Dachs Thoughts

For the last play of this year’s OSF adventure, for the second time this summer, I saw a production of The Winter’s Tale. [Trailer] This was another excellent show making this week a solid seven out of seven wonderful plays. This was a unique staging of the play as it was staged from an Asian American perspective. The first part of the play (which takes place in Sicilia) was all set in Han dynasty China in muted monotone colors, and the Bohemia part of the play was bright colored set somewhat in the new world. While the Sicilia part was beautiful and visually striking, I found the Shakespearean language more disconsonant with the visual and actors than I usually do; but it wasn’t so much it was a bad thing. The stage setting was pretty much the basic Elizabethan stage, with some set elements pushed in and out of the center. The return of the wronged Queen at the end was particularly visually stunning, and very moving.

I’m sorry to see this week of theater end. The weather has been wonderfully mild in the evenings. I don’t know if it’s because I’m a few weeks earlier than in past years, or if I just lucked out. It’s been a nice relaxing break that’s going to be hard to leave behind.
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It seemed like so many plays to see when I first got here, but it’s flown by and I have only one more to see tomorrow night. This afternoon I saw a very funny production of Twelfth Night. [Trailer] This was really played for laughs, but was very cleverly done. The play was set in Hollywood of the 1930s. It made for some interesting set pieces. Again, it seems to go without saying here, but the acting was outstanding. One interesting dilemma that was resolved by the setting was that the twins were played by the same actress. Not an issue till they come together at the end. As it was Hollywood, they dropped a screen, and as the actress walked behind it, you saw video of two of them. The timing was impeccable as she would walk out from behind the screen, and the images would become just one. Several other interesting blocking/choreographic aspects of the play. Very fun, and it ended with a Busby Berkeley type song and dance number that brought the audience to their feet (deservedly). A very fun play to see.

An interesting aside, as I was standing around outside the play, the lead actress came out and was recognized by some folks (one who had a service dog that was in the audience; apparently she’s a big dog lover, and wanted to take a selfie with the dog). Then later, still standing around, I saw 3 more actors who I’ve seen run into each other and have a big reunion. It’s kind of funny to see these impressive actors come out in street clothes and be very much just like the tourist crowd.
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Tonight I saw OSF’s production of Richard II. [Trailer] This is basically as bread and butter of a Shakespeare history play is it gets, starting off the Henriad sequence of plays. This was a wonderful production, carried off by really strong acting. The lead actor, was extremely effective as the peevish early Richard, then taking him tragically through his downfall. All the rest of the cast was extremely strong too. The stage was very plain, just solid black decking, with panels that were periodically pulled up to reveal earth, rocks, water. Another really well done production here at OSF. Everyone has been solid so far this week.
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On my second day in Ashland, I saw one of the last two plays of Shakespeare’s canon that I’ve never seen before, Timon of Athens. Not quite knowing what to expect, I was treated to a powerful, entertaining tragedy. [Trailer, Interview] It’s basically a tale of someone dealing with the loss of fair weather friends (with a parallel in the state’s relation to citizens), who starts out overly generous and ends up losing his faith in humanity. The production was innovative and stylized. There was a musical band that was interjected periodically throughout the play with popular and text-relevant music that was very good. The acting, led by Anthony Heald, was great. He was particularly noteworthy as the lead, particularly as he spent most of the second half of the play in his underwear wallowing in garbage that covered the stage, representing his fallen status, household, and mental outlook.

This was allegedly Karl Marx’s favorite play. It deals with the emptiness of money and wealth, and friends who are only friends when Timon’s generosity is benefiting them, but who aren’t there when he needs help. A day after I saw it it’s striking me even stronger than when it finished. Even though it dealt with serious ideas, and it’s a tragedy, there was a lot of comedy (at least on the surface) in the delivery early on. I don’t know what a standard production of this play would be like, but this particular one was striking and powerful. I’m not sure why it’s produced so infrequently. It makes me want to see it again. … and now only one left in the canon.
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