Toronto you will find some of the finest theatre in Canada. The prompt for this encomium is a glorious production of Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler in a version by Lisa Repo-Martell.

Diana Bentley gives a masterful portrayal of the complex Hedda who is no doubt one of the most odious characters in dramatic literature but also a complicated women who deserves some consideration for her actions. In short, she is a prisoner of her society.

We see Hedda on the return from her six-month honeymoon during most of which her husband Jorgen Tesman (Qasim Khan) did research on domestic crafts in medieval Belgium. She married him because he seemed like a man on the rise. He is tedious, hangs off her arm, and she was bored to death. Hedda’s very existence is dependent on men. Her station in life is owed to her late father, a general. Judge Brack (Shawn Doyle) wants to establish a ménage à trois where Hedda is his toy. Her affair with the brilliant historian Eilert (Andrew Chown) falls apart and she has nothing to show for her life.

She has become a repulsive person acting cruelly towards her husband’s Aunt Julia (Fiona Reid), abusing Thea Elvsted (Leah Doz) and in the end giving a gun to her former lover and advising him to shoot himself in the temple as an act of heroism. She wants to have power over people and when she fails miserably and is in danger of having Brack have power over her, she follows the advice she gave Eilert.

Bentley gives us all aspects of Hedda’s character. She first appears dressed in a stylish black dress that bespeaks status. We see her become a manipulative and hypocritical being when she uses and abuses Thea. And we see her world collapsing as she has not gained power over anyone and can only perform the ultimate act of glory by picking up the gun and putting it to her temple.

Her spirit rises and does a maenad dance mimicking the frenzied followers of Dionysus who danced with wine leaves on their heads. This is an addition to Ibsen’s play and a fantastic final image of Hedda Gabler posthumously fulfilling her ambition. It is also a final image of Diana Bentley’s bravura performance. 

                                    Diana Bentley as  Hedda Gabler.. Photo by Elana Emer.

Immense credit is due to the other actors in the play who help define Hedda’s personality. Qasim Khan is the decent but pathetic Tesman who reached high by marrying the general’s daughter but could not provide her with anything that she wanted. The devious Judge Brack in a scheming manipulator who wants power over Hedda and he came close to succeeding. He is a male Hedda and far more successful in the male-dominated society. Khan is superb as the confident man-about-town who knows what he wants and almost gets it.

Andrew Chown gives an outstanding performance as the brilliant but broken-down historian who comes close to reestablishing himself. Chown displays the drama and horror of a man who has fallen again and could find no way out.

Leah Doz as Thea Elvsted is simply marvellous as a women imprisoned in her society but runs away from her cell and finds salvation through decency and hard work. She is the true hero of the play and Doz gave a memorable performance. Fiona Reid as Julia and Nancy Beatty as Aunt Berta are superb.

A great deal of the credit for the production belongs to Director Moya O’Connell. Those with long memories will recall that she played Hedda at the Shaw Festival in 2012 and does a superb job in presenting this incredible production.  We feel Hedda’s boredom and dependence on men or the potential victim of men. Her rebellion is against them and the society from which she cannot find an escape. She becomes a monster. O’Connell’s masterly directing brings out all the aspects of this fearsome play.

The set by Joshua Quinlan consists of a coffee table with chairs and a sofa on a rug. There is a door at the back of the stage leading to the garden and we can see a piano. We see a woman playing the piano frantically in the opening scene and a fandom maenad dancing in the end. Quinlan’s costumes for Hedda are high class and the rest are ordinary perhaps 19^th century attire.

