Emerald Coast Theatre Consultant

Stratford Visit: June 17, 2009 at 8 Julius Caesar

 
  
My first contact with Caesar was in a high school English class and my second in a college Shakespeare course.  In high school we read the entire play aloud but in college we read only selected passages.
  
My first time actually seeing the play was at the Stratford Festival.  The only recollection I have, “So many togas!  Which character is speaking?”  It was, to say the least, confusing!   And frustrating.  
 
I cannot say that I was particularly looking forward to seeing this Caesar. I must admit that just the mention of Caesar brought back some fond and some not fond memories.   
 
Suffice it to say…we left at the intermission.  That was an unfortunate first for me at a Stratford festival play. So I really need to let you know why.
 
The key, I think, is in the actors bios.   Of all the cast and crew, about 24 out of some (35 +/-) were either making their debut at Stratford or were in only their second season.  Having read the less than kind, well, okay, disastrous reviews, here is my take on what happened.   My experience tells me that in the same circumstances, less than seasoned actors will push to try and make a play better in the face of less than flattering reviews.   And push and punch and race most of them did.   There were not enough truly seasoned actors on the stage, to slow the others down and keep the dialogue clear and uncluttered for the audience.
 
The production needed seasoned actors who will not bend to a review and will hold the play steady.  (I heard James Blendick use his mellifluous voice in Three Sisters. Had he been in the cast of Caesar, his influence and experience would have helped to hold the play steady and served as a template for the younger actors in the play.)   But there were no Blendicks around.  Unfortunately.   
 
Years ago, I heard that the attendance was lighter for what the festival referred to as “Young Company” productions. As a result, the festival removed that “label” from productions heavily populated by “actors in training” as it were. This may have been an unfortunate decision, in that now we go into every production with the same very high expectation of quality and experience. In earlier times I have thoroughly enjoyed “Young Company” productions, recognizing that this level of training and exposure to some of the elite actors of the time provided fledglings with a rare opportunity to improve their skills. When I attended these performances it was with the knowledge that some “spottiness” would occur in the production, but that it also provided me a rare opportunity to watch actors “grow” in their careers. I was also proud of the mature actors who were willing to give of their time and experience to these “budding” performers. Over my some 45 plus years of attending the festival, I have seen some raw talent develop into truly fine performers at the Festival. My observation is that the quality of speech and level of experience in this production appeared to be for the most part “Young Company”. Something I was not expecting.
 
That said, I felt the staging was fine, though I must admit seeing the soothsayer enter kneeling on a small dolly on casters did make me wonder for a moment that I might be seeing Porgy and Bess at the Houston Grand Opera. The same device was also used in the production of “Bartholomew Fair”…to better effect. Must be the “effect” of the season….
 
I cannot fault the director for this production.   Being new, he had to work with the actors he was given.   Fine actors, all, but not all inured to the slings and arrows in black and white.
 
Richard Ouzounian, who reviewed, has staged work at the Stratford Festival, and well, too, if I recall correctly.    He is to be congratulated for his clarity and above all his honesty in the review.  Hopefully he will someday once again direct at Stratford.

Looking for something?

Use the form below to search the site:

Still not finding what you're looking for? Drop a comment on a post or contact us so we can take care of it!

Categories

Pages