Freewill Players' As You Like It - Great to be back in the park!

Sunday night my husband and I took in As You Like It in Hawrelak Park - the comedy of the Freewill Shakespeare Festival.  It was so lovely to be back at the park under the big white canopy.  I enjoyed Taming of the Shrew last summer, but there is something about seeing Shakespeare outdoors that feels so right. It was good to be back.

The show was so much fun.  No terrific surprises in the delivery of the play, but solid performances from everyone and a lot of laughs for the audience.  I loved the Downton Abbey inspired costumes by Hannah Matiachuk. Everything was picture perfect and the aesthetic really seemed to suit the play.  As You Like It is one I have seen a few times before, and this look gave the play a really fresh feel.

The company is so very solid, and we see many familiar faces on the stage.  I think if you normally shy away from Shakespeare because you feel you won't understand it, then this is certainly the show to see to get you over that fear. The actors in Freewill, even the newbies, have a facility for the language that makes everything accessible.  It's also great fun.

Highlights in action for me included the wrestling (both the warm-up and the actual bout), the wonderful BFF connection between Rosalind (Mary Hulbert) and Celia (Belinda Cornish), Amiens' (Nicholas Donald Rose) wonderful singing, Touchstone (Ryan Parker) making his cane a character of it's own (he's hilarious, even when he messes up - perhaps more so!), and Ashley Wright's excellent portrayal of Jaques.  Jaques is often too morose for me, but Wright played him in a refreshing way, almost like a scholar of melancholy as opposed to a sufferer of it. There are lovely little moments in the piece that give testament to the maxim, "There are no small parts, only small actors." John Ullyatt proves this with his hysterical performance as Le Beau, as does Nancy McAlear with her delightfully abrasive Phebe.

All in all, it was a lovely night.  Next weekend I shall be back for Coriolanus (which I have NEVER seen - so I am SOOOOOO EXCITED!!!)!

The Play's the Thing - Taming of the Shrew presented by Freewill Players

It's July in Edmonton, that means it's time for the Freewill Shakespeare Festival.  Thanks to a ripped canopy at Hawreluk Park, the entertainment has moved to a new, temporary, location and the presentation of a single production but let that not dissuade you from attending, as they serve up an excellently delivered, fun-filled night. This year the performance of Taming of the Shrew is held at the Myer Horowitz Theatre in the University of Alberta Student's Union Building.  Your best bet for parking is in Stadium and they have thoughtfully provided signage to guide you to the theatre around the construction. The company has done their best to retain those familiar things that could be easily transported from the park to this new theatre space - the 50/50 Sellers and FOH staff all looked very familiar.

Although Taming of the Shrew is far from my favorite Shakespeare play, there are so many things that made this a delightful evening of theatre.  First of all, there was a real nod to the members of the company as members of Edmonton's Artistic Community.  These are not just actors on the the stage, but rather people that we enjoy seeing like old friends and true contributors to the overall artistic scene and they have been for a number of years.  Several 'original' company members are on the stage, and in the opening sequence they poke fun at themselves and bring us all into the joke.  A running gag with Julian Arnold is set up and this carries through the show.  We get a sense of both the characters these actors will play as well as hints about what they might be like in their 'real' lives off the stage.  Overall, the tone is light and there are subtle nods to the unusual situation of this season and how hard they are working to ensure that they will not disappoint their audience.  It's a generous feeling and a reminder of where the festival came from and where it's been and where it will return.

When the production gets going it is a real fun ride.  James MacDonald as Petruchio and Mary Hulbert as Kate are well-matched and excellently cast.  They are an attractive couple and both have a strength and charm that makes you root for them as a couple. I loved that each of them seemed to have a journey beyond just the 'taming'. Each starts with a number of questionable qualities but throughout the course of the play, those rough exteriors are chipped away revealing much more likable people. The rest of the cast is equally delightful. Bianca (Bobbi Goddard) and her suitors (Jamie Cavanagh, John Wright and Nathan Cuckow) and their accompanying servants (Sheldon Elter, and Patrick Lundeen) are full of fun in their hi-jinks. It's a testament to the depth of this company to see people who have anchored shows like Lear and Julius Caesar and Midsummer Night's Dream step up to bring their considerable talents to make for a show with no weak links. And although we are not in the park, the production's musical score and streamlined set give it a soft, light feeling that almost make you feel like you were outside on a summer's evening. 

This production moves quickly from laugh to laugh and was a wonderful way to spend an evening.  Don't miss it!