And all of this is happening in a tiny basement theatre in the east end of Toronto that boasts of a Danforth Avenue address even though its entrance is on Woodbine Avenue.   
_________
Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen in a new adaptation by Lisa Repo-Martell continues until June 6, 2024, at the Coal Mine Theatre, 2076 Danforth Ave. Toronto, (northwest corner of Woodbine and Danforth). www.coalminetheatre.com/
 

James Karas is the Senior Editor, Culture of The Greek Press

SOLILOQUIO – REVIEW OF TIZIANO CRUZ PRESENTATION AT THEATRE PASSE MURAILLE

Reviewed by James Karas

Soliloquio is a cris de cœur about the condition and treatment of indigenous people in Argentina. It is written, directed and performed in Spanish by Tiziano Cruz. Before heading out for the theatre I received an email advising that “the audience will initially meet just before 7 p.m.  at Randy Padmore Park. The audience and performer will make their way to the theatre together in procession as part of the experience of the show.”

About a hundred people gathered around the empty wading pool of the park and there was a wonderful performance prior to marching to the theater a couple of blocks away. More than a dozen performers formed a circle around the pool and sang, danced, waved flags and Cruz read out an essay about the fate of indigenous Argentinians. The Palestinian flag was displayed prominently and a couple of other banners that I did not recognize.

The music and the chanting were a lament for the downtrodden Argentinians but the event became a protest as we marched towards the theatre chanting slogans and dancing in the street.

We all filed into the theatre where a film was projected on a large screen showing Argentine natives in colorful costumes in the streets. There were some subtitles at the bottom of the screen but they were invisible to most of the audience.

Cruz, wearing skimpy white underwear came on stage and recited his story and condemnation of the treatment of his people by the colonizing Spaniards and now by the Argentinians. The tone of his voice was clear in delivering the message but there were serious problems in following what he said. He spoke in Spanish and there were surtitles above a large screen. Initially they were difficult to read but when the lights changed, they became more visible. But that did not help much and it was very difficult to read the surtitles at the speed that he spoke.

At times Cruz got down on the floor and I was unable to see him at all even though I had excellent seats. With people sitting in front of us it makes little difference if we can’t see the actors’ shoes but, in this case, I could not see much of Cruz even if tried looking right and left beyond the audience in front of me.

There were helpful projected titles on the large screen that made Cruz’s message clear:

WHAT PLACE DOES THE ART OF THE BODY HAVE IN A COUNTRY WHERE MY BODY DISAPPEARS IN THE FACE OF THE LONGING FOR A WHITE SOCIETY?

and

            THERE IS A MARKET FOR VIOLENCE

Cruz aims a serious indictment of Argentina about its treatment of natives and a condemnation of a capitalist system that abuses them to the nth degree. Bringing in the Palestinian flag may be a questionable choice and Cruz, clad in white underwear with threads and cords around his neck may not be the best choice of attire without much explanation.

Much more work is needed to be done to make the entire show comprehension to non- Spanish speakers. There  must have been a lot of Spanish speakers in the audience who gave the show a standing ovation. But there were also many non-Spanish who could not get the full effect.

__________

Soliloquio by Tiziano Cruz was performed on May 17 and 18, 2024 at Theatre Passe Muraille, 16 Ryerson Avenue, Toronto, Ontario. www.passemuraille.on.ca

 

 

HADESTOWN - REVIEW OF ANAIS MITCHELL’S MUSICAL AT THE CAA ED MIRVISH THEATRE

Reviewed by James Karas

The Greeks who had an explanation for everything attributed the changing of the seasons to the myth of Hades and Persephone. The god of the underworld, you see, fell in love with Persephone and took her to hell, Greek hell which is not quite the same, as other hells. Her mother, the goddess  Demeter objected and a compromise was struck. Persephone would spend six months of the year among us and six months in the underworld, meaning when she was here it would be summer and when she was down there it would be winter. Very sensible. The Greeks knew the scientific explanation too but the myth is too pleasant to give it up for facts. 

No point having a hell like the Christian one where no one visits and returns to tell about it. So the Greeks found people who went there for a visit and returned to earth. Take Orpheus who managed to go past security to Hades by mesmerizing the guards with his music and bring back his love Eurydice. Well, almost bring her back. Unlike Christians who have no firsthand evidence of heaven or hell, the Greeks needed direct evidence about the place. Sensible, no?    

