Canadian Stage in High Park, Toronto, Ont.
Romeo and Juliet
Written by William Shakespeare
Directed by Frank Cox-O’Connell
Set and Lighting by Ken MacKenzie
Sound by James Bunton
Costumes by Shannon Lea Doyle
Composed by Andrew Penner
Cast: Gordon Bolan
Jason Cadieux
Rachel Cairns
Frank Chung
Jakob Ehman
Peter Fernandes
David Patrick Flemming
Mac Fyfe
Navtej Sandhu
Naomi Wright
Amaka Umeh
Jenny Young
A lively production of the story of star-crossed lovers, their meddling families and how it ends badly.
As usual the place was packed with people of all ages sitting on the hill, on blankets, enjoying their picnics. This being the opening, there were words from several politicians from Parkdale (the constituency in which High Park is located) telling us how lucky we were to have such a wonderful thing as Shakespeare in High Park—yes, those of us who have been going to High Park for Shakespeare for decades know that. Incredulously one politician decided it would be fun to read a speech from MACBETH!!!!! to show his acting chops. Please don’t do that again, ever, and definitely not that play, PLEASE!
There were several in the audience who had never been to High Park to see Shakespeare so their presence was encouraging.
The play is drastically cut to accommodate a running time of one hour, forty minutes with no intermission.
The story gets told but without certain details. We still see the two warring families, the Montagues and the Capulets who just hate each other and have for ever. They have hated each other for so long that they can’t remember what it was that is the cause of the animosity. But as luck would have it Romeo (Montague) and Juliet (Capulet) see each other at a party and fall instantly in love. With all that family baggage things get sticky and if you don’t know it ends badly then I guess you have been in a cave for 400 years.
Frank Cox-O’Connell stages this production with verve and imagination. The scene in which Romeo and Juliet first see each other at a party at her house (he and his friends are there, uninvited) is done with economy and clarity. Juliet is on a balcony above the stage and Romeo is downstairs and just happens to look up while she looks down. Instant attraction. The scene in which Romeo finds the ‘dead’ Juliet, only to realize she is alive, is also done with breath-holding imagination.
While the cast of twelve play various parts things get tricky when an actor plays two characters who have to be on stage at the same time. The solution is just to cut that scene with one of the characters.
As with other Canadian Stage Shakespeare productions in High Park I found the acting ability to be varied. Rachel Cairns is a charming Juliet, initially tomboyish but then womanly when she falls in love with Romeo. Jenny Young is a chirpy, lively Nurse and Mac Fyfe is a swashbuckling Mercutio who handles the Bard’s language really well.
David Patrick Flemming, as Romeo, is a good actor in other plays I’ve seen but here in Romeo and Juliet seems to be overwhelmed with getting the words out in a varied, layered way. He seems lethargic and without energy. His Romeo is dull.
The fights by Simon Fon are seat-of-the-pants viewing.
So while I had a few reservations about the production I think Romeo and Juliet is a good introduction to Shakespeare and also a treat seeing this play in High Park.
Produced by Canadian Stage Company.
Opened: July 12, 2018.
Closes: September 1, 2018.
Running Time: 1 hour 40 minutes.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
At High Park, Toronto, Ont.
Written by William Shakespeare
Directed by Tanja Jacobs
Set and Lighting by Ken MacKenzie
Sound by James Bunton
Costumes by Victoria Wallace
Fights designed by Simon Fon
Cast: Gordon Bolan
Jason Cadieux
Rachel Cairns
Frank Chung
Jakob Ehman
Peter Fernandes
David Patrick Flemming
Mac Fyfe
Navtej Sandhu
Naomi Wright
Amaka Umeh
Jenny Young
Shakespeare’s romp in the enchanted woods is relocated to Italy from Greece where the colour scheme is more vibrant and the high-jinx more pronounced.
Egeus (Gordon Bolan) wants his daughter Hermia (Amaka Umeh) to marry Demetrius (Jakob Ehman). Hermia wants to marry Lysander (David Patrick Flemming). They love each other. Demetrius loves Hermia too. Then there is Helena (Rachel Cairns) who loves Demetrius but he won’t look at her. Added to this is that Hermia and Lysander were going to runaway and told Helena who spilled the beans to Demetrius. They all seemed to find each other in an enchanted, spooky woods where all manner of bumping in the night goes on.
For some reason director Tanja Jacobs has relocated the play from Greece to Italy. Designer Ken MacKenzie has created a tent structure of red and white stripes which suggests Italy. Victoria Wallace’s costumes are stylish and often funny, for example, Puck, played by an impish Peter Fernandes, keeps pulling all sorts of stuff from deep in his pants: a hat, some clothes and even a piece of pizza.
The lovers, for the most part, acquit themselves well: Amaka Umeh as Hermia is confident and determined; Jakob Ehman as Demetrius is excitable and energetic; Rachel Cairns is buoyant and almost reckless in her determination to get what she wants, but David Patrick Flemming seems underwhelming as Lysander, perhaps too laid back.
For the denizens of the enchanted woods Naomi Wright is fiery as Titania and cool as Hippolyta. Jason Cadieux is an aggressive, macho Oberon and boisterous as Bottom.
As with Romeo and Juliet the cast of twelve is double and even triple cast. This poses a problem again when one actor plays two characters who at one time or another are on the stage at the same time. So we have the versatile Mac Fyfe playing the courtly Theseus in an elegant suit and the gangly, simpering Flute who wears a dress. In the last scene Theseus, his bride Hyppolyta and the other lovers are watching a play put on by the Mechanicals of which Flute is a member. This means Flute and Theseus must be on stage at the same time, which is tricky. Director Tanja Jacobs solves this by having Theseus summoned backstage to see to a problem. Fyfe rushes backstage through the tent flaps wearing his suit and re-enters as Flute in a dress ready for her scene, until she exits and reappears as Theseus. This happens a few times and while it’s clever the first time, it doesn’t quite work as a whole. I did appreciate the chutzpah to bring it off though. Again, the play is very pared down to about one hour and forty minutes. It’s big on energy and laughs with some detail cut. This too is a neat introduction to Shakespeare.
Produced by Canadian Stage Company.
Opened: July 13, 2018.
Closes: September 2, 2018.
Running Time: 1 hour 40 minutes.