Friday my sister Marilyn and I took a road trip to Cedar City for the Utah Shakespeare Festival. Marilyn hasn't been able to come with me for the past several years so I'm glad that we were able to make it work this year.
Marilyn hadn't seen the new Englestad Theatre so, as soon as we got there, we walked around the new Beverly Center for the Performing Arts and she was quite impressed. This is her posing in front of the theatre. Can you see her?
Me posing with the Bard. I'm being a little bit forward with my hand on his knee!
Our first play that afternoon was Hamlet in the Randall L. Jones Theatre. I have been teaching this play for many years so I know it inside and out and, without question, this is the best production of it that I have ever seen! Brian Vaughn made some very bold choices based on subtext and I loved it, especially with the characterization of Ophelia (Emma Geer) and Gertrude (Jacqueline Antaramian). Several scenes made me gasp out loud! Quinn Mattfeld is outstanding in the lead role! He is absolutely magnetic and you can't take your eyes off him. He is able to convey so many emotions with just an expression (we were on the second row) and I especially enjoyed his interactions with Polonius (Armin Shimerman) which are surprisingly humorous. The opulent set is incredible and I loved the use of snow, particularly in an emotional scene between Hamlet and the ghost of his father (John G. Preston), and the river where Ophelia drowns (one of the scenes that made me gasp). Vaughn set the play in the Edwardian era rather than the Medieval time specified in the text and that usually makes me crazy but it really worked for me in this instance. The costumes reminded me of Imperial Russia, particularly the military uniforms. I cannot recommend this production enough!
In the evening we saw the Greenshow which had a Scottish theme and then Macbeth in the Englestad Theatre. Macbeth is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays because it is very intense (especially seeing it right after Hamlet). What I loved most about this production is the portrayal of the witches (Sarah Hollis, Emma Geer, and Betsy Mugavero). They had pagan markings all over their bodies and there were some supernatural effects during their scenes which made them riveting any time they were on stage! I also really liked the interactions between Macbeth (Wayne T. Carr) and Lady Macbeth (Katie Cunningham), especially when she is encouraging him to kill the king. Some of her speeches seemed like incantations and this was very effective at setting a sinister mood. The set is very atmospheric with asymmetrical beams and ripped curtains. I particularly liked a circular stone dais in the center of the stage which, at one point, becomes a cauldron for the witches. The lighting and special effects are also very atmospheric, especially a scene involving lightning (everyone around me jumped). This is another production that I would highly recommend.
On Saturday we began with a backstage tour which I loved because we got to see the deconstructed set for Hamlet and I found it fascinating! I also really enjoyed seeing all of the weapons used in Macbeth. Our afternoon show was Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in the Randall L. Jones Theatre. I suffer from what I call Joseph fatigue because I have seen this show so many times (it is very popular with Utah audiences) but this production restored my love for it. What I loved most about it is that, while there are a lot of fun elements, there is not a lot of kitsch which can sometimes be very overdone. The performances are all amazing, particularly Samae Allred as the Narrator, Michael A. Harding as Joseph, and Russ Benton (who steals the show) at the Pharaoh. The brothers are all fantastic but my favorite was Reuben (Alex Allred) because his rendition of "Those Canaan Days" is hilarious without being over the top. The set features a backdrop with the story of Joseph and his coat of many colors in stained glass and it is quite spectacular. The choreography is a lot of fun, particularly in "One More Angel in Heaven" and "Benjamin Calypso." This show was a welcome bit of fun after the shows on Friday and I especially recommend it for kids.
Our final show of the festival was Twelfth Night in the Engelstad Theatre. This was a really fun show to end on because I laughed and laughed through the whole thing! This production features a lot of physical comedy and it is extremely well done! Some of my favorite moments include Duke Orsino (Rene Thornton, Jr.) dropping to the ground while languishing over his unrequited love for Olivia (Betsy Mugavero), Sir Toby Belch (Todd Denning) finding flasks hidden all over the set in unexpected places, Malvolio (Chris Mixon) practicing his smile, Viola (Sarah Hollis) and Sir Andrew Aguecheek (Josh Jeffers) fighting a duel, and Malvolio revealing his yellow stockings and cross garters! I also loved all of the interactions between Sir Andrew, Sir Toby, Maria (Katie Cunningham) and Feste the Fool (Trent Dahlin) because the actors have such great comedic timing! Another aspect of this production that I enjoyed was the use of pop songs played on traditional instruments by a trio of musicians (Samae Allred, Ben Cano, and Isabella Giordano) during transitions. This show is incredibly entertaining and I highly recommend it!
Both Marilyn and I had such a great time at the festival this year (I may be back soon to see Hamlet again). Go here for more information about the Utah Shakespeare Festival.
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