The myth of Orpheus and Euridice was the very first one which an opera was composed and there are over one hundred such works. One of them is Hadestown, a musical, by Anais Mitchell that is wowing audiences at the CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre in Toronto.

Everyone has his own ideas about the myth and Mitchell’s take is to make it a people’s or working-class version. No pretty nymphs dressed in white cavorting in the plains of Thrace,

But let’s go to Hadestown.

We first meet the god Hermes (Will Mann) who is our exuberant host and who introduces us to the characters in the musical including the Fates and the Factory Workers or the chorus. Hermes struck me as an evangelist leading a congregation and intoning Praise the Lord or some such catch phrase  to make sure everyone expresses enthusiasm. The audience in the CAA  Theatre came primed and ready to respond to almost everything with applause and hoots and howls of approval. This continued throughout the performance even when I did not have a clue as to the call for such exuberance. Mann was a relentless cheerleader who did not miss a beat or let the audience relax.

Eurydice (Amay Braganza) is cold and hungry, looking for warmth and sustenance and willing to work in hell or its Greek counterpart Hades. She is a pathetic creature but we love her for her innocence and goodness. Hades, (deep-voiced, stentorian and dictatorial Matthew Patrick Quinn), King of the underworld  is a slave owner and slave driver right to the point of having his residents sign agreements to stay in his realm forever. Eurydice  signs the agreement. 

(from top left clockwise) Matthew Patrick Quinn, Lana Gordon, 
J. Antonio Rodriguez, Will Mann, Amaya Braganza and company
 in the Hadestown North American Tour 2023 
Photo Credit: Photo Credit: T Charles Erickson

Orpheus (John Krause giving us a sweet-voiced and lovable portrayal)  is a poor musician hoping to strike it big with a big song that he tries to compose. He falls in love with Eurydice and he decides to go to the the underworld to claim his love. Oh, don’t forget, Hades is running a factory and Hades is unhappily married to Persephone (Lana Gordon). No wonder. We see her dressed in a cheap dress with an even cheaper white mink coat drunk and singing very badly. That is Persephone who is sloshed and singing like that, not Lana.

The downtrodden Factory Workers, Hades’ moral compass that  I akin to that of Simon Legree and the appalling working conditions are enough to upset the most hard-hearted, and that is the time to mention my fifteen-year-old companion. She had not seen Hadestown  before and has some knowledge of the myth. She is moved by the story from the start, whimpers at the beginning and weeps at the fate of the two lovers. No, not sniffles and some tears but really crying.

The music and songs display variations, of course, but the most noticeable aspect aside from the high volume is aggressive playing. The band has a powerful percussion and they the almost a continuous beat like a heartbeat. Thud, bang,, thud bang. It is singing and playing in your face and the audience’s reaction as described above is that of hoots and howls of orgiastic proportions.

As you know, Orpheus does go to the underworld to rescue Eurydice. Persephone  tries to convince Hades to let the lovers return to earth. She reminds him of their love. Orpheus  sings his big song which is about Hades’ love for Persephone with long refrains of La, la. La and la la. Hades relents and lets the lovers walk back to the earth with the following restriction: Orpheus is to walk ahead of Eurydice all the way and and never  look at her. If he does, back she goes to the factory.

As the whole world knows Orpheus looks back and Eurydice disappears.

As the unbearable tragedy was approaching, my companion started sobbing uncontrollably and inconsolably. Her whole body was heaving and she could not stop until the lengthy applause and curtain calls ended.

And that is how Hadestown should be seen and enjoyed.
___________
Hadestown by Anais Mitchell (music, lyrics and book) continues until May 26, 2024 at the CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre, 244 Victoria St. Toronto, Ontario. www.mirvish.com

James Karas is the Senior Editor, Culture of The Greek Press

IN SEVEN DAYS – REVIEW OF JORDI MAND’S PLAY AT THE GREENWIN THEATRE

 Reviewed by James Karas

Jordi Mand’s new play, In Seven Days, deals sensitively and sensibly with the critical topic that is mentioned by its acronym MAID. It stands for Medical Assistance in Dying and refers to the highly controversial method of ending one’s life.

