William Shakespeare's CYMBELINE heads West.
Antaeus's Artistic Director Nike Doukas takes the reins to round up a bad queen, her spoiled son and the story of star-crossed lovers... again.
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Bernard K. Addison, Teodora Avramovic, Eve Gordon, & Randolph Thompson Photo by Craig Schwartz Photography |
King Cymbeline's (Bernard K. Addison) daughter, Imogen (Elinor Gunn) and Posthumus (Peter Mendoza) are nuts about each other and marry. He is not a royal! Imogen has a wicked stepmother (Eve Gordon who also plays Belaria). The Queen expects her son, Cloten (Randolph Thompson), to marry Imogen and secure the throne for herself when old Cymbeline dies. Well.. we'll see about that!
There's an exchange of love tokens, a banishment / escape and some fake poison. Wm S may have cribbed a little from previous plays, but the drama is still solid. R and J was written in about 1596 and Cymbeline in about 1609.. Nothing wrong with a similar plot point a few years later? Borrowing from yourelf seems okay to me.
Ms Doukas updates about 300 years and even though this is certainly bordering on a tragedy, the clever change of venue makes the show roll right along... Mostly.
Slick Iachimo (Gerard Joseph) bets Posthumus that he can have his way with his ever faithful bride, Imogen, Iachimo is a scoundrel... and a cheater .. mostly.
To see the play without knowing the plot may not be easy. Ten actors take on many sundry characters but keeping track of who's who works, mostly..
JD Cullum, playing a wide variety of different guys, steps up to narrate through the fourth wall sometimes with guitar in hand. I like this device..
Ms Doukas's smoothly choreographed direction features beautiful stage pictures, pretty much sticking to the original script featureing Diverse Casting that Antaeus has often used in the past. Ethnicity and gender flip flops work.. mostly.
The pace dips with the addition of songs, especially the over long lament for Imogen who has imbibed a not so deadly tincture.
When changing gender of some characters, it takes some effort. at least for me, to embrace the males who have become females. Diversity.
It's an international cast .. all of whom are credible. They are all in the same play at the same time, to everyone's credit.
Ann Sheffield's really cool set features about a hundred boxes that I had hoped would do something. They don't, but their texture and shadows were great. Julie Keen's costumes are spot on. The scene in Imogen's bed chamber is terrific!
To fully understand, please read the play or at least a synopsis to mark the plot points and bend one's imagination to fit the transformations.
Antaeus Company's CYMBELINE is recommended. Kudos to Ms Doukas for stirring up the dust of the Old West. Is it a little long? Come prepared to weather it all anyway.
Cast:
Cymbeline: Bernard K. Addison
Second Lord/Philario / Cornelius / Lucius: JD Cullum
Queen/Belaria: Eve Gordon
Imogen: Elinor Gunn
Iachimo: Gerard Joseph
Pisania: Desirée Mee Jung
Posthumus: Peter Mendoza
Frenchie/Arviragus: Anja Racić
Cloten: Randolph Thompson
Director: Nike Doukas
Assistant Director: Jenn O'Brien
Production Stage Manager: Claire Fogle
Assistant Stage Manager: Jessica Osorio
Scenic Designer: Ann Sheffield
Assistant Set Designer: Maya Aragon
Assistant Set Designer: Olivia Shu
Lighting Designer: Vickie J. Scott Associate Lighting Designer: Elijah Frankle
Costume Designer: Julie Keen*
Composer/Musical Director/Sound Designer: John Ballinger
Projections Designer: Nick Santiago
Props Designer: John McElveney
Sunday at 2pm: October 12, October 19*, October 26, November 2, November 9, November 16
Monday at 8pm: October 27, November 3**, November 10, November 17 (Closing)
Friday at 8pm: October 17, October 24, November 14
Saturday at 2pm: October 25, November 1
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