Dachs Thoughts

I saw the last play of CalShakes season, King Lear. It was very well done. Tony Heald (from OSF and Silence of the Lambs) played Lear, and he did an amazing job. It was a nice, unseasonably warm night. The set was very sparse, making use of a metal cage that was variously spun around and opened up to modify the staging. Andy and Bill made it, and Andy remarked that it was among her top 3 favorites.

For me, Lear it always a hard one to pull off because I’ve always had trouble seeing the initial motivation if it isn’t set up in the character of Lear. This one did it in a certain way that more or less worked. Heald is a gifted actor who was spot-on in his execution of the part. I’m glad I got to see him do it, and I managed to enjoy another fine evening of Shakespeare.
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Tonight I saw the last play of the Jonathan Moscone era at CalShakes. It was a modern farcical comedy entitled The Mystery of Irma Vep, by Charles Ludlam. I was joined by Bill and Andy, and Andy pointed out it seemed to be a takeoff on Rebecca. The story was silly and campy, and the acting was over-the-top, but fun. The production itself only had two actors, the always humorous Danny Scheie and Liam Vincent, who played a number of male and female roles. A big part of the fun was seeing them go off stage dressed one way, for example as a man, and then return relatively quickly dressed and made up as a woman. It was impressive to seem them flip between characters and costumes. It was a light play, but it was fun and enjoyable. The next artistic director for CalShakes has been announced, and I hope it continues to be as good.

Alas, my brief mile high Shakespeare vacation is coming to an end all too soon. Tonight I saw my last play of this visit to the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Henry V. It was a wonderful, flawlessly acted production. The actor who played Henry, Benjamin Bonenfant, is a really talented young actor, appearing in a number of plays this summer and last. He played the younger Hal in last year’s Henry IV (parts 1 and 2), and now he’s completed the cycle. I get more and more impressed with the Colorado Shakespeare Festival with each performance. With Henry carrying most of the weight, most of the secondary characters were played by the company’s top performers as well. Even the final proposal scene, which I don’t always enjoy, flowed naturally story, and was executed very well. I had a great seat in the 2nd row, and as they came on and off the stage, I really got the full experience. I can’t wait to find out what’s going to be in their 2016 season, because I definitely want to come.
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Tonight I saw a fantastic production of Othello in the Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre of the Colorado Shakespeare Festival. I don’t like the idea of the story of Othello, basically because the good people are brought down by the bad guy, and the bad guy kind of wins … but the play is so compelling. And this production was terrific, ending with a standing ovation, and leaving me genuinely choked up.The acting was wonderful, particularly from the two principals playing Othello and Iago. Peter Macon, who played Othello, has a rich commanding voice, and he brought such emotion to his part as he is gradually consumed by the jealousy planted and nurtured by Iago. And Geoffrey Kent, a CoSF regular who played Iago, and who also has a powerful, rich voice, was powerfully effective as the deceitful villain. The ending of the play comes on like a train wreck that you know is coming, and which you wish could change, but you can’t stop. Just terrific.

I stuck around after the play for the “talkback” that some of the actors do, and the Iago actor was there. It was interesting to here his insights into that character and the way the play was worked out during the development of the production.

The day began with a trip down to Denver where I had lunch at IKEA (who would have thought) with my friend, then a nice visit with my cousins. A wonderful, full day.

After flying in from the Bay Area, I made my way up to Boulder for an exciting, enjoyable, evening of theater. This represented two firsts for me. I saw the Colorado Shakespeare Festival’s production of Henry VI, Part 1, one of the few remaining Shakespeare plays I hadn’t seen before. Moreover, it was done as one of CSF’s “Original Practices” productions, the first one I’ve seen.

The set was basic, and unchanging, consisting of some structures with some tapestries. These were used for many locations, castles, etc in England and France. It was a little challenging to follow the story since there’s a lot of history, and they jumped around using actors for multiples roles. But it was great fun. The original practices concept gives the actors less rehearsal, only guided by a que script, and lots of interaction with the audience with the lights up the whole time. They even had someone on stage giving them lines if they forgot their place. And they placed some audience seats on the stage just like they used to do with the aristocracy.

I think they played up humor of the play, particularly with the French aristocrats in the beginning. The play overall was quite fun, but also poignant, and the roughness of the original practices production seemed natural and energized both the cast and crew. I’m really glad I got to see it.
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On a surprisingly cool evening (for July in the valley) I saw the second play of the Livermore Shakespeare Festival, As You Like It. They did a great job. I’m liking the little stage more and more. This time there was less traffic noise, maybe because we were on the more southern side.

It’s a nice romantic play, with a happy ending, and the cast was great. It went nearly a full three hours, but it moved along quickly. This was again coordinated by Bob. It was another great evening of theater and Shakespare.
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