Mand’s play has pathos, humour and drama brought out brilliantly by a talented cast directed by Philip Akin.

Sam (Ron Lea) is an elderly man and a successful lawyer suffering from incurable cancer that has metastasized to his bones. He has reached the end of his endurance of chemotherapy and painkillers and has decided to put an end to his life. Sam is a good man, a practicing Jew and his decision appears rational and sensible.

His daughter Rachel (Shaina Silver-Baird), a powerful lawyer and loving child is opposed to her father’s end-of life decision and she mounts serious attempts to dissuade him. She is eloquent, effective and intense in her attempts and Silver-Baird is splendid in the role. 

Shaina Silver-Baird and Rone Lea. Photo Dahlia Katz

Sam has been living with Shelley (Mairi Babb) a younger and attractive woman, for about a dozen years. He has not married her but she is in love with him and has become a dedicated caregiver. She is opposed to Sam’s plan to end his life. Babb as Shelley must prove her love of Sam and defend herself against Rachel’s suspicions of her true motives. A sensitive and fine portrayal by Babb.

Rabbi Eli (Ralph Small) is an old friend of Sam’s and his spiritual advisor who wants to make sure that what his buddy is planning is not murder which as at first blush it seems to be. Small gives a fine performance as a man of the temple and a friend who needs to negotiate between the two shoals of morality and religious strictures.

Darren (Brendan McMurtry-Howlett), a professional D.J. is Rachel’s recently separated boyfriend. He was looked down upon by Sam but turns out to be a sensible young man. McMurtry-Howlett does excellent work in turning Sam’s contempt of him into appreciation of his decency.

The announcement on Facebook of Sam’s intention to end his life in seven days causes an uproar in the small town where he lives and the issue is joined between Sam and the people that love him and between Sam and the Rabbi representing the Jewish faith.

In a terrific plot twist, Sam decides to marry Shelley a few days before the mortal seventh and Mand provides some humorous incidents as frantic preparations take place for the nuptials.

The set by Sean Mulcahy consists of a tastefully furnished apartment with a kitchen on the side. The costumes by Mulcahy are appropriate for the social milieu of the characters.

Philip Akin directs the play with a sure hand and fine timing.

I will not disclose the end of the play but will state that I enjoyed the piece and the performance immensely. It was first produced at the Grand Theatre in London, Ontario and it should do well in the rest of Canada.

____________

In Seven Days by Jordi Mand, commissioned and  produced by the Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company continues until May 16, 2024, at the  Greenwin Theatre, 5040 Yonge St, North York, ON M2N 6R8. www.hgjewishtheatre.com

FIRST MÉTIS MAN OF ODESSA – REVIEW OF PUNCTUATE! THEATRE PRODUCTION AT YOUNG CENTRE

Reviewed by James Karas

The First Metis Man of Odessa is a beautiful, autobiographical play written and performed by Matthew MacKenzie and Mariya Khomutova. He is a Métis from Edmonton and she is a Ukrainian from Odessa and the play tells the true story of the courtship, love and marriage in Ukraine and their settlement in Canada. The Russian invasion of Ukraine forms a riveting part of the play as the couple describes their experiences during that war and its consequences for Khomutova and her friends. It is a captivating story and what follows will be nothing but praise for a marvelous night at the theatre.

MacKenzie went to Ukraine to interview people and met the beautiful and cultured actor Mariya Khomutova. They seemed like an unlikely pair but acquaintance led to courtship which lasted for many months of trans-Atlantic communication.  This led to the real thing – love followed by trans-Atlantic trips, consummation and pregnancy. The only way to ensure admission to Canada and health insurance was for Matthew and Mariya to get married in Odessa. They do and after some misadventures she comes to Canada. Their son is born and her mother comes to look after the baby.

Mariya Khomutova amd Matthew MacKenzie. Photo: Dahlia Katz

The story they tell is moving, funny, fascinating and wonderful. I am not giving any details deliberately because it should be enjoyed as they tell it. MacKenzie is a writer and he tells his side of the story matter-of-factly and we do not expect more from him Marya is an actress and she speaks with flair and an affecting  emotional range.

