5 plays and a week-end – Stratford, a third time
Actually 2 of which were short plays. Hughie & Krapp’s Last Tape, 2 one-act plays featuring Brian Dennehy who was made for both roles, one the gambler down on his luck in conversation with the night porter of the crummy hotel he is now condemned to live in, the other, a reminiscent failed writer who vents his frustration and deception by raging at old tapes of his he is listening to, having traded the possibility of love for the one, never attained, of fame. Eugene O’Neill, together with Samuel Beckett – depressingly accomplished performances! The Irish pondering about the meaning of one’s life, or lack of thereof...
Then Hamlet. Supremely played by this young Canadian actor, Ben Carlson, who literally lifts up the whole play. Not an easy play, Hamlet – for the spectator and for the actor. Must be the wordiest play Shakespeare ever wrote - so dense! But also the most compelling; always on the edge, between truth and deception, reality and appearance, sanity and madness, hope and despair, past and future, life and death. Stratford does well with this Hamlet, primarily due to Carlson’s performance (actually he also performed the personage at the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre last year I believe for which he got the much coveted best-actor award.) Do not quite understand though this practice of situating the action at another time than the original, as illustrated by the 19th century accoutrement of the actors (same this year, in part in Romeo & Juliet, and in full in All is well...)
For anyone whose mother tongue is not English, Shakespeare is quite a challenge, but I discovered that it is also for those for whom English is their mother tongue! Someone was telling me that Richard Monette, the just retired long-time artistic director of the Festival, and a pure Anglophone in spite of his French name, used to say that for the first 15 minutes of any Shakespeare play, he did not have a clue of what was going on! It was only after relaxing a bit and settling into the play would he start to get a sense of what was said and happening. So no wonder...
Most Shakespeare quotes that are remembered come from Hamlet. This one struck me this time: “The time is out of joint. O cursed spite / To ever be born to set it right!” It does summarize Hamlet, born to avenge his father king, but dies never to succeed him.
Shakespeare quotes I like, always a-propos, whenever the occasion lends itself to it. Like for a toast at my daughter’s marriage:
“He is the half part of a blessed manLeft to be finished by such as she:And she a fair divided excellenceWhose fullness of perfection lies in him!”
Moby Dick
A world premiere. Melville’s novel, adapted by director Morris Panych; not a word spoken (except for some narration), danced (not quite ballet) on Debussy’s Orchestral Works, all within 100 minutes. Silent-movie like. (Would have liked to “hear” the sermon on Jonah... Will always have in mind Orson Welles’ performance in the Hollywood film version...) Some striking effects of light and accessories (the sails of the ship) but on the whole it gets a bit repetitive and tedious (same effects, same gestures, same movements) and in the end a bit tiring. Must be commended though for having taking on the challenge of fitting Melville’s rambling story into this medium.
Caesar and Cleopatra
The story of an old ruler mentoring a much, much younger one, in the vagaries of exercising power. perfect entertainment! A great play about a serious topic but treated with humour, in an English that common people can understand (that is those of us who were not born in the 16th or 17th century!) Awesome set, situated for once, if I have to go by this season, in its true epoch; glorious costumes. And a cast to dream of: this young thing as Cleopatra, and the glory of Canada’s acting, Christopher Plummer, the prodigal son in a way, returning to Stratford after years. A triumph for him – even the critics were emphatic...
