This week I drove to Cedar City for my annual trip to the Utah Shakespeare Festival. I was able to see three plays this year and I enjoyed all of them. Tuesday night I saw The Merchant of Venice, one of my very favorite Shakespeare plays, and I thought this production was very powerful. There were some very interesting casting choices, including having two women play traditionally male roles. Bassanio (Wayne T. Carr) asks his friend Antonio (Leslie Brott) for 3,000 ducats to woo Portia (Tarah Flanagan). Antonio doesn't have the money but, knowing that he has three ships on their way to port, he borrows the money from Shylock (Lisa Wolpe), a Jewish moneylender. Bassanio is successful in his quest for Portia's hand in marriage, in some highly amusing scenes involving other suitors, but Antonio's ships are lost and he must pay the bond to Shylock which is a pound of flesh. Portia, feeling responsible for the situation, pleads for mercy but when Shylock refuses she finds a loophole which saves Antonio and condemns Shylock. My sympathy is always with Shylock and this production really emphasizes the cruelty towards him, at one point one character even knocks him down. His daughter Jessica (Aidaa Peerzada) is portrayed as feeling guilty about converting to Christianity and I loved the scenes where she recites Jewish prayers. Wolpe is absolutely brilliant in the role, especially in the "Do we not bleed?" speech! I also really enjoyed Josh Innerst as Gratiano, Jamil Zraikat as the Prince of Morocco, and Geoffrey Kent as the Prince of Arragon because they infused a bit of levity into an otherwise somber piece.
Wednesday afternoon I saw the hilarious comedy The Foreigner. I have seen this play several times and I very much enjoyed this production. Sgt. Froggy LaSeuer (Chris Mixon) brings his painfully shy friend Charlie Baker (Michael Doherty) to stay at a boarding house in Georgia run by Betty Meeks (Colleen Baum) while he is on maneuvers there. Froggy tells the inhabitants that Charlie is a foreigner who cannot speak English to save him from having to make conversation. Because everyone believes that he can't understand them, he overhears all of their secrets to great comedic effect. Doherty is absolutely hysterical in this very physical role! I laughed and laughed when Ellard (Rob Riordan) tries to teach him English and again when he is asked to tell a story in his native language. Seriously, I couldn't breathe!
Wednesday evening I saw The Merry Wives of Windsor. Sir John Falstaff (John Ahlin reprising the role after playing it in Hanry IV Part Two) is down and out and has come to Windsor to woo two wealthy women, Mistress Page (Stephanie Lambourn) and Mistress Ford (Tarah Flanagan). He sends them both the same letter so they conspire to get revenge on him, and fool their husbands, in some absolutely hilarious scenes. Meanwhile, Mistress Ford's daughter, Mistress Anne (Cailen Fu), has three suitors pursing her (Lance Rasmussen, Michael Elich, and Ty Fanning). Both Mistress Ford and Mistress Page as well as the three suitors use Mistress Quickley (Leslie Brott) to deliver notes and chaos ensues. I usually do not like it when the source material is changed but this production takes place in the early 1900s and uses popular songs from that era to emphasize plot details and I thought that was very effective. I also really liked how they introduce the dramatis personae at the beginning of the play. It is extremely clever! Mistress Quickly is portrayed as more of the town busybody and she is hilarious. Elich is completely over the top as one of the suitors, especially when he is preparing for the duel. Ahlin is an absolute master of physical comedy and I laughed out loud when he is placed in a laundry basket, when he has to dress as a woman, and when he dresses as stag to meet Mistress Ford. It is a really fun production. I had so much fun at the festival this year! I enjoyed all three plays and I was able to have lots of my favorite tarts!
Note: I am beyond excited for next year because two of my favorites will be performed, Hamlet and Macbeth. I can't wait!
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