The brutal Russian invasion is always a part of their lives and we get glimpses of direct experiences and stories of the lives of their friends in what can only be seen as a crime against humanity.

The stage has only two chairs which they use very effectively with superb lighting. The lighting  and projections are used to express or emphasize stress, confusion, emotional distress  and motion.  Kudos to Daniela Masellis for Production Design and Amelia Scott for Projection Design.

Director Lianna Makuch must have had her hands full having to direct two people who wrote their own story and, even tougher, were playing themselves. She controls the pace of the performance, evokes humour and leads to the climax of the play about the relationship between the two people.  

The First Métis Man of Odessa is extraordinary theatre in its simplicity, its beauty, its drama, its humour, performances and production values. It is a “must see.”
_________
The First Métis Man of Odessa by Matthew MacKenzie and Mariya Khomutova opened on May 9 and continues until May 19, 2024, at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts, 55 Tank House Lane, Toronto, Ontario, M5A 3C4. www.soulpepper.ca.

James Karas is the Senior Editor, Culture of The Greek Press 

DOG MAN: THE MUSICAL – REVIEW OF 2024 THEATRE WORKS PRODUCTION

Reviewed by James Karas

Dog Man: The Musical is a robust and rambunctious play intended for children but entertaining for everyone. It is based on four graphic books by Dav Pilkey who adapted them for the musical with book and lyrics by Kevin Del Aguila and Music by Brad Alexander. I confess I have not read any of the books.

Who is Dog Man? You ask. Well, he was a nice cop who was not very bright but owned a very smart dog. The dog met an unfortunate demise but its brain was transferred to its owner who, you guessed it, became very bright. He has dog ears and cannot speak but being smart helps and he is ready to go after criminals. Brandon James Botorovich is fast of foot and thought as Dog Man  even if he cannot speak.

George (Metri Lyons) and Harold (Gage Thomas) are our hosts and they tell us that they are in grade 5 and have decided to create a musical based on their favorite graphic books. But they encountered some difficulties that they were able to work out. They found a way of transferring the cartoons from the page to  the stage.

The fast-moving plot is about good versus evil and it takes about seventy minutes for the good guys to triumph over the baddies. Petey (Jake Wernecke) is a baddy who tries to clone himself into another criminal but ends up with  a chatty but funny kitten called Li’l Petey (an effervescent Sadie Jayne Kennedy). He tries to make her evil but it does not register on her and she sings a “Happy Song” which you do not expect from a villain.  Li’l Petey and Dog Man become friends and become “The Perfect Mashup.”

                                         SCENE FROM DOG MAN: THE MUSICAL. 

Photo Jeremy Daniel

Flippy (Glory Yepassis-Zembrou) is a telekinetic fish and there is a Robot that is supposed to make the kitty become evil. But the  dastardly and very funny villains are no match for Dog Man and Li’l Petey  and law and order. All the actors take on other roles with maximum speed and minimum fuss. There are only five actors and far more roles to fill. They do it with humour, energy and plain gusto.

The set by Timothy R. Mackabee is a colorful room that can be changed to different locations with little fuss. The costumes are again colorful with touches of humour, all intended to fit the high-octane performances by the actors.

There are thirteen musical numbers that emphasize  rambunctiousness and comic spirit that suit the plot and I admit that I cannot recall any particular tune. The singing involves the company in every number and aims at moving the plot and to entertain us rather than impress us or become embedded in our memory.

Director and Choreographer Jen Wineman sets the relentless pace and maintains it throughout,

The intended audience is young people, perhaps elementary school pupils but but a good show entertains everyone and Dog Man: The Musical does just that.

