| re: Is Canada's Stratford Festival recommended for seasoned theatregoers? | |
| Posted by: portenopete 06:28 pm EDT 08/29/24 | |
| In reply to: Is Canada's Stratford Festival recommended for seasoned theatregoers? - DistantDrumming 04:53 am EDT 08/29/24 | |
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| Yes. Canada's Stratford Festival is a worthwhile experience. Not that I necessarily put a lot of stock in Jesse Green's opinions about individual shows, but his adulatory pieces about the Festival in recent years are more than justified. The Festival is certainly the largest repertory theatre in the world (I am excluding the NT and RSC which no longer do the kind of daily rep that Stratford and its neighbour to the south east the Shaw Festival do). The production standards are unsurpassed in my 40 + years of theatregoing and the range of the playbill is huge. Under Artistic Director Antoni Cimilino it has focussed less on star power in the acting company than it did under his predecessor Des McAnuff. But the company still boasts many of the world's most experienced and skilled classical actors such as Lucy Peacock, Geraint Wyn Davies, Seana McKenna, Scott Wentworth, Graham Abbey, Deborah Hay and dozens more. For comparison's sake, I would recommend visiting both Festivals if you can. Shaw is, on the whole, a smaller and more intimate festival and is currently operating four major playing spaces, including a beautiful 19th century spiegeltent imported from Europe and playing host to an assortment of ancillary concerts and events and assorted divertissements. The playbill at Shaw (which is in the picturesque town of Niagara-on-the-Lake) has traditionally focussed on work produced during or about the lifetime of its namesake playwright. Artistic Director Tim Carroll- known in NYC and London for his productions of Twelfth Night and Richard III starring his Globe Theatre partner Mark Rylance- has shaken the playbill up a bit and has introduced an improvisatory spirit to some productions, but the majority of the productions are quite familiar and generally expertly done. Stratford began life in a much splashier manner with Alec Guinness and Irene Worth headlining its first season in 1953 and has boasted a list of great stars of the stage too long to list here. Individual productions at each theatre vary, as they will at any theatre. This year it seems as if at Shaw the shows that have received the most buzz have been ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS and MY FAIR LADY (both on the largest stage, the Festival Theatre) and a new adaptation of THE SECRET GARDEN at the jewel box Royal George Theatre and what I think is the Canadian premiere of Marcus Gardley's THE HOUSE THAT WILL NOT STAND at the intimate Jackie Maxwell Studio Theatre. At Stratford the recently-opened stage adaptation of Arthur Miller's SALESMAN IN CHINA is receiving extremely enthusiastic response at the proscenium arch Avon Theatre as have Edward Albee's THE GOAT (OR, WHO IS SYLVIA?) at the beautiful new Tom Patterson Theatre and the flagship musical SOMETHING ROTTEN at the grand Festival Theatre. I've never heard of visitors to either Festival coming away less than impressed. I can't wait to hear your thoughts if you go! Happy Theatregoing! |
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| Previous: | re: Is Canada's Stratford Festival recommended for seasoned theatregoers? - lowwriter 08:41 pm EDT 08/29/24 |
| Next: | re: Is Canada's Stratford Festival recommended for seasoned theatregoers? - Kjisgroovy 03:13 pm EDT 08/30/24 |
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