a few overdue reviews
Richard III, Calshakes, Orinda
The soul of any production of Richard III is, unsurprisingly, its Richard. He must be despicable yet sympathetic, repulsive yet seductive, comic yet tragic and, above all, a versatile chameleon. A good Richard can carry a terrible cast or crush an outstanding one.
This production’s Richard was mediocre. He was never truly sympathetic, never chilling, never tragic and Richard’s dark wit fell prey to over-the-top buffoonery. I will admit that I am perhaps over-harsh since I have experienced the ultimate Richard in Ian McKellan’s performance in the 1995 Nazi-themed film adaptation.
The production did some nice (if obvious) things with the Wheel of Fate imagery, but pushed it over-the-top with a game-show like song and flashing lights which seemed out of place. They also tried to do something with the women of the play and, although the elder queens gave excellent performances, Anne was sorely lacking.
Overall, I wanted to go home and rent the movie.
The Constant Wife, Passadena Playhouse, LA
An excellent production of an excellent (though often overlooked) play. Somerset Maughn, who turned 21 the year Wilde was convicted of “gross indecency,” the play is unmistakably Wildean, with several tablespoons of Shaw. Witty epigrams, hypocrisy, idleness, gender and matrimony-with an edge. Wilde’s more veiled and general social commentary (“the upper class is hypocritical”) takes a much more Shaw-like directness. Maughn’s argument is much clearer: Without economic equality, women cannot achieve equality elsewhere. An utterly delightful production of a play with more insight and historical relevance than it is usually credited with- if the opportunity ever comes your way, I highly recommend seeing it.
pending: review of Don Giovanni
The soul of any production of Richard III is, unsurprisingly, its Richard. He must be despicable yet sympathetic, repulsive yet seductive, comic yet tragic and, above all, a versatile chameleon. A good Richard can carry a terrible cast or crush an outstanding one.
This production’s Richard was mediocre. He was never truly sympathetic, never chilling, never tragic and Richard’s dark wit fell prey to over-the-top buffoonery. I will admit that I am perhaps over-harsh since I have experienced the ultimate Richard in Ian McKellan’s performance in the 1995 Nazi-themed film adaptation.
The production did some nice (if obvious) things with the Wheel of Fate imagery, but pushed it over-the-top with a game-show like song and flashing lights which seemed out of place. They also tried to do something with the women of the play and, although the elder queens gave excellent performances, Anne was sorely lacking.
Overall, I wanted to go home and rent the movie.
The Constant Wife, Passadena Playhouse, LA
An excellent production of an excellent (though often overlooked) play. Somerset Maughn, who turned 21 the year Wilde was convicted of “gross indecency,” the play is unmistakably Wildean, with several tablespoons of Shaw. Witty epigrams, hypocrisy, idleness, gender and matrimony-with an edge. Wilde’s more veiled and general social commentary (“the upper class is hypocritical”) takes a much more Shaw-like directness. Maughn’s argument is much clearer: Without economic equality, women cannot achieve equality elsewhere. An utterly delightful production of a play with more insight and historical relevance than it is usually credited with- if the opportunity ever comes your way, I highly recommend seeing it.
pending: review of Don Giovanni