Canadian Mission: To visit the Top 10 English-speaking theatre cities in the world

By Shera Cohen

My mission was not an easy task for a white-knuckle flyer. Yet, after my journeys to New York City, then London, Toronto was next. There were many weeks of arrangements: booking the cheapest, direct flight on a name-brand airline; travel within Canada that included every mode of transportation except boat; lodging in Tripadvisor recommended hotels; and most important, choosing the plays and other cultural destinations.

I had always wanted to attend the Stratford Festival, near Toronto. In googling the particulars, I discovered the Shaw Festival, also near Toronto and at the same time of year. With Toronto in the middle, as Stratford and Shaw were each 90 minutes travel on either side, the trip beckoned to me.

There were no “falls” to be seen from Niagara-on-the-Lake, home of the Shaw Festival. Who needed a noisy water backdrop when enjoying one of the quaintest towns and best theatre series on the continent? Shaw’s two venues, within walking distance of each other, offered plays by George Bernard as well as other writers whose works were of the same era and/or style.

Having traveled all day, we started with only one play, Shaw’s classic “Major Barbara” at the Royal George Theatre – an ornate venue built in 1915. Onto “Our Betters” the next day and “Lady Windermere’s Fan” that night. After the matinee, it was a thrill to receive a private tour by Shaw’s publicity director, particularly to see the inner workings of changing sets. Shaw is a repertory company, meaning that actors perform in at least two plays and sets transform from one to another within hours. This task is so well choreographed that the “dance” does not skip a beat in presenting a perfectly crafted stage. Overnight, “Barbara” turned into “Guys & Dolls.” In a rush to catch a train, we thought of skipping “Guys,” but that would have been a shame, as this was the best production of the musical that I’d ever seen. Shaw Festival hosts 10 plays and ends October 27, 2013. www.shawfest.com

Onto Toronto to primarily visit some “buildings”; i.e. the world-famous Royal Museum of Ontario, the Bata Shoe Museum (not-just-for-shoe-lovers), the Toronto Reference Library (largest in the world), and “the castle around the corner” – Casa Loma. BTW, you know those hokey double-decker tour buses? We tried it, finding the trips fun and funny, depending on your effervescent college-age guide. Fitting in at least one play was a must. The Young Arts Center’s performance of a shaved-down Broadwayesque version of “The Barber of Seville” was a hoot.

We trained it to Stratford Festival for five plays, two of which were by the Bard. Like Shaw, the actors are in repertory, as is the crew. Performing two plays, some on the same day, is a task for only the best stage actors, and Stratford is a standout in this respect. First up at Stratford was “Fiddler on the Roof.” As with “Guys & Dolls,” I wondered how I could ever appreciate yet another “Fiddler”. And, as with “Guys,” this was the best version of “Fiddler” I’ve ever experienced. Next, the matinee of “The Three Musketeers.” Perhaps planned as a play for school kids (there were a lot in the audience), “Musketeers” was every bit as much for adults, myself included, who enjoyed the plot, scenery, humor, and intricately designed sword fights.

Shakespeare, of course, was a must see. The afternoon’s depiction of the tried and true “Romeo and Juliet” was followed by the evening’s execution of “Mary Stuart.” No lavish staging was necessary for either production, as the scenery was minimal in each to focus on the performances. Although the two women rivals lived some 500 years ago, Queen Elizabeth and Mary Queen of Scotts could not have been more real. Stratford presents 12 plays on four stages and ends on October 19, 2013. www.stratfordfestival.ca

If this reads like a whirlwind 11 days, it was. I will schedule some down time in the future, not to mention time to eat at a real restaurant. BWT, the Canadians are sincerely the nicest people on this or any other continent. Not only did they give us directions (we frequently got lost), but usually took us to our destinations.

Sydney, Australia is #4 on the list of theatre cities, but that’s a flight that I don’t think I’m ready for. Maybe I won’t travel in chronological order?

Shaw Festival, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario

We begin the Shaw Festival with Shaw. Not to be repetitive, but that seems the best place to start.

“Major Barbara,” penned in 1905, and set in that era, compares a family of means with the lower classes. Our heroine Barbara, is idealistic, stubborn, and/or naïve about her ability to make a difference in the world. She scoffs at her trappings to become a soldier in the Salvation Army. The subject is money, how it’s made, and what it can and can’t do. Could one’s bank account save a soul? Toss politics and war into the mix, as Shaw not so subtlety comments on social differences.

