My apologies for being a little late getting this written this weekend, but I am battling a cold and as a result I am in slow motion mode for a couple of days while I try to recuperate. Better late than never, as they say...
We are now, as of this writing, two weeks away from the end of the 2011 seasons for both the Shaw and Stratford Shakespeare Festivals. If you think you are out of luck this season, you are in for a pleasant surprise, as there are several shows available for your enjoyment still. To be honest, this is the ideal time to go to either festival, in fact, as the fall colours are still in full blaze, as it were, and the crowds are thinner on the area streets. Well, perhaps somewhat...but each town, Niagara-on-the-Lake and Stratford offer lots for the visitor even at this late point in the season, from shopping to sightseeing to exceptional dining experiences.
Show-wise, lets quickly review what is still open at both festivals for the remainder of the season:
Shaw Festival - The big show this year, of course, is the 50th anniversary celebration production of Lerner & Loewe's My Fair Lady, the first time oddly enough the festival has produced the classic musical. I found the show captivating due mainly to the performances, with Deborah Hay as Eliza Doolittle and Benedict Campbell as Henry Higgins. I found the Stratford production a few seasons back to be more lavishly dressed, but this production had much more meat on the proverbial bones, as it were. The performances are all first rate. But as good as this show is, and it is good, don't overlook the other shows still open at Shaw. Tennessee Williams' classic Cat on a Hot Tin Roof continues until October 23rd at the Royal George Theatre and although is a long sit, is well worth the commitment. I loved the set and most of the performances, including Jim Mezon as Big Daddy and Moya O'Connell as Maggie. Also at Shaw, the production of Candida, while not the best effort of this show they have produced over the years, is still worth seeing. It is the Shaw play that opened the festival 50 years ago, so for that reason alone, I think, it is worth your time this season. Look for good performances by Nigel-Shawn Williams and Claire Jullien. Finally, the main stage production of The Admirable Crighton by J.M. Barrie continues to the end of the month as well. I was less enamoured with this production, frankly, but the staging is exceptional and the performances are great. Just not a lot of meat in the script, I found. Maybe Barrie was saving his best for Peter Pan, after all, which debuted a couple of years later. Several shows have specially-priced tickets available for the remainder of the season, so go to www.shawfest.com
Stratford Shakespeare Festival - There are several recommendable productions still running at Stratford this year, including two of the season's big hits this year: Shakespeare's Twelfth Night and Webber/Rice's Jesus Christ Superstar. Twelfth Night is even more musical than ever, with several new songs written for the show; director Des McAnuff has crafted a beautifully modern and sleek production, and due to an exceptional cast it all works. Look for standout performances by Brian Dennehy as Sir Toby Belch and Stephen Ouimette as Sir Andrew Aguecheek, companion to Sir Toby. Moliere's The Misanthrope is lavishly designed for the Festival stage, and features some outstanding performances as well, most notably by Ben Carlson as Alceste and Sara Topham as the woman he loves, Celimene. The two big musicals at the festival this year, Jesus Christ Superstar and Camelot, have been packing them in all season and continue to do so. Jesus Christ Superstar is pretty much a sellout for the year, but you might be able to score a last-minute ticket or two just before the show starts; Camelot is big and a spectacle in its own right, as befits the story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. In JCS, the cast includes Paul Nolan in the title role and Chilina Kennedy as Mary Magdalene, and the entire cast will be heading to La Jolla, California for a run after it closes in Stratford, and finally makes it to Broadway next spring. In Camelot, Geraint Wyn-Davies makes a magisterial King Arthur, and Kaylee Harwood plays his Guenevere, ultimately wooed by Jonathan Winsby as Lancelot. At the Avon stage, two productions continue: the adaptation of John Steinbeck's novel The Grapes of Wrath, and Harold Pinter's The Homecoming. Grapes is pretty grim, as you can imagine, but some exceptional performances make it all worthwhile, including Evan Buliung as Tom and Chelina Kennedy as Rose of Sharon. Pinter's The Homecoming is gritty and quirky, and definitely an acquired taste. But standout performances by Brian Dennehy as Max and again, Stephen Ouimette as his brother Sam make it all worthwhile. A late-season opener, The Homecoming was lightly attended when I was there in late August, so you might have a good chance to get some great seats for this show. For all shows this season in Stratford, go to www.stratfordshakespearefestival.com.
Both festivals have announced their lineups for next season, of course, and each looks promising. At Shaw, the big musical will be Ragtime, which has had a checkered history of performances both in Toronto and on Broadway. In Stratford, the family show will be the musical You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. There have been complaints already about Shaw not having main stage performances of Shaw's plays next season; they will be featured at the Court House and Royal George Theatres next season. Over at Stratford, there are complaints their playbill includes only three of Shakespeare's plays. Well, you can't please everyone in both cases, of course, but they have to put bums in the seats, and if it works, how can you argue with their logic? We'll see how next season plays out and assess the results this time next year.
So that's it; enjoy some great theatre before the month is done and I guarantee you won't be disappointed!
October 16th, 2011.
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