Review: Performances and plays combine for terrific evening of Shakespeare

Jul 24, 2009

Review: Performances and plays combine for terrific eveningof Shakespeare

What a difference a year makes.

In 2008, Lake Tahoe ShakespeareFestival began producing its plays in house for the first time, and the resultwas rocky. The shows were inconsistent in quality, and the original musical"Cambio" had more problems than any production I've seen at thefestival's lovely SandHarbor venue.

Fast forward to 2009 and the festival is happily back ontrack with two terrific plays -- "Measure for Measure" and "MuchAdo About Nothing" -- as well as a Monday night music series. Much of thecredit goes to a new artistic crew led by executive producer Henry Woronicz and two directors who have neverbefore worked on the SandHarbor stage.

Long-time festivalgoers will notice a host of fresh players,many of whom are members of Actors' Equity Association and boast extensivetheater credits. More importantly, they'll notice the quality performances.

Bottom line: It's a great year to visit the festival. Thehardest part -- if you can't catch both shows -- will be deciding whichproduction to attend.

"Measure for Measure"

In this year's lineup, "Measure" is the stepchild.Although a fine play, it's nowhere near as popular as "Much Ado AboutNothing" and, for director Carole Healey, that is a blessing and a curse.Clearly, she was able to attack the work with less fear of comparison than ifshe had one of the Bard's chestnuts, but the freedom comes with a price.

That "Measure" is a less familiar work can make ita tough sell, and unfamiliar Shakespeareforces a director to be doubly sure the plotting is clear to general audiences.The Bard's beautiful-yet-dated prose is already a struggle for many viewers,and when married to a fresh plot it is especially daunting.

Thankfully, Healey's take is lucid, entertaining andaccessible. And, for regular theatergoers, it can also serve as a breath offresh air. After all, how many productions of "Romeo and Juliet,""Hamlet" or €» yes €» "Much Ado" can one sit through?

"Measure" is built around two powerful butdistinct men: the Duke of Vienna (Donald Sage Mackay) and his second incommand, Angelo (Michael Gotch). At the onset, the duke announces that he mustleave the city, placing all his power in Angelo's hands. Then, he secretlymakes plans to impersonate a friar and watch what happens.

In short order, Angelo revives one of Vienna's long disused morality laws,sentencing young Claudio (Cameron Knight) to death for impregnating hisgirlfriend, Juliet (Ariel J. Woodiwiss). Claudio's situation looks hopelessuntil his sister, Isabella (Gina Daniels), pleas for mercy, prompting Angelo tooffer assistance in trade for her virginity.

The plot seems modern in an era when "familyvalues" politicians are regularly paraded through press conferencesconfessing to ill-advised affairs, but Healey has distanced herself from thepresent, setting the show in 1800s Vienna.That allows for rich, beautiful costuming and a spare but visually appealingset that honors its Lake Tahoe surroundings.

Although centered on dark themes, "Measure" isoften funny and makes for considerably lighter viewing than one might imagine.The performances are strong throughout, with Gotch offering a particularlynoteworthy outing as Angelo. He is appropriately merciless in attitude, yetjust unsure enough to appear human.

Mackay's reading of the Duke also is strong, although muchmurkier. "Measure for Measure" is a play that leaves the Duke'smotivation in question and Mackay does little to fill in the blanks. Is he aleader so insecure that he is more comfortable working in obscurity? Or is he amaster manipulator looking to expose the flaws of his No. 2? A hybrid of thetwo? The play doesn't provide these answers and neither does Mackay, whichviewers may find either fascinating or frustrating. I lean toward the former.

"Much AdoAbout Nothing"

Despite the name, "Much Ado About Nothing" isclearly "something." Historical records show that it was instantlypopular and, now reaching into its fifth century, it remains so.

Lake Tahoe Shakespearedirector Fontaine Syer says sheregards the play as one of the first romantic comedies, and she has a point. Itfeatures two sets of lovers, one instantly attracted but separated bymisunderstanding and another seemingly repulsed yet a perfect match. Both plotsare mainstays of modern television and film. So there you go.

For the festival, Syer set the story in the late 1940s,allowing the leading men to dress in dashing military garb and the ladies totake on hip period attire. The 20th century surroundings also allow for accentsthat aren't frequently seen in Shakespeare,and that might help newbies warm to the material. The setting, however, is theonly thing separating this Bard from more classical productions.

The cast, which also stars in "Measure," isclearly classically trained, and the acting is strong throughout.

As mentioned, the show considers the romantic troubles of ayoung couple -- Hero (Ariel J. Woodiwiss) and Claudio (Cameron Knight) --separated by accusations of infidelity; and a bickering older couple --Beatrice (Leslie Brott) and Benedick (Kieran Connolly) -- that needs a hand.

The story is lighthearted and easygoing, making it perfectfor an evening of great food and wine on the shores of LakeTahoe.

The production that ran Sunday, July 19, had a tendency todrag but not often enough to merit a serious complaint, especially since slowmoments were often countered by laugh-out-loud comic sequences.

"Much Ado"is familiar, but it's popular for a reason, and Lake Tahoe Shakespeare has mounted a production that does theBard justice.

Additional Facts

LAKE TAHOE SHAKESPEAREFESTIVAL AT A GLANCE

PLAY SCHEDULE

URBAN VILLAGE MONDAY NIGHT MUSIC SERIES