Shakespeare Stratford – summer of 2011

Mid-season openings – a string of 4 plays, complemented by 2 others: this is the menu for these 4 days, mid-July!

I have seen the opening of “Jesus Christ Superstar”, early June, before going to Europe. Again, not being a “musical man” myself, I must admit I did enjoy! An apparently not the only one: the critics enjoyed, and so did the author of the lyrics (Tom Rice) and the composer of the music (Andrew Lloyd Weber) who both came to Stratford to see it, and where very “élogieux” in their comments. Their visit certainly spurred the rumour (now confirmed) that this production is going to Broadway (via La Jolla, McAnuff’s old stomping ground), (and then, who knows?) The reviews are certainly ecstatic – see http://stratfordfestivalreviews.com/shows-11/jesus-christ-superstar/

This is the latest production of Jesus Christ Superstar in a long string of productions, in many countries around the world, going back to the late-‘60s, early ‘70s, when it came out, first as musical album (probably among the first so-called “rock operas” – Weber’s adaptation came later on), then as a play, on Broadway, in continental Europe, and the West End. The first film version, directed by Norman Jewison, came out in 1973 – this was my first exposure to the work, as it has been for many people I imagine.

Stratford Shakespeare Festival included it in this year’s season, directed by the Festival’s Artistic Director, Des McAnuff, (he also did the original Broadway productions of Jersey Boys and Big River, and the 1993 Broadway revival of Tommy). Judas is played/sung by Josh Young, Mary Magdalene by Chilina Kennedy, Jesus by Paul Nolan, both the latter rising stars at Stratford (they did the very popular “West Side Story” together, a couple of years ago at Stratford); Pontius Pilate by Brent Carver, and Herod by the ever popular Bruce Dow.

Mid-season openings included: a wonderful Seana McKenna in “Shakespeare’s Will” (a veteran at Stratford – I have to see her as Richard the 3rd later on in the season!) – a contemporary attempt by Canadian playwright Vern Thiessen at re-habilitating the reputation of Shakespeare’s wife, Anne Hathaway. A depressing, if brilliantly rendered, “The Little Years”, a work by Canadian playwright John Mighton – this was surely written with the feminist cause in mind: the story of a woman deprived of a life as a very gifted mathematician, because in good part of all the attention dotted on her brother’s education and career in the formative years, rather than on her’s… The bloodied “Titus Andronicus” – watch out for your hands, or your head, those sitting in the front row! John Vikery as Titus is terribly credible; Claire Lautier as Tamora, the queen of the conquered and captive Goths, less…all about revenge, and certainly not “served cold” here…And “Twelfth Night”, the joyful and farcical play, with a slew of talents ranging from American TV/film star Brian Dennehy, Stratford veteran Stephen Ouimette, Tom Rooney, and rising star Ben Carlson, to name a few. Great direction – Des McAnuff’s – and great music – a collaboration between McAnuff, again, and Michael Roth, whom we had dinner with the night before.

I complemented this openings’ offering with a very invigorating “Camelot” – fascinating set and costumes (really), aside from the consumed performances by veteran Geraint Wyn Davies as Arthur, and new comers Kaylee Harwood as Guenevere and Jonathan Winsby (whose father, Sandy Winsby, is also in the play!) as Lancelot. Always enjoyable Brent Carver as well (double roles: Merlyn and Arthur’s confident King Pellinore).

And “The Grapes of Wrath”, based on Steinbeck’s famous novel, adapted to the theatre by Frank Galati (in Stratford this year to direct “Merry Wives of Windsor”). Antoni Cimolino, the General Director of the Festival, is directing it. I was privileged to hear him speak about the play in the morning, before seeing it in the afternoon; aside from his “decomposition” of the play’s production, I was struck by one thing: how “invested” he is in it – Galati’s adaptation, the history that preceded and explained the “Dust Bowl”, Steinbeck’s social commitment, all elements that Cimolino seems to have studied and absorbed so totally, so that he could lead his cast to deliver such a taking and heart-wrenching rendition of the play.

That was it for me this year, the Festival… but then, there I am, booking to see the rest of this year’s playlist: “Hosanna”, of Michel Tremblay’s fame, “The Misanthrope” de Molière (the opening, I think), “Richard III” – because the character is played by Seana McKenna, very much “a woman”! And possibly “Homecoming” – because Harold Pinter wrote it and Brian Dennehy plays in it! I will have missed “Merry Wives of Windsor”…

Stratford, July 16, 2011

A stop on Malta island…

Stopped on Malta for the night. At the Xara Palace Hotel in Mdina. Lovely. In the old walled city. Part of the Relais & Chateaux. Upgraded to a suite with a Jacuzzi and a rooftop terrace, overlooking the country side that gives on the ocean and a few villages in between (room 18). The palace goes back to the 17th century, was converted into a hotel some 60 years ago, but restored to its original state only in the late ‘90s. Very meticulous in its accessories, some going back to its ancient times, such as the lamps, the desk and the chairs. Enjoyed the view…and the Jacuzzi! We were told this is the most exquisite hotel in the whole country, and they are probably right (I had changed our hotel reservation for that reason!)

