7-21-06
Then Fell Caesar
Sometimes a production just doesn’t come together. A concept might be wrong-headed. A cast may not be up to the text. A number of possibilities might keep a show from coalescing as an audience wishes it might.
Oak Park Festival Theatre’s production of Julius Caesar is just such a show. Shakespeare’s tragedy of conspiracy and politics has been the subject of many a conceptual re-thinking, and, in a production at Canada’s Stratford Festival, was one of my most disappointing audience experiences. I have yet to see a production that fully captures the machinations of Shakespeare’s conspirators on both sides of Caesar’s death.
Director David Mink has made the fairly common choice to contemporize the setting, dressing his characters in army fatigues and business suits, carrying both knives and pistols. The set doesn’t support the concept, the outdoor platforms never really exceeding the generic, despite some intriguing artwork from designer Rebecca Hamlin. Unfortunately, Mink and costume designer JoEllen Koppenaal are distressingly non-specific in their costume choices. Why are some of these men soldiers, while others dress like politicos? They all seem to serve the same roles. A civilian rebellion against military rule might make sense, but the varying costumes don’t help illustrate any clear factions among these various individuals.
Mink’s cast seems overwhelmed by the text in places. In the major roles, Jason Ball, as the honorable Brutus, has a fantastic voice, but there’s little going on underneath to help us understand this one conspirator who acted out of good motives. Paul Perroni, as Cassius, clearly understands his character’s throughline, but speaks so quickly, it’s hard to follow his meaning. As Caesar himself, John McFarland fares best as the jack-booted, larger-than-life leader of the government, but he still lacks something of the dignity and presence others attribute to Caesar. Finally, Chris Petschler as Marc Antony manages the clearest reading, but doesn’t quite bring off the weight of events that changes Antony from a free-wheeling Prince Hal type, to the cold manipulator of the public he becomes. Mink makes some odd choices as well. Despite a large cast, Antony’s “Friends, Romans, Countrymen…” speech seems to be addressed to four people. It’s obvious the audience should somehow be part of that crowd, but the choice doesn’t really work when it only comprises Shakespeare’s responsive mob.
Even the edit of the text leaves in some problems. Caesar’s second visit to Brutus has been excised (without being missed), yet Brutus still speaks of being visited twice. It’s this sort of lack of attention to detail that makes Oak Park Festival Theatre’s production so frustrating. In the end, the only things to really recommend Julius Caesar are the lovely park and a beautiful night.
Julius Caesar – Oak Park Festival Theatre
Kerry Reid, Tribune – “Political assassinations and social unrest never go out of style, which is why Julius Caesar lends itself endlessly to updating for different eras. But the 1960s seem to be a particularly ripe setting for Shakespeare’s early tragedy. And David Mink’s outdoor staging for Oak Park Festival Theatre is crisp, clean, and features a couple of strong performances, which altogether make it a definite improvement over last year’s muddled take on The Comedy of Errors.”
Jennifer Vanasco, Reader – “Director David Mink sets this solid outdoor staging of Shakespeare’s play in the 1960s: Caesar is a Kennedy-style leader complete with a Jackie-esque wife, and the citizens are hippies, soldiers, or suits. Mink doesn’t go far with this interpretation – after the setup, this is simply a production in modern dress. But it’s different enough to keep us thinking about the difficult political issues involved, reminding us that one person’s assassin is another’s freedom fighter. Sit close – even with microphones, the dialogue sometimes gets lost in outdoor noises.”
Lawrence Bommer, Free Press – “A workmanlike and straightforward, two-hour staging by David Mink, Oak Park Festival Theatre’s Julius Caesar needs all the urgency it can muster. Though set in 1960s America, Caesar’s assassination never really recalls the murders of Kennedy or King. But, like Cassius, this production has a lean and hungry look and the comparatively small stage nicely concentrates the pell-mell action. A little less bellowing and this Caesar would be all the more eloquent.”
Mary Shen Barnidge, Windy City – “The company varies in its martial bearing – Paul Perroni’s Cassius is ready for his own action figure, but Jason Ball’s Brutus has the portliness of a committed desk jockey while John McFarland’s beefy Caesar dwarfs even his consort, Calpurnia (played by the diminutive Kelly Lynn Hogan). But their opening night displayed an astute comprehension of their adaptation’s context that should grow as the run progresses (and weather improves). Chris Petschler lends catalyzing fire to his portrayal of the avenging Antony, as does James Dolson as his allies’ General Octavius, while Phil Carlin contributes an avuncular gravity in the role of senator Messala.”
Cirque Shanghai – Navy Pier
Chris Jones, Tribune – “Frankly, calling this new summer attraction a ‘Cirque’ makes about as much artistic sense as a Chinese eatery suddenly calling its Mongolian beef ‘Mongolian Boeuf.’ This is a traditional, 75-minute Chinese acrobatic show that is not much different from the official, tourist-oriented attractions offered for decades in Beijing and other Chinese cities where Westerners wander. And, as such, it really needs no apology. At least to those of us who like Chinese acrobatic shows and who admire the dedication and athleticism of the young performers – who train very long and very seriously for this kind of thing in their native land.”
Laura Molzahn, Reader – “For not much more than the cost of a movie, you can watch dozens of accomplished Chinese acrobats juggle, fly from trapezes, jump through hoops, and ride a bike en masse. Unfortunately, you have to put up with the annoying, anachronistic, cartoon-character patter of emcee Marco Polo.”