_____________________________

Dog Man: The Musical by Kevin Del Aquila (book and lyrics), Brad Alexander (music), adapted from the books by Dav  Pilkey, a Theater Works production, opened on May 9 and will run until June  9, 2024, at the CAA Theatre, 651 Yonge St, Toronto ON, M4Y 1Z9  www.mirvish.com/

James Karas is the Senior Editor, Culture of The Greek Press

MEDEA – REVIEW OF THE 2024 CANADIAN OPERA COMPANY PRODUCTION

Reviewed by James Karas

Luigi Cherubini’s Medea has finally premiered in Toronto, a handful of years since it opened in Paris in 1797. No need to get churlish about it because  it had its New York debut at the Met in 2022. In fact, what we have is a coproduction by the COC, the Met, the Greek National Opera and the Lyric Opera of Chicago. That’s quite a cast.

The COC’s Medea deserves a thunderous ovation on all counts. The cast, the direction, the orchestra and the design are probably of historic importance and a repetition of a production of this quality may not be around the corner. Let’s hope we don’t have to wait 217 years.

The opera is dominated by its central character, Medea, sung by the incomparable Sondra Radvanovsky. The soprano must handle a complex character who goes through a gamut of emotions that most of us cannot imagine. Medea was a princess and a sorceress in Colchis, a city on the east shore of the Black Sea, today’s Georgia. She betrayed her father to help the Greek hero Jason get the Golden Fleece. They married and had two children but Jason abandons her to marry Glauce, the daughter of Creon, King of Corinth.

We need to keep in mind that Medea committed gross crimes against her father and her country, became an outcast in Corinth, all to help Jason. He betrays her for another woman and Medea is in danger of losing everything, especially her two children. She still loves Jason who rejects her, she still loves her children and wants to kill them. The complexity and depth of emotions make her a woman full of pain, fury and betrayed love and she morphs into a monster. She decides to kill Glauce on her wedding day by giving her a poisoned garment and butcher her children as the ultimate revenge against Jason. She accomplishes both despite all moral standards to the contrary. Iago, Lady Macbeth, Clytemnestra and Lizzie Borden have nothing on this lady. I mention all of this because it is important to understand Medea’s character and appreciate the magnitude of Sondra Radvanovsky performance. 

Sondra Radvanovsky as Medea in Medea, The Metropolitan Opera, 2022, 

Photo: Marty Sohl

Cherubini’s opera contains all those conflicting and terrifying emotions and it is up to Radvanovsky to express them. She has the vocal power, the magnificent vocal prowess and the tonal expressiveness, beauty and fury to achieve it all. She rolls on the floor, agonizes about her decision. She pleads, indeed begs for her children, loves, cajoles but all her efforts fail. In the end, she slaughters her children in a performance that should be embedded in one’s mind indefinitely.

Soprano Zoie Reams gives a distinguished performance as Neris, Medea’s maid. She is faithful to the nth degree and delivers the poisoned garment to Glauce. Her singing is deeply moving and she turns a relatively minor role into a triumph.

Soprano Jane Brugger sings the role of the hapless Glauce who is about to marry Jason. She is nervous and afraid of what Medea might do and is brutally and mercilessly killed.  She is the blameless victim of Medea’s vengeful fury and she sings her aria “O amore, vieni a me!”  (Love, come to me) with such longing and fear that leaves one deeply moved.

King Creon and the ambitious Jason who is marrying Princess Glauce for the throne are not as sympathetic as the women though one could argue that no one is as bad as Medea. Tenor Matthew Polenzani is a virile Jason who pleads for his children and tries to be conciliatory to Medea but he does not get too much sympathy. Polenzani sings superbly and his Jason is well drawn.

A scene from  Medea, 2024, Photo: Michael Cooper

Bass-baritone Alfred Walker plays the authoritative King Creon who tries to assuage Medea’s fury by promising to look after her children – and raise them in the temple. Kudos to Walker for an authoritative performance vocally and physically.  

Two more stars deserve mention and praise. The COC Orchestra under the baton of Lorenzo Passerini performed Cherubini’s complex score with exceptional ability.