Went to Valletta for lunch (at Ambrosia where we had the asparagus again – from Gozo – and the goat cheese soufflé, along with a risotto, and a bottle of 2009 Antonin Chardonnay from Marsovin – “same” wine as the last time, in December 2009, with Josette and Jacques), a quick look en passant at Caravaggio’s “Beheading of St-John the Baptiste” and “St-Jérome” in the Oratory of the St-John’s Co-Cathedral (see Bourlinblogue, October 2008 post), before taking a water taxi to Vittoriosa, across the harbour.

Vittoriosa (or Birgu as the Malti call it) is one of the “Three Cities” sitting across the Grand Harbour and Valletta. (Aside from Vittoriosa, there is Senglea, aka L-Isla, and Cospicua, aka Bormla. They are often referred to collectively as “Cottonera”, a reference to the fortifications protecting their access from the land, built by Grand Master Nicolas Cotoner in the late 17th Century.) Vittoriosa advances in the harbour like a finger. This was where the Knights first settled (their famous “auberges”) when they arrived in Malta in 1530, and that is where they pushed back the invading Ottomans in 1565 (the Great Siege). The Grand Master of the day, Jean Parisot de la Vallette, having foreseen the attack from the Turks, ordered the area to be fortified (Fort St-Angelo on the tip of Birgu, Fort St-Michael on neighbouring Isla, and Fort St-Elmo on the, then uninhabited, Sceberras Peninsula, closer to the mouth of the harbour). Shortly after, the Knights moved to their new city, named after their victorious Grand Master, Valletta.

We spent a good part of the afternoon walking around Vittoriosa, and its very narrow and charming streets (went by the 5-star B&B that is being built, in a restored home, by a Dutch couple, known to our Fort-Chambray’s place decorator/supplier, Palazzo Vittoriosa, on Triq Hilda Tabone). We stopped in the Church of St-Lawrence (as we had time to kill waiting for our transportation!) across from the so-called “Freedom Monument” (a few bronze statues commemorating the departure of the last British Forces from Malta in 1979). We went by Fort-St. Angelo, which was the headquarters of the Order until it moved to Valletta in 1571, but it is closed. The Fort was used by the Brits as the headquarters of their Mediterranean Fleet until they definitely left in 1979. Vittoriosa. Barely visited, a change from the tourist-teeming streets of Valletta!

Went back to the hotel, the Xara Palace, in Mdina. Second time in this walled city (visited first in September 2008 – see the bourlinblogue). Totally preserved in its medieval state – when it was known as “Citta Notabile”, as it was the favourite residence of the Maltese nobility, and will remain so after the Knights arrived in the 16th Century, the latter preferring Valletta, built on the sea. Only a few hundred people can live there (the only ones that have access by car, I would think, except taxis going to the hotel as we were reminded by our drivers!) It’s very quiet when the hordes of day-trippers are gone – such as it was when we went around late after dinner, and even more so, in the morning after, around 6am when only a few older women are on their way to church (there are several of them!) It is also known nowadays as the “Silent City”. No time to visit much – had been to see the interior of St-Paul’s Cathedral, and the beautifully preserved medieval mansion, Palazzo Falson, now a museum – except to walk around: poke our head in the Carmelite Church, admired the architecture and enjoyed the incomparable view on the valley below, especially from the city walls at the Bastion Square (Pjazza Tas-Sur) and also from the roof-terrace of our room at the hotel.

Had lunch in Mdina on our first visit in 2008, at Bacchus, in the coolness of a stone Bastion. This time, dinner at the hotel restaurant, De Mondion, on the rooftop. Dinned on venaison and pasta, with glasses of local wines and a Bordeaux. “Award-winning” restaurant…and the view on the valley and surrounding villages at night has also something to do with that! Early breakfast at the same location, with the same view and the sun shining – we are by ourselves. (Had we stayed for lunch the day we left, we would probably had tried the Trattoria AD1530, sitting outside, under the large canopy, just at the entrance of the hotel).

The “real” town, Rabat, sits next to Mdina. A mad dash in the morning to visit a furniture and decoration store Cynthia wanted me to see – she had gone there during our stay in Gozo to look at fabrics for the curtains at Chambray – barely made it, not without working out a sweat in that still rather warm early-morning sun…

Mdina, July 2, 2011

Pourquoi Fort-Chambray...