Common to each of the Shaw Festival plays is the exceptional qualities of their actors. From star to the smallest role, these are consummate performers. Also, because of the company is repertory, one play’s leading man is the next day’s play’s butler.

“Our Betters,” by W. Somerset Maugham in 1915, is similar in concept concerning social differences and the necessity of pretense and even deceit to climb the ladder of success. Our dubious and clever Bessie is a winsome manipulator ever aware of the social mores and life (everyone drinks tea a lot, then plays tennis), division of the classes and sexes. Women of means go to the highest male bidder. But Bessie is a smart cookie, and it’s fun to watch the gears in her head move precisely as her plans unfold.

Another commonality of the Festival’s Shaw plays (written by Shaw or others) is their staging. “Barbara” and “Betters” take place at the Royal George Theatre. Amazingly, the first play’s set, with lots of scaffolding and steel, is carefully dismantled to be replaced by the next afternoon’s play depicting a full living room of the early 1900’s.

“Lady Windermere’s Fan,” written by Oscar Wilde in 1892, literally graces the stage of the Festival Theatre (the largest and newest Shaw venue). Beginning with tableaus and window-like boxes on a white set, the audience is allowed to slowly examine the lives of three people, first superficially, then under a magnifying glass. The white images become grey, just as the characters morph from flat to detailed and bumpy. Interestingly, Wilde makes fun of himself in the text, as depicted by a bored fop.

“Guys and Dolls,” the musical based on Damon Runyon stories, brings the streets and underground of New York City alive because “in the ring” it’s gambling vs. religion. Once again, the Salvation Army tries to come to the rescue of sinners. Just as the title states, this show’s script is familiar – guy gets girl, guy loses girl, you know the drill, although in this case, there are two pair. I’ve probably seen “Guys” eight times. After enjoying the thrill of the music and exceptional dance, I seem to have forgotten the seven previous productions.

Stratford Festival, Stratford, Ontario

Not that we planned it on purpose, but our scheduled week just happened to be the week of opening nights.

“Fiddler on the Roof,” inspired by stories of Sholem Aleichem, shows off the superior talents of actors, musicians, singers, and choreographer. The audience cares about the life of Tevya and his family living in Russia which is as uncertain and precarious as a fiddler on the roof. I’m not sure what’s in the water in Ontario that makes their musicals so sweet, but this was surely the finest and most emotional “Fiddler” that I have seen. And my “Fiddler” tally is above 10.

Stratford, like Shaw, hosts plays in two main theatres. “Fiddler,” set in the huge Festival Theatre, permits the large cast of leading characters and those portraying town folks to spread out as they create their home – their village of Anatevka.

“The Three Musketeers,” adapted from Alexandre Dumas’ novel, leaps onto the Festival Theatre stage for a fun matinee for all – like the line, “All for one, and one for all.” Stratford could have easily presented a less than lavish show, because kid audiences will like it no matter what the scenery, but they opt for nothing but the best in staging, actor skills, costume design, intriguing lighting, and dexterous carefully plotted sword fights. With 40 scenes, “Musketeers” is a big show.

“Measure for Measure” was the first Shakespeare play that we saw in Stratford. The performance in the smaller Tom Patterson Theatre, offers a different visual perspective on plays, as the stage juts out into the audience. Not one of the Bard’s often produced plays, perhaps because its ending is not a clear happy one (comedy) or one with bodies strewn on the floor (tragedy), it is more difficult. While not a Shakespeare purist, updating “Measure” to the 1940’s is a curious choice. The cast performs admirably.

“Romeo and Juliet” takes us to, perhaps, the most performed of any by Shakespeare. The essentially bare-bones staging focuses on the superior acting. Elizabethan era costumes are sumptuous, and the only nod to modern technology is the tomb scene where Juliet’s body, lying on a bier, rises. Actors play to the audience – the majority high school students – and several were so caught up in the play, they were heard to shout, “No, no, don’t do that,” as Romeo drinks the poison.

Important about Shaw and Stratford is the variety available. On any given day at either venue there can be eight events; i.e. six plays and two forums/lectures/talks.

Photo by Don Dixon

“Mary Stuart,” by Friedrich Schiller, tops off our working vacation with “best in show.” Appropriately staged in the intimate Patterson Theatre, is the fictionalized portrait of the conflict between Queen Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots; in other words, Protestantism vs. Catholicism. A tour-de-force by the two lead actresses gives the audience a look into16th century politics and religion. At the crux of the story is the relationship between two women, both strong-willed, yet with human weaknesses which they use against each other.