David McVicar’s direction and set design deserve the ultimate accolade of the word masterpiece. The set features a huge mirror above the performers so that we see the back of the performers as well as the front. There is judicious use of projections that in the end give one an extraordinary visual effect. The full drama of the opera is displayed in an unforgettable production. It is as if we are making up for ignoring the opera for so long.

_____________
Medea  by Luigi Cherubini (music) and Francois-Benoit Hoffman (original libretto in French) in Italian version by Carlo Zangarini will be performed six time’s on various dates until May 17, 2024, at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. West, Toronto, Ontario. www.coc.ca.

James Karas is the Senior Editor, Culture of The Greek Press

DON PASQUALE – REVIEW OF 2024 CANADIAN OPERA COMPANY PRODUCTION

Reviewed by James Karas

Don Pasquale was Gaetano Donizetti’s 63^rd opera and the last time it was produced by the Canadian Opera Company was a hefty thirty years ago. It is hoped that no one has had to wait that long to see this bouquet of melodies and comic business. It is paired this year with the heavy-duty Medea by Luigi Cherubini and no one can complain about the choices.

Don Pasquale inundates us with gorgeous melodies, a funny if thin plot and the COC’s production is a delight. The plot is as old and wonderful as comedy. Don Pasquale (Misha Kirla) is usually a rich old man but in this production is the owner of a small  pensione in 1960s Rome. He wants to marry Norina (Simone Osborne), a young and pretty widow who happens to be also smart and spirited. She is in love with Ernesto (Santiago Ballerini), the nephew of Don Pasquale. We need someone to get things moving and that happens to be Dr. Malatesta (Joshua Hopkins) who arranges the marriage of his “sister” (Norina really) to Don Pasquale to be officiated by a Notary (Alex Halliday) who may be no notary at all.

All the players are in place and the plot must move to get rid of the old fool and restore the young lovers to “happily ever after” and I hope I am not disclosing too much of the plot.

Andre Barbe and Renaud Doucet from Montreal are credited with stage direction, dramaturgy, sets and costumes. That’s all the COC program discloses. André Barbe does costumes and set designs while Renaud Doucet does stage direction and choreography. This production does not need choreography but it does get some dramaturgy and I suppose we can guess who did it.

 

Simone Osborne as Norina and Joshua Hopkins as Dr. Malatesta. 

Poto: Michael Cooper

Don Pasquale requires a bass, a baritone, a tenor and a soprano with good voices to deliver the gorgeous melodies, obviously, but also singers with a comic sense to bring out the laughs inherent in the plot. Don Pasquale must do well vocally and comically and in Misha Kirla the COC has found an outstanding singer/actor. Kirla is a baritone in a role that is usually sung by a bass. He is a big man especially compared to Ballerini and Osborne and made them look almost tiny.  

Soprano Osborne is a small woman but proved to be spitfire on occasion but she has a relatively small voice and she was overwhelmed by the bigger-voiced men around her. At times I found her unsatisfactory but she gave a spirited performance and showed spunk.

Ballerini as Ernesto was energetic and vocally spirited as the young man who wants to save his love and defeat his uncle who has a double-barreled gun pointed at him, he wants to deprive his nephew of his love and his livelihood by throwing him out. 

Misha Kiria as Don Pasquale and Joshua Hopkins 
as Dr. Malatesta in Don Pasquale, COC 2024. Photo: Michael Cooper

Joshua Hopkins as Malatesta is an ambivalent comic character who tricks his friend Pasquale into marrying his sister (a lie) by a Notary who is not a notary. Norina knows how to make Pasquale regret he ever married her in a well done and hilarious scene.   

Barbe and Doucet, as indicated, made Pasquale the owner of a pensione and thus allowed the chorus to be used as his tenants. It also facilitated the look of the set with several floors of windows towering over the main part of  the set which contained Pasquale’s living quarters. What looked like sheets hanging on a clothesline were lowered as the backdrop for the scene in the park and then changed for the scene with Malatesta and Norine.