Dennis Polkow, New City – “This exquisite kind of entertainment is millennia old in China and is completely devoid of the kind of staunch attention to individual and ego that characterizes Western acrobatics and dance and finds its highest artistic form in Chinese opera where it is employed to tell stories that rely heavily on ferocious live stage action set to music while the story itself is sung.”
Scott C. Morgan, Windy City – “This is definitely a ‘don’t try this at home’ revue that offers fancy displays of ancient Chinese acrobatic traditions that have been passed down through generations and taught to these performers at a very early age. It’s more than appropriate that the show’s finale ends with the entire cast in blazing red suits reminiscent of superheroes since they clearly possess super-human strength.”
Seussical: The Musical – Chicago Shakespeare Theater
Hedy Weiss, Sun-Times – “In a program note for Seussical the show’s creators, Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, noted that the piece has had ‘almost as many lives as the Cat in the Hat.’ True, and as it happens, this chock-full yet ideally condensed 75-minute version – playfully directed by Eric Rosen, with spicy choreography by Suzanne Viverito, strong musical direction by Doug Peck and a slew of zesty performers – is leaps and bounds beyond the Broadway edition and winning in its intimacy.”
Lawrence Bommer, Free Press – “A condensed, 80-minute version of the Broadway musical, Eric Rosen’s exuberant staging for Chicago Shakespeare Theater teems with pop-up storybook fun and circus charm (despite occasionally incomprehensible lyrics). Seussical rejoices in winning work from Bernie Yvon’s plucky Horton, Mitchell Hollis as a courageous little Who, E. Faye Butler as the mischievous Cat in the Hat, Brandy McClendon as Horton’s adoring Gertrude McFuzz and, inevitably, the irrepressible Alexandra Billings as lazy Mayzie. Happily, the only one to lay an egg is Mayzie and it’s intentional.”
Catey Sullivan, Windy City – “Sure, it bombed with a resounding thud on Broadway. But in its Chicago Shakespeare Theater incarnation, Seussical the Musical is colorful, zesty and zany with a sly purpose, and it’s a delightful 80-minute romp for families. And the fact that the always attitudinous and gorgeously subversive E. Faye Butler is the Cat in the Hat? Now that, my friends, is some inspired casting.”
War! Now in its Fourth Smash Year – Second City
Chris Jones, Tribune – “This isn’t one of the all-time greats, but the latest mainstage revue is a solidly amusing, politically aware and laudably risky jaunt through various American neuroses of all scales and stripes. The show manages a deft mix of material while flying the urban-liberal flag sufficiently high and proud enough that a few future conservative conventioneers likely will be in for the odd unpleasant surprise. Which is exactly the way Second City likes it.”
Hedy Weiss, Sun-Times – “War! may not contain any single extended piece that lingers in the mind as exceptionally brilliant. But in its accrual of short takes, and in its catalog of hypocrisies and half-truths, it adds up to a lively evening of timely satire that manages to touch on everything from National Security Agency wiretaps and the eternal tragedy of young men being sent off to war, to current debates about immigration and gay marriage. And of course matters of race, ethnicity and sex also are part of the mix.”
Ryan Hubbard, Reader – “War is the number one subject of the main-stage revue War! Now in Its 4th Smash Year!, but deception’s the theme. The big liars are of course Bush and Rumsfeld, but we’re all implicated; bits about duplicitous parents, dates who inflate their credentials, and a job interviewee who hides nothing imply that the world’s better off a little deceived. The ensemble castigates conservatives for their policies on immigration, privacy, and marriage, and also chastises liberals: a deified Oprah, an unethical Kennedy-esque senator, and a sexually obliging George Clooney. Under Marc Warzecha’s direction, the rapid pace is invigorating, and the performers’ energy, talent, and exquisite timing are exemplary. This is potent, sophisticated comedy.”
Nina Metz, New City – “War! Now In It’s 4th Smash Year! features a solid cast…there are two new additions, including the ever-talented Ithamar Enriquez, bumped up from the e.t.c. stage that tends to find comedy in even the most pedestrian of setups. What’s missing, and this is what’s always missing, is a sense of the unexpected. Some of the best comedy comes from writers and performers who let their raging ids tear around the place unimpeded, but that’s not Second City’s style. There’s something to be said for consistency, and you always know what you’re going to get at Second City.”
Scotty Zacher, Gay Chicago – “Five words: This show is very funny. Echoing the rest of the audience, I laughed my way through almost all 90-minutes of it. War! Now In Its 4th Smash Year! is Second City’s 93rd revue. As in most of its revues, the skits are loosely based on a specific theme. At first glance, one might think that the theme for this show is the Iraq war, which no doubt could produce a number of bittersweet comedy sketches (and indeed, does in the production). But in a grander arc, this revue is based on the seemingly noble art of lying and spin – involving not just the administration and its war but also relationships, parenting, gay marriage, evolution and immigration.”
Jonathan Abarbanel, Windy City – “The Second City’s 93rd revue features six skilled players – all veterans of previous Second City revues – who dazzle with personality and versatility, even when their ensemble-developed material does not. It follows the tried-and-true format of sketch, song and blackout rather than a long-form improvisational format. That’s too bad, for current political and social issues cry out for the deeper, more penetrating treatment long form can provide. The standard scattershot approach, with a roughly equal number of hits and misses, seems uninspired given the times and the talented cast.”
Quote of the Fortnight
“Musical fluency is essential. So is a gift for fine wordplay. But if you really want to forge a career in the American musical theater, the most crucial trait to possess is a tolerance for delayed gratification.” – Hedy Weiss in a feature on Marriot Theatre’s production of Once Upon a Time in New Jersey in the Sun-Times.