The Beauty Queen of Leenane

Shakespeare & Company, Lenox, MA

www.shakesepare.org

through September 15, 2013

by Shera Cohen

Photo by Kevin Spraugue

Playwright Martin McDonagh may have become Ireland’s version of prolific Neil Simon. With no offence to the latter, this Gaelic writer continuously succeeds at grabbing the human condition, balancing it with humor and outright pain. “The Beauty Queen of Leenane” is similar in text to McDonagh’s other works – raw and raunchy, poignant and pathetic. This play, however, offers a meaty mystery plot which attracts its audience more so than the author’s pieces which stress humorous dialogue over storyline.

At its core, “Beauty Queen” is the dysfunctional relationship between mother and daughter. The location (on this well designed set) is a home in rural Ireland. The mother, portrayed as a disgusting and conniving creature that clings to her daughter, who has her own problems in addition to caring for mom. Maureen shouts, “You’re old and you’re stupid!” Mother Mag retorts with constant belittling. This is not a pretty play.

What a difference an excellent director makes in executing a production. Matthew Penn’s movement of characters in perfect timing with the lilting and oftentimes poetic language takes “Beauty Queen” steps above what the play could have easily slid into – uncomfortable audience laughs and groans. In spite of this saga of “creature” and her offspring on the road to becoming cliché, these are two actual people. The audience needs to know their stories and outcomes.

The same truth applies to casting decisions. No two actors on the Berkshire scene could have portrayed this duo better. Pairing Elizabeth Aspenlieder (Maureen) and Tina Packer (Mag) is an equally talented match. Aspenlieder has taken on a role atypical of most of her prior characters at this venue where she is the resident female protagonist, often frothy and on a mission. Aspenlieder’s “Beauty Queen” mission is survival, portrayed with heartache, longing, and corruption.

Tina Packer, donned in an ugly wig and unwashed nightgown, plays Mag as the epitome of harsh, unsympathetic, and formidable. Mag’s weak mannerisms unmistakably convey power and control. For two-hours, Packer becomes Mag.

In smaller, yet extremely significant roles are the men: David Sedgwick (the beaux) whose gentleness and understanding is beautiful to watch and Edmund Donovan (young neighbor) whose combination of charm and exasperation is delightful.

This summer’s repertoire at Shakespeare & Company has presented exceptional plays, emphasizing “& Company” part of the venue’s title. In addition to “Beauty Queen” were “Heroes,” “Mother Courage,” and “Master Class.”

Scott & Hem in the Garden of Allah

Barrington Stage, Pittsfield, MA

www.barringtonstageco.org

through September 29, 2013

by Shera Cohen

Being a Mark St. Germain “groupie” is not as juvenile as it might sound. After all, this man is not a one-song rock singer or actor of ephemeral fame, but an accomplished playwright whose dialogue is snappy repartee covered with wisdom, intellect, humor, bravado, and warmth. Previous works included “Freud’s Last Session,” “Best of Enemies,” and “Dr. Ruth.” At the most, his pieces number three characters which permit the audience the opportunity to delve into the personalities, as is the case with St. Germain’s latest play, “Scott and Hem in the Garden of Allah.”

Literally hot off the computer is the rolling world premiere (translation: opens in several cities simultaneously) of a portrait of two of the most well-known authors in the English language – F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemmingway. St. Germain has studied his subjects extremely well, composing textbook research into conversation, utilizing the writers’ rule, “Show, don’t tell.”

The staging – one of the most elaborate yet at Barrington – is a Hollywood hotel one day in 1937. To call the writers “friends” might be a stretch; perhaps their relationship was that of rivals and/or student and teacher (Scott at the nadir of his career and Hem at the zenith). What make them compatriots are their writing, alcoholism, insecurities, and microscopic knowledge of each other. They speak of death, depression, and sexuality; each cushioned with much humor – not jokes but humor as they look at and question each other and themselves.

by Kevin Spraugue

Joey Collins as Scott and Ted Koch as Hem personify the visual and aural images most have of these two men. Collins’ Scott is prim, proper, and as gentle as his alcoholic demeanor permits. Koch’s Hem is boisterous and hard-edged. The actors seemingly know each other as well as the writers did. Although in a smaller role, Angela Pierce, as a top level secretary holds her own piece of the stage formidably. The authors’ chummy banter drifts into provocative exploratory psychological sessions. The actors/characters have captured their audience.

Kudos to Ryan Winkles’ choreography of the knock-down, drag-out, furniture-tossing fight in which only the actors go unscathed. It’s not always a wise move for the writer to direct his own play, but except for one point at the play’s conclusion (this would be a spoiler), St. Germain has enough talent to take on both important jobs.

