When the great G. K. Chesterton paradoxically observed that if a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing badly, he may also have unintentionally prompted people to ask whether, if a thing is not worth doing, it is worth doing well. Certainly, this is my reaction to two local theatre productions.
The Arts Club, true to its mission of bringing contemporary theatre to Vancouver, has mounted a production of The Play That Goes Wrong.
The central idea behind this play is that it shows a rather inept theatrical group attempting to mount a murder mystery. Unfortunately, their efforts are hampered by a multitude of production difficulties, including doors that won’t open, set pieces which collapse in the course of the action, and props that get mislaid, and so on.
Now we have all witnessed moments in a theatre production when something has gone amiss – the result is usually comical, and performers and audience enjoy a moment of laughter. For me, however, the problem with The Play That Goes Wrong is that all the mishaps are scripted and contrived, so that I personally found the whole thing to be nothing more than the tedious repetition of the same joke.
However, let me say at once that the opening night audience laughed uproariously throughout the evening. More importantly, the Arts Club company has certainly given the play superb production values. Supported by an expert stage crew, the cast throw themselves (often quite literally) into the mishaps, pratfalls, and contortions that the script requires – often at apparent risk of life and limb.
As a production, it is every bit as good as that which I attended in London’s West End some years ago. Although even then I thought the play not worth doing. Still, as one has come to expect, the Arts Club has certainly done it well. But don’t take my word for it. Go and see for yourself. I am sure attendees, like those on opening night, will love it!
In a similar vein, Bard on the Beach is presenting, on its main stage, The Merry Wives of Windsor.
Most would agree that Shakespeare’s attempt to bring back his great comic creation, Falstaff, is a weak effort.
The Falstaff in this play is a faint shadow of the wily, self-deprecating, astute and richly comic character of the two parts of Henry IV.
Instead, Shakespeare made him the butt of a farcical and awkward plot as he attempts to seduce two married women. Faced with the weakness of the original play, director Rebecca Northan has chosen to lend the production a series of inventions. Set, in timely fashion, in a soccer clubhouse, patronized by middle-class suburbanites, we get such unexpected things as a spa, a yoga class, and even a life drawing class.
To further enliven the production, a number of popular songs are included, though they seem to have little textual connection to the play. One wonders, for example, why Falstaff should introduce himself by singing “The Impossible Dream” from Man of La Mancha! The connection between Don Quixote and Falstaff seems to be, like the production itself, decidedly strained.
One can understand the necessity of lending life to a decidedly weak vehicle, but here everything is buried under a barrage of confusing action and irrelevant music. The result is that one finds oneself applauding the vibrant and energetic participation of a fine cast, while wondering too often why there seems to be noise and activity for no reason at all – even in a farce. In the end, one questions why the decidedly weak play had to be performed at all, though the company performs it well. Even Shakespeare had his off moments!
Fortunately, for its second main stage production, Bard on the Beach is offering Macbeth. Probably the best-known of all Shakespeare’s tragedies, Bard on the Beach presents it in a straightforward manner, often to excellent effect.
This is a strongly energetic interpretation of a play filled with dramatic action; everything is turned up to eleven. It is true that some scenes could have been performed at a lower level. Do the Macbeths really have to shout at each other during the murder of the king? Does Lady Macbeth have to be quite so hysterical during the sleepwalking scene (much of which is omitted entirely)? Some more nuanced and restrained moments would have strengthened the impact of the whole.
Yet, for the most part, the full-on production works to truly great effect, and the audience is swept along admirably by a thrilling performance that once again should make us grateful for all that Bard on the Beach means to Vancouver. This is great Shakespeare presented in excellent fashion.
After all, in the end, all this merely shows the obvious: good things are worth doing well. And Bard on the Beach knows how to do that!