Stratford: It's Not Too Late for 2023

 

It’s not too late.

One of the biggest misconceptions about the Stratford Festival in Ontario Canada, is that it lasts only about 6-8 weeks.

The fact is you can enjoy world-class theater in beautiful surroundings from April through October – about six months,

So, there is still plenty of time to see many of the festival’s performances this year.

I visited in August, its busiest month, and was surprised by the big crowds everywhere – hotels were filled, restaurants had lines of hungry customers, and all the plays had medium to totally packed houses. The Covid doom is officially over.

This season offers a wide variety of plays – 13 in all - spanning all genres. The one element of Stratford’s productions that cannot be disputed is their absolutely stunning sets, costumes, special effects and sound systems. Everything is made on site (wigs, shoes, armor, scenery, etc.) and no expense is spared.

When planning a trip (200 miles from Lansing) to Stratford, do it carefully. Not only are there many plays to choose from (not all playing for the entire season) in four theaters, but there is a plethora of lectures, theater tours, panel discussions, and other experiential activities which enhance the theatrical experience. Some of these events are hosted by scholars, noted writers and critics.

Also, leave time to explore the charming and friendly town of Stratford. It has a lovely river with swans and various watercraft.  And there are several good-to-excellent restaurants to sample.  If you enjoy gardens, blooms surround the theaters and the town itself.

Here are some abbreviated reviews of the plays I saw.

Grand Magic, is a classic-type play presented at the newly-built Tom Patterson Theater.  The theater is an exquisite architectural wonder, but this is the second season I have attended plays there, and I find the seats hard and uncomfortable. The theater is gorgeous and has wonderful sight lines, lighting and sound, but the seating area is a disappointment.

Directed by Antoni Cimolino, Magic takes place at a seaside Italian resort, with elegant costumes and scenery. It stars one of Stratford’s longtime stars Geraint Wyn Davies as a past-his-prime magician. He is booked at the resort to entertain the guests.

The play stirs together magic and illusion and how they are believed by the audience, during the performance and beyond.   

The true star of the play is Gordon S. Miller, a domineering husband and a cynical audience member at the magic show.  As it turns out, his wife plans her own illusion; finding a way to escape his clutches. Miller’s character changes drastically throughout the play and he wins over the audience giving new plot twist a totally new personality.

The play was enjoyable and thought provoking but could have used some tightening.  Magic had two intermissions and took almost three hours. Considering the politics of our world and how we are captivated by illusions makes Magic a compelling piece of theater.

Despite its Shakespeare roots, the real money that supports Stratford in found in the musicals.  They are consistently excellent productions and bring in huge audiences.  I am not a fan of Rent, the iconic 1994 musical loosely based on La Boheme, but I thought I would give it another try.

Sadly, I have not changed my opinion. Everyone still loves this musical, but it falls flat for me.  The sets and stage effects were excellent, along with the high energy cast, but this rock show, dealing with a community ravaged by AIDS and unemployment, now seems very dated.  The characters are naive and child-like and besides the big hit tune, Seasons of Love, the music did not make an impact on me.

The audience that surrounded me in the Festival Stage certainly did not share my feelings. It is a very popular show and the cast is dynamite.

And for something completely different, the musical Monty Python’s Spamalot was a total delight.  Showing in the Broadway style Avon Theater, Spamalot was a was a howling farce from beginning to end.

Using the King Arthur Camelot tale, Spamalot pokes fun at everybody and everything. The theater was totally packed, and they never missed an opportunity to guffaw over the crazy jokes and gags. Classic actor Jonathan Goad as Arthur and Eddie Glen as his sidekick make a rollicking good pair.

The big Shakespeare offering this year is King Lear starring a Canadian favorite TV star, Paul Gross. Some theater goers hesitate to tackle the big Shakespearean tragedies, but I urge you not to miss King Lear, thought by many as one of the greatest plays ever written.

This production is striking with a Euro/futuristic/elegant look to it. The sets and special effects enhance the drama and power of this play about a King growing old and giving his kingdom to his three daughters.

Gross as Lear is a little too spry for my taste and his voice lacks the depth of other classic actors, but he still gives the play emotional gravity combined with wit and irony.

One of the highlights of my visit was the brilliant play from the 1960s, Les Belles-Soeurs by Michael Tremblay. This all-female cast provides explosive humor, anger and emotion to a story of women trying to break away from the rigid Catholic norms of Montreal life in the 60s.

The setting for the play is the kitchen of Germain (Stratford veteran Seana McKenna), who just won a huge jackpot from savings stamps, which were popular in the day. She gathers all of her pals to help her paste the books with stamps. We soon hear the stories, frustrations, jealousies, and life’s problems of all of her friends and relatives.  The cast was multi-racial and multi-ethnic which brought a powerful universality to the play. 

Attending Le Belles-Soeurs was a wonderful surprise.

Wedding Band was our final play. This intense drama explores a bi-racial couple who is finding a way to have a married life in 1918 South Caolina or elsewhere in the US. Written by Alice Childress, the story the strong and confident Julia Augustine (Antoinette Rudder) who lives by herself and keeps to herself in a small black community in Charleston.

She has been having an affair with a white man (Cyrus Lane) for ten years, a situation that causes concern from her community and virulent bigotry on the part of his family.

Although the play takes place over 100 years ago, many of the issues and social norms are similar to our modern day.  Wedding Band is not afraid to uncover the visceral emotions of bigotry on both sides of the race barrier.  Rudder was indeed the rudder of this production, displaying strong sensitivity, warmth but also fiery-eyed anger.