Bard on the Beach opens this year with the ever popular, The Taming of the Shrew and follows up with Macbeth.
As is the nature of Bard on the Beach, the same amazing cast of regulars who fill the roles for the first show of the season, also effortlessly (at least they make it seem that way) fill the roles for the second show. This year they had the daunting task of tackling The Taming of the Shrew and Macbeth. These are two hugely different plays, not only in content but style and pacing, so it's no small feat to do this and do it well.
In a nutshell, The Taming of the Shrew is a comedic look at the search for love. Beautiful Bianca (Dawn Petten) entertains a host of suitors who all vie for her father's approval and subsequently her hand in marriage. Her no-nonsense, older sister Kate (Lois Anderson) on the other hand, makes no bones about making intellectual mince-meat out of any man who crosses her path. Their father Baptista (Bernard Cuffling), promises Bianca's suitors that none shall have her hand until her older sister Kate is married. Bianca's suitors are at odds until they come across a man who surprises them all and takes on this challenge with sinister zeal.
Kate, with the reputation of shrew firmly affixed to the very mention of her name, wreaks verbal havoc in the village creating a moat of malice around her. Enter Petuchio (John Murphy), the man who attempts to tame her, and his trusty servant Grumio (Kayvon Kelly). Petruchio spins a web of confusion around Kate, resulting in their marriage and followed by a hilarious battle of wits that takes no prisoners.
In a nutshell, The Taming of the Shrew is a comedic look at the search for love. Beautiful Bianca (Dawn Petten) entertains a host of suitors who all vie for her father's approval and subsequently her hand in marriage. Her no-nonsense, older sister Kate (Lois Anderson) on the other hand, makes no bones about making intellectual mince-meat out of any man who crosses her path. Their father Baptista (Bernard Cuffling), promises Bianca's suitors that none shall have her hand until her older sister Kate is married. Bianca's suitors are at odds until they come across a man who surprises them all and takes on this challenge with sinister zeal.
Kate, with the reputation of shrew firmly affixed to the very mention of her name, wreaks verbal havoc in the village creating a moat of malice around her. Enter Petuchio (John Murphy), the man who attempts to tame her, and his trusty servant Grumio (Kayvon Kelly). Petruchio spins a web of confusion around Kate, resulting in their marriage and followed by a hilarious battle of wits that takes no prisoners.
Director Meg Roe does a great job with her cast and crew. Lois Anderson's own intelligence shines through her character adding to her believability, and Murphy's John-Cleese-like movement is remarkably funny. Dawn Petten adds a silliness to her character that's reminiscent of SNL, but it's Kayvon Kelly's approach to his character Grumio that steals most of the scenes. The comedic timing of the actors, coupled with the pacing of the action, works beautifully.
This is the sort of play you cold see a few times (seriously, not a bad idea) and never be bored. Even the stage design is amusing.
A few days later the entire cast and crew shifts gears and changes tone completely as they ready to perform Macbeth. This is a hard play to tackle and the cast does a brilliant job. There are a few mishaps along the way, but nothing that can't be fixed with an attentive director.
Macbeth is the story of man plagued by false prophesies, psychosis, and an insatiable thirst for power. Macbeth murders everyone, from king to child, who blocks his path to becoming king.
This is the sort of play you cold see a few times (seriously, not a bad idea) and never be bored. Even the stage design is amusing.
A few days later the entire cast and crew shifts gears and changes tone completely as they ready to perform Macbeth. This is a hard play to tackle and the cast does a brilliant job. There are a few mishaps along the way, but nothing that can't be fixed with an attentive director.
Macbeth is the story of man plagued by false prophesies, psychosis, and an insatiable thirst for power. Macbeth murders everyone, from king to child, who blocks his path to becoming king.
Bob Frazer takes on the formidable role of Macbeth and fully embodies the character, breathing life into this complex role. Colleen Wheeler dives into the role of Lady Macbeth offering a delicate, yet sinister, balance to Frazer's Macbeth. Over all, the performances were great and it's clear the amount of work that has gone into developing the characters.
Another thing that really stands out about this play is the sound design. Composer and sound designer, Murray Price weaves sound through the scenes, adding richness and filling the delicate spaces with a distinct tone.
There are, however, three things that have the potential to take you out of this play and will most likely be addressed as is the case with high caliber productions like these: the tone of the dialogue; the speed of the dialogue; the movement of some of the actors in the smaller roles.
Shakespeare's dialogue is difficult to follow on a good day. Many of the cast, speak with a monotone that at times drones the words together and can cause the viewer to disconnect from the action. The play is so dark and dramatic that it can be difficult to find the right pacing that will allow the performers to deliver the dialogue effectively as well as give pause long enough to register the effect of what's been said. Having said that, the pace could stand to be picked up just a little, especially in some of the less dialogue-heavy places.
Lastly, the slower pace of the main characters directly contrasts with the hyper pacing of some of the actors in smaller roles. At one point in the play, a young boy (one of the female actors in disguise) runs up to Macbeth to give him some news. His tiny, sped-up footsteps sent a wave of laughter throughout the audience on opening night: not likely something he'd intended to do. Even Lady Macbeth got a laugh when she sped up the pace near the end of the second half, but only because it was such a stark contrast to the slower, less effective pacing that had already been established.
After all that, none of these things is epic enough to warrant skipping this play. The actors give their all and are very good by all standards. The amount of effort put into these shows and the level of talent that we see on the stages is astounding.
For show times go to Bard on the Beach.
Another thing that really stands out about this play is the sound design. Composer and sound designer, Murray Price weaves sound through the scenes, adding richness and filling the delicate spaces with a distinct tone.
There are, however, three things that have the potential to take you out of this play and will most likely be addressed as is the case with high caliber productions like these: the tone of the dialogue; the speed of the dialogue; the movement of some of the actors in the smaller roles.
Shakespeare's dialogue is difficult to follow on a good day. Many of the cast, speak with a monotone that at times drones the words together and can cause the viewer to disconnect from the action. The play is so dark and dramatic that it can be difficult to find the right pacing that will allow the performers to deliver the dialogue effectively as well as give pause long enough to register the effect of what's been said. Having said that, the pace could stand to be picked up just a little, especially in some of the less dialogue-heavy places.
Lastly, the slower pace of the main characters directly contrasts with the hyper pacing of some of the actors in smaller roles. At one point in the play, a young boy (one of the female actors in disguise) runs up to Macbeth to give him some news. His tiny, sped-up footsteps sent a wave of laughter throughout the audience on opening night: not likely something he'd intended to do. Even Lady Macbeth got a laugh when she sped up the pace near the end of the second half, but only because it was such a stark contrast to the slower, less effective pacing that had already been established.
After all that, none of these things is epic enough to warrant skipping this play. The actors give their all and are very good by all standards. The amount of effort put into these shows and the level of talent that we see on the stages is astounding.
For show times go to Bard on the Beach.
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