Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Three offerings at Stratford's Studio Theatre

In late August I was down to Stratford for my final shows of the season, most of which were late season offerings, and since we are now into the first week of September, I thought we would take care of the rest of the Stratford Festival offerings this week and next. This week, we'll look at the three shows at the smaller Studio Theatre, situated at the rear of the Avon Theatre in downtown Stratford.

The first of the three shows actually closes this coming Saturday, September 11th, and has been selling very well, so tickets will likely be scarce for this show, but if you can find some, you are in for a real treat. Leon Pownall's Do Not Go Gentle, a one-man show directed by Pownall, who died in 2006, and realized here by Dean Gabourie, stars Geraint Wyn Davies as the enigmatic poet Dylan Thomas. In it, Wyn Davies, as Thomas, looks back on his life and loves, and ultimately measures his talent against that of the greatest writer of them all, of course, William Shakespeare. The hard drinking, coarse-speaking Thomas, who lived from 1914 until 1953, provides a wealth of material for both author and performer to draw upon for the play.

Geraint Wyn Davies, who is no stranger to the role, having played it at Stratford back in 2002 as well as several times since in Chicago and New York, really embodies the colourful poet, infusing the part with a great deal of charm that smooths over his rough edges and makes him a totally likeable character. Sure, there are lots of sexual references, but Thomas was if nothing else a ladies' man, so that is all part of the package. Thomas may not have been perfect, but he is a perfect subject for Pownall and Geraint Wyn Davies to bring to life on the Studio stage. The staging is simple and effective: a desk, a chair, lots of papers of his work strewn about the floor, and a large bottle of, presumably, scotch, that barely lasts the night.

The night, incidentally, is a short one, running just about 100 minutes including intermission, but the time is very well spent, and every moment shared with performer Wyn Davies is pure pleasure. If you can get a ticket for this show before the run ends on the weekend, don't hesitate: go! Do Not Go Gentle plays at the Studio Theatre until September 11th and rates a very enthusiastic four out of four stars.

Canadian playwright George F. Walker teamed up with composer John Roby to present a clever, inventive take on The Threepenny Opera by Weil and Brecht, in an ambitious commission from the Stratford Festival, King of Thieves. One wonders if one really needs a new "Threepenny", but it is an ambitious project. This is a musical, complete with musicians tucked away at the back of the small stage at the Studio Theatre, and although the music is tuneful and easy to listen to, it is not necessarily memorable. That being said, the cast is very good and make the most of their moments onstage.

The performances are strong all around, with particular mention going to Sean Cullen as Vinnie, the owner of a speakeasy who guides the audience through the storyline; Evan Buliung as Mac, the thief who masterminds much of the skulduggery going on onstage; and Laura Condlln, another thief who also happens to be Mac's wife. I was particularly pleased to see Nora McLellan back onstage as Myrna, the wife of Peacham, the father of Mac's wife, Polly. Nora has been notably absent from both major festivals the last little while, and we're all the poorer for it. She is still a great performer who brings so much to her roles.

I find two significant flaws in the storyline that should be addressed as this musical progesses from one production to another: firstly, Ives, the Pinkerton agent, should turn in his badge for turning his back on a 'bad-guy' in the first act, only to meekly join the gang once he realizes there is money to be made here. Sure, he is a shady character; I get that. But does he have to be so stupid? Secondly, I find the ending almost anti-climactic, with Mac alone onstage with lots of money. It just sort of happens with no buildup and no big finish, so for me at least, it is a bit of a let-down.

Overall, King of Thieves is an ambitious project that shows great promise, and the Festival should be commended for making the commission in the first place. Because of that, and despite its flaws, I give it an acceptable three out of four stars. King of Thieves continues at the Studio Theater until September 18th.

The final offering at the Studio Theatre is Shakespeare's youthful The Two Gentlemen of Verona, directed by Dean Gabourie. Director Gabourie, in his program notes, refers to a review of Shakespeare's play by noted critic and playwright George Bernard Shaw in which Shaw boils down the appeal of Shakespeare's youthful work as something of a 'vaudeville' work. I can see where Shaw was coming from, as the play is as youthful and virile as the young Shakespeare surely was at the time he wrote it; still, you can have too much of any good thing, and in this case, too much vaudeville is simply waaay to much. This production is a vaudeville take from beginning to end, and it tends to wear thin after awhile. It is bathed in lots of clever sets and costumes and some notable performances, but in the end, this Two Gents gets lost in all the clever schtick.

There is lots to like in the performances, to be sure, including Dion Johnstone putting in a very strong performance as Valentine, who leaves Verona and his best friend Proteus to seek his fortune in the world. As Proteus, Gareth Potter is likeable in spite of his decision to compete with Valentine to woo Sylvia, daughter of the Duke of Milan. Trouble is, Proteus, once he joins Valentine in Milan, conveniently forgets about his love back home, Julia. Both women, Sylvia and Julia, played respectively by Claire Lautier and Sophia Walker, play their parts with wonderful flair and grace. The two main comical characters in the play, Speed and Launce, played by Bruce Dow and Robert Persichini respectively, get lots of mileage out of their comic turns onstage, with Persichini especially winning praise as he shares the stage with Crab the dog, played in this show by Otto. And I was especially glad to see Andrew Gillies back on the Stratford Festival stage after a long absence, albeit in a small role as Panthino.

So, the verdict on The Two Gentlemen of Verona? A strong cast almost saves the piece, but not quite. They, and Otto the dog, do all they can, but ultimately, this Two Gents fails to satisfy and rates only two out of four stars. It plays at the Studio Theatre until September 19th.

Next week, we'll wrap up the Stratford reviews for the season with some strong performances!

September 9, 2010.

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