The Preview

by Shera Cohen

What is a play preview, and why would you attend a preview instead of the “real thing”?

A preview is usually the entire production of a play, where a few blips, bumps, and forgotten lines are acceptable. The preview is essentially the final dress rehearsal, yet in front of an audience.

My philosophy on theatre is that a play is never complete without the essential element of an audience. Yes, the text is the crucial start. Add an astute director, creative designers, exceptional actors, exquisite sets, perfect costumes and coifs, talented crew, on-their-toes front of house staff, and all of the necessary rehearsals, and this is not quite yet a play. I fall back on the saying, “If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it still make a sound?” I don’t know enough science to answer that question. But, I do know that without people to react to the words and movement on the stage, the play is not complete. The individuals in their seats, hopefully you, are a vital component in the play production business.

That said, a preview is very important as it is the first time an audience can react to the production. The director and actors certainly have their own opinions. Facing the proverbial music, however, means receiving the opinions of the audience. An audience is also never “right” or “wrong” because it changes from day to day.

Why attend? You help make the production better. You experience theatre somewhat at the ground level and learn a little more about the process. You usually pay less for tickets.

Are you seeing a “lesser” theatre production? Having seen many previews in the past 30+ years, I have yet to say that a preview has been in any way mediocre to the real deal.

My recent summer viewing included several previews, oftentimes because some previews fit my schedule and other times because I purposely sought the experience of participating in a preview. Except for some tweaking, Berkshire Theatre Festival’s “Anna Christie” was perfect in its execution and acting. Frankly (and who am I to be so boastful), I would have changed some of Eugene O’Neill’s script. One single word was forgotten by Olympia Dukakis, start of Shakespeare & Company’s “Mother Courage and Her Children.” At age 82, with the onus of this long production on her, one word is certainly forgivable.

Last summer, I enjoyed the preview of the new play “Edith” at Berkshire Theatre so much that I returned to see the final performance three weeks later, particularly to see if any changes had been made in production value and/or actors’ conveyance of characters. The play and actors did not skip a beat – perfect from start to finish. However, if that had not been the case, that’s perfectly fine with me.

Daniil Trifonov

Tanglewood, Lenox, MA

www.bso.org

August 22, 2013

by Michael J. Moran

Much buzz has followed the young (22-year-old) Russian pianist Daniil Trifonov in the classical music world since he won medals at three international piano competitions in 2010-2011. Local concert goers had a chance to see what all the fuss is about when Trifonov recently made a triumphant Tanglewood debut.

Coming on stage he looked stiff, boyish, and even a bit shy. But as soon as his fingers touched the keyboard, he was a changed man and never looked back. He luxuriated in the rich sonorities of the first movement and the restless harmonies of the second in Scriabin’s 1897 Sonata No. 2 in G-sharp minor. Both its roots in the lyricism of Chopin and its hints of Scriabin’s later mystical style were carefully balanced in an exquisite performance.

Contrasts were then heightened in a visceral interpretation of Liszt’s 1853 Sonata in B minor. The slow, portentous opening followed by a grand, dramatic statement of the second theme set a pattern in which slow passages were slower than usual, fast were faster, and the dynamic range was extremely wide. Trifonov’s playing in the fugue was breathtaking, and the sublime closing notes achieved a rapt stillness.

The second half of the concert was devoted to a dazzling account of Chopin’s Twenty-four Preludes, Opus 28. Published in 1839, these miniatures vary from Agtatos and Vivaces that flash past in less than a minute to several Largos and Lentos which take five minutes or more to unfold. Trifonov played them without pause, emphasizing their mercurial nature with solid technique, full-bodied tone, and subtle nuance.

Thunderous applause was rewarded with three encores: two rarely heard Fairy Tales by Nicolai Medtner, delicately played, and an arrangement by Guido Agosti of the Infernal Dance from Stravinsky’s Firebird in an athletic but sensitive rendition.

As Trifonov’s career develops and his artistry matures, it will be interesting to see how he approaches the core Germanic repertoire by Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven. Meanwhile, this rising star proved at Tanglewood that he has few peers in the romantic Slavic repertoire with which he seems to feel most at home.

