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The Winter's Tale
Feb. 19th, 2007 09:10 amYesterday I went to the last performance of ASP's The Winter's Tale (Shakespeare) at the Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center. As I have come to expect from them, it was a wonderful show.
The theater space is gorgeous, with a high, gorgeously-decorated ceiling and a balcony (photo on right) on four sides. The stage was a square space in the center, the audience on all sides (though only a single row along the long sides). There was a musician in one corner, who ranged from bongoes to eerie sounds from a keyboard. There were a couple of props, but mostly it was the space, hung with a few banners, and the lights, the actors, and the play itself.
I tend to forget between times how dark the first half of the play is, all growing jealousy and rage, while the second half is so frothy until the very end.
I was impressed with how 'exit, chased by bear' was handled: black-clothed actors waving large green paper 'leaves' for their crinkly sounds, coalescing into a scary mass and chasing Antigonus offstage, then immediately returning as individual sheep crawling about.
There are, as usual, bits of the play I'm less than happy with: the reports of reconciliation, rather than showing it, which never feels quite right, and Paulina's randomly being married off to Camillo at the end, to have a full complement of happy couples.
There was a talk-back session afterward, which included discussion as to whether the statue of Hermione truly came to life, or Paulina had told the king of her death too soon. The actors had discussed it, and decided that both were true, that Hermione was as one dead through grief, and it can take a very long time to find one's way to forgiveness and the chance for reconciliation. I lean towards the death-in-grief idea myself, because the rest of the play is not one rife with miracles (unless Apollo's oracle is considered such, though that feels more in line with how their world works (though this oracle is far more clear than any classical oracle I've heard of)). Someone also asked about the very ending moments of the play: after everyone else has left, Leontes kisses Hermione, who then returns to her pedestal to pick up the teddy bear already established as Mamillus'. She brings it to Leontes, who holds it for a long moment, accepting the memories, before they walk out together. I thought it was a lovely addition, an acknowledgement that forgiveness can happen, but without losing the past.
Random: John Kuntz still rocks my world; he's such an impressive actor. This time he was a rapscallion of a saxophone-playing Autolycus; I loved his costumes, which tended towards the more fanciful (including sparkly painted shoes!). I was amused to realize that Polixenes' simple circlet, metal and black, was a zipper (it totally worked, strangely enough). It was interesting to have the music emphasize the jealousy, though there were times, especially when an actor faced away from me, that it make it harder to understand. Both this play and Hamlet have had African-American actors, and I noticed that the audience colors were more varied as well, compared to earlier (= whiter) shows (or at least, at the performances I was at). I enjoyed the harvest-party scene, with all the music, dancing, and garlands.
And I keep circling back to the idea that this play is a foil to Othello, showing how overwhelming jealousy can be redeemed, eventually, though not without some loss. This was perhaps emphasized by Leontes being played by an African-American actor, while Hermione was white.
I didn't think I'd say this, but I'm looking forward to Titus Andronicus, to see how their all-male cast does it.
Also upcoming: Tom Stoppard's Indian Ink at the BCA, June 15-30. Yay, more Stoppard!
The theater space is gorgeous, with a high, gorgeously-decorated ceiling and a balcony (photo on right) on four sides. The stage was a square space in the center, the audience on all sides (though only a single row along the long sides). There was a musician in one corner, who ranged from bongoes to eerie sounds from a keyboard. There were a couple of props, but mostly it was the space, hung with a few banners, and the lights, the actors, and the play itself.
I tend to forget between times how dark the first half of the play is, all growing jealousy and rage, while the second half is so frothy until the very end.
I was impressed with how 'exit, chased by bear' was handled: black-clothed actors waving large green paper 'leaves' for their crinkly sounds, coalescing into a scary mass and chasing Antigonus offstage, then immediately returning as individual sheep crawling about.
There are, as usual, bits of the play I'm less than happy with: the reports of reconciliation, rather than showing it, which never feels quite right, and Paulina's randomly being married off to Camillo at the end, to have a full complement of happy couples.
There was a talk-back session afterward, which included discussion as to whether the statue of Hermione truly came to life, or Paulina had told the king of her death too soon. The actors had discussed it, and decided that both were true, that Hermione was as one dead through grief, and it can take a very long time to find one's way to forgiveness and the chance for reconciliation. I lean towards the death-in-grief idea myself, because the rest of the play is not one rife with miracles (unless Apollo's oracle is considered such, though that feels more in line with how their world works (though this oracle is far more clear than any classical oracle I've heard of)). Someone also asked about the very ending moments of the play: after everyone else has left, Leontes kisses Hermione, who then returns to her pedestal to pick up the teddy bear already established as Mamillus'. She brings it to Leontes, who holds it for a long moment, accepting the memories, before they walk out together. I thought it was a lovely addition, an acknowledgement that forgiveness can happen, but without losing the past.
Random: John Kuntz still rocks my world; he's such an impressive actor. This time he was a rapscallion of a saxophone-playing Autolycus; I loved his costumes, which tended towards the more fanciful (including sparkly painted shoes!). I was amused to realize that Polixenes' simple circlet, metal and black, was a zipper (it totally worked, strangely enough). It was interesting to have the music emphasize the jealousy, though there were times, especially when an actor faced away from me, that it make it harder to understand. Both this play and Hamlet have had African-American actors, and I noticed that the audience colors were more varied as well, compared to earlier (= whiter) shows (or at least, at the performances I was at). I enjoyed the harvest-party scene, with all the music, dancing, and garlands.
And I keep circling back to the idea that this play is a foil to Othello, showing how overwhelming jealousy can be redeemed, eventually, though not without some loss. This was perhaps emphasized by Leontes being played by an African-American actor, while Hermione was white.
I didn't think I'd say this, but I'm looking forward to Titus Andronicus, to see how their all-male cast does it.
Also upcoming: Tom Stoppard's Indian Ink at the BCA, June 15-30. Yay, more Stoppard!