Pourquoi Malte? Pourquoi Fort Chambray? Passons sur la première question – ce n’est pas évident pour des nord-américains, mais nous avons nos raisons…

Quant à la deuxième question, Fort-Chambray offre à Malte assurément un endroit unique. Nous n’avons rien vu de comparable, sur Malta ou Gozo, qui offre tant. D’abord le site; bâti à l’intérieur d’un fort historique, construit par les Chevaliers de la Croix de St-Jean au XVIIIe siècle (financé et édifié par le Chevalier Jacques François de Chambray (1687 - 1756), Lieutenant General des Vaisseaux, pour être précis), encore en très bonne condition, sur un promontoire qui domine une vue inégalée du port de Gozo (Mgarr), de la mer et des îles de Malte et de Comino.

Et puis le développement; un lieu agréable de villégiature, bien construit, avec une piscine de dimension respectable (au moins 40 mètres de long pour y faire ses « longueurs »); sécuritaire et peu d’entretien nécessaire – des éléments importants puisque nous ne pouvons y être pour l’instant que quelques semaines par année. C’est encore cependant un « chantier de construction », puisque la phase 3 n’est toujours pas engagée (et qu’il s’y trouve déjà des structures non finis, à démolir, héritage du premier projet avorté), mais cela n’a pas d’incidence néfaste, du moins pour l’instant, pour ceux qui vivent dans l’une des deux premières phases.

Fort Chambray, le développement immobilier, ne va pas sans controverse. Certains s’objectent à l’utilisation de cet élément du patrimoine national à des fins commerciales, oubliant sans doute que sans ce développement, la forteresse aurait continué son inexorable chemin vers la ruine totale! D’autres condamnent l’isolation de l’endroit, loin de la vie locale que l’on trouverait aisément logés dans un des villages de cette petite île. Soit – isolé, c’est relatif, considérant que le village voisin est adjacent! Ça dépend de ce que l’on cherche…certainement, il serait difficile de trouver logis dans un village avec une telle vue!... La vie de village, si on la veut, peut se trouver autrement que d’y vivre nécessairement… Le plus préoccupant, c’est la complétion du projet, la 3e phase, dont l’autorisation tarde toujours à venir (imminente, selon le développeur). Et la construction de l’hôtel…pour les revenus…

De fait, Fort Chambray, dès sa conception, c’était une forteresse, une citadelle, plutôt qu’un fort, une enclave fortifiée pour loger habitations et nécessités (un peu comme La Citadelle à Québec), offrant protection aux habitants de l’île contre les razzias des pirates (vraisemblablement des turcs et des berbères); une nouvelle ville fortifiée, probablement pour se substituer à ce qui déjà existait à Rabat, au centre de l’île (un peu comme Valletta avait été érigée comme place fortifiée sur Malte, deux siècles auparavant, en remplacement de l’ancienne capitale, Mdina). Le projet a été abandonné en vertu du fait qu’à la fin du XVIIIe siècle, la menace des maraudeurs était devenue moins grande, et le besoin d’une place forte s’est estompé. J’ai l’impression que l’endroit a été presqu’abandonné, jusque dans la deuxième moitié du XIXe siècle, au moment où les baraques construites par les Chevaliers (et qui existent toujours) ont servi de lieu de convalescence et de cantonnements aux soldats britanniques engagés dans la Guerre de Crimée (une guerre plutôt paradoxale soit dit en passant - voir Orlando Figes, Crimea: The Last Crusade) puis, plus tard, dans la Première Guerre Mondiale (les Anglais entretemps ont construit leur propres baraques pour ajouter, dans la partie sud-ouest du bastion – le développeur entend les déplacer et aligner la façade avec celle des baraques des Chevaliers, en avant de l’hôtel promis…)

Fort Chambray abrita également un hôpital qui a servi entre autre durant la Seconde Guerre Mondiale, pour éventuellement devenir un asile d’aliénés qui ne devait être évacué que dans les années ’80. Le gouvernement de l’époque s’entendit alors pour autoriser un développement immobilier avec la participation d’un investisseur italien. A en juger par les rapports de presse de l’époque, ce fut un désastre et la construction d’unités de logement s’arrêta, jusqu’à ce que Michael Caruana, businessman local, reprit le projet en 2004. Il compléta la Phase 1, où nous demeurons, et construisit la Phase 2. Et c’est là où nous en sommes…

Complétons un séjour de 3 semaines au Fort – le premier en été, et le plus long. Diète serrée et régime d’exercice à «haute octane» (en moyenne 35 minutes de nage et 40 minutes de jogging, à tous les jours sauf les deux dimanche!) Pas plus d’un verre de vin par repas «most of the times comme dirait Dylan…» (Sauvignon Blanc de la maison Medina comme vin de table – très buvable et bon marché!) Probablement les premières vacances de cette durée où on en ressort plusieurs kilos en moins!!!

Fort Chambray, le 30 juin 2011