Bard Music Festival

Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY

http://fishercenter.bard.edu/bmf/2013/

August 9-18, 2013

by Michael J. Moran

Fisher Center

Over two weekends every August since 1990, the Bard Music Festival has focused on a single composer, along with predecessors, contemporaries, and successors who influenced or were influenced by that composer. What distinguishes Bard from other music festivals is the annual publication by Princeton University Press of an accompanying book with essays contributed by scholars who also participate as speakers and panelists at festival programs.

The 2013 festival, “Stravinsky and His World,” presented 11concerts, three panel discussions, and two film showings on the Bard College campus. Most evening concerts featured orchestral music played by members of the American Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Bard President and ASO Music Director Leon Botstein in the 900-seat Sosnoff Theater of the distinctive Richard B. Fisher Center designed in 2003 by Frank Gehry. Daytime concerts offered mainly chamber and instrumental works in the 200-seat Olin Humanities Building auditorium, where the panels were also held.  

While the “Rite of Spring” centennial was duly observed in Weekend One, a highlight of Weekend Two was a live ASO performance of Hanns Eisler’s modest score for Resnais’ watershed Holocaust documentary “Night and Fog,” projected behind the orchestra (in a rare political statement, Stravinsky defended the Communist Eisler against the U.S. House Un-American Activities Committee in 1948). The festival climaxed with a double bill of Stravinsky’s pastoral melodrama “Persephone” and his shattering opera-oratorio “Oedipus Rex,” both imaginatively semi-staged by Doug Fitch.

To hear these pieces in the context of other work by major influences (Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov) and contemporaries (Bartok, Varese), lesser-known colleagues (Tansman, Lourie), and the variety of Stravinsky’s own invention, from solo piano miniatures (“Madrid”) to serial chamber music (the Septet) and austere choral music (“Requiem Canticles”) was to appreciate anew Stravinsky’s protean talent.

Performances by ASO musicians and their guests were consistently fine. Of special note were mezzo-soprano Jean Stilwell as Persephone, tenor Gordon Gietz as Oedipus, and pianist Piers Lane, who turned Antheil’s knuckle-busting “Sonata Sauvage” into a showstopper. James Bagwell led the Bard Festival Chorale in a stunning choral concert that ranged from a glowing “Beatus Vir” by Monteverdi to a lovely, if challenging, lamentation by Krenek, of which Bagwell wryly noted, quoting Ringo Starr, “it don’t come easy.”

With a packed schedule at the festival, time to visit such nearby attractions as the historic town of Rhinebeck and museums in Hyde Park celebrating the Roosevelt and Vanderbilt families can be scarce, but the natural beauty of the Hudson Valley rewards all visitors to the area.

Boston Symphony Chamber Players

Tanglewood, Lenox, MA

www.bso.org

August 20, 2013

by Michael J. Moran

Many orchestral musicians have long professed their love for playing chamber music. In a nod to this time-honored tradition, 17 members of the BSO presented a wide-ranging program dedicated to the memory of Elliott Carter, who died last November a month short of his 104th birthday.

Two short pieces by Carter opened the program. The first, a jazzy ten-minute “Woodwind Quintet” in two short movements, written in 1948, sounded very different from the starker, more challenging four-minute “Figment III” for double bass solo, written in 2007, which followed it. The five woodwind soloists were impeccable, and double bass player Edwin Barker was entertainingly virtuosic.

The first half of the concert closed with the original chamber version for 13 instruments of

Photo by Hilary Scott

Copland’s Suite from the ballet “Appalachian Spring.” BSO assistant conductor Marcelo Lehninger led a ravishing account of this classic score, which sounded even more transparent than usual in this scaled down version. Special kudos were earned by flutist Elizabeth Rowe and clarinetist Michael Wayne, whose sensitive playing made the most of the familiar big tunes.

While the first half of the evening showcased some newer and younger BSO members, the half following intermission belonged to an older generation, as 90-year-old pianist Menahem Pressler and three elder statesmen of the BSO took the stage. In 2012 Hungarian composer Gyorgy Kurtag wrote his haunting two-minute “Hungarian Impromptu” for Pressler, a member of the Beaux Arts Trio from its 1955 Tanglewood debut through its disbanding in 2008.

Pressler’s delicate performance of the Impromptu led without pause into a genial rendition of Mozart’s Quartet in E-flat, K. 493, to close the program. The partnership of BSO concertmaster Malcolm Lowe, violist Steven Ansell, and cellist Jules Eskin with Pressler yielded a vigorous opening Allegro, a lush but restrained Larghetto, and a joyous closing Allegretto.

The obvious pleasure that all the musicians took in each other’s company was echoed in the three standing ovations they received from an appreciative audience at the end of this memorable musical soiree.