Don Pasquale with its reliance on the eternal comic plot of the young outwitting the old for love and security and its shameless copying of commedia dell’arte characters suffused with the splendid music of Donizetti is a sheer delight and we should not have to wait thirty years to see another production.
__________________    
Don Pasquale by Gaetano Donizetti opened on April 26 and will be performed a total of eight times until May 14, 2024, at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. West, Toronto, Ontario. www.coc.ca.

James Karas is the Senior Editor, Culture of The Greek Press

WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION – REVIEW OF 2024 SHAW FESTIVAL PRODUCTION

Reviewed by James Karas

Who killed Mrs. French?

That is the burning question in Agatha Christie’s Witness for the Prosecution and I will fearlessly cool off your anxiety by leading you to the truth.

In the meantime, I will treat you to a few words about the play and the current production of the famous crime drama at the Shaw Festival. I will assume that you don’t know the plot of the play but you have heard that this is one of the best courtroom dramas ever written,

Leonard Vole (Andrew Lawrie) is accused of murdering the rich Mrs. French. The eminent Sir Wilfrid Robarts, QC (Patrick Galligan), agrees to defend him but the chances of getting Vole off the hook look very bleak. The testimony of his wife Romaine Vole (Marla McLean) is not enough to sway the jury but a mysterious woman appears with some incriminating letters written by Mrs. Vole to a lover and that promises to bring in a “not guilty” verdict. Hold your breath.

Director Alistair Newton has opted for an aggressively dark production. The set from Sir Wilfrid’s chambers to the imposing courtroom are black or gray and the costumes with the exception of what Mrs. Vole is wearing are all gray and the lawyers’ robes are of course black. The office of a senior lawyer, including the law books in the back and even the judge’s imposing high bench are all bleak. This is Newton’s creation with Set Designer Karyn McCallum, Costume Designer Judith Bowden and Lighting Designer Siobhan Sleath.

Marla MaLean as Romaine Vole in court.

All of this sets the tone for the play and the actors perform in the theatre noir atmosphere created by Newton. Witness is set in London and English accents are de rigueur but on the whole not achieved. Some actors are better than others but we are not quite convinced that we are in a lawyer’s office or a court room in London. 

 Courtroom scenes are notoriously difficult to stage. We have a great view of the raised, imposing bench with its carved wood where the judge sits as if he were above humanity. But in a courtroom, the accused and the lawyers face the judge and we see their backs. The problem is solved reasonably well in this production. Vole sits with his back to us and the lawyers sit on the side of the judge’s bench. The witnesses sit on the opposite side facing the lawyers. The theatre audience is addressed as if they are the jury and the whole thing works reasonably well, especially considering the small stage of the Royal George Theatre.

We have two QCs, Sir Wilfrid for the defense and Mr. Myers QC (Graeme Somerville) for the prosecution, fighting for their cause with equal competence. We really want Sir Wilfrid to be brilliant and outshine Myers but Galligan lacks the pyrotechnics to achieve legal stardom.

McLean as Mrs. Vole is a clever and conniving German but she did not sound like a German and looked affected and almost a caricature. She wears what must have been a very stylish hat and dress for the period of the play. Lawrie as Leonard Vole was more convincing with the only difficulty being to decide if he is lying or telling the truth.

Shawn Wright doubles in the minor role of a clerk in Sir Wilfrid’s office and the more substantial role of the imposing Justice Wainwright that he does well.

The witnesses, Martin Happer as Inspector Hearne, Cheryl Mullings as Dr. Wyatt, Monica Parks as Janet Mackenzie do good work and move the plot to the final twists, surprises and oh my god!

The plot twists of Witness are extraordinary and the play and its adaptations have never failed to amaze and entertain audiences. If you have never seen it, you will be thrilled, if you have seen it, it is still an enjoyable play. As to Newton’s style, you have to decide for yourself.

The fastest way to learn the plot, including the final twists, is for me to tell you how it ends.

But I won’t and you will just have to see the play!        
________________
Witness for the Prosecution  by Agatha Christie continues in repertory untiL October 13, 2024, at the Royal George Theatre, Shaw Festival, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. www.shawfest.com.