An exhilarating discovery
By Richard Ouzounian, Toronto Star
Pericles
***** (out of 5)
By William Shakespeare. Directed by Leon Rubin. Until Oct. 31 at the
Festival Theatre, Stratford. 1-800-567-1600.
The sun shines brighter this morning.
After a disappointing opening week that featured some of its feeblest shows
in recent memory, the Stratford Festival redeemed itself Saturday night
with Pericles.
One of Shakespeare's least-known plays, this is only the third time in
Stratford's history it has been produced. (And, in the interests of full
disclosure, this would be the place to mention that I directed the most
recent version, in 1986.)
But whether it was the freshness of the material, the relative youth of
most of the cast, or the fact that this marked Leon Rubin's directorial
debut on the Festival Stage, an exhilarating sense of discovery fills the
entire proceedings.
The plot is epic in structure. Pericles, the noble Prince of Tyre,
discovers incest in the court of Antioch and has to flee from the wrath of
that country's king.
On his journeys, he meets and marries Thaisa, the heir to the throne of
Pentapolis. They have a daughter, but fate buffets all of them in the
cruelest fashion imaginable.
Many years later, the threads of the story are woven back together in a
magical way, and the conclusion is a real reach-for-your-Kleenex special.
Most scholars assert that Shakespeare had little to do with the first two
of the play's five acts, and you'd be hard-pressed to disagree as the
spectacle initially unfolds in an intriguing, but unpoetic manner.
Yet, once Act III begins with a tremendous storm scene and the thrilling
line, "Thou god of this great vast, rebuke these surges,/Which wash both
heaven and hell," you know you're in the presence of a master.
The rest of the script is filled with bawdy humour, gripping drama, and a
truly heartbreaking sense of loss.
But it's tricky stuff, and to make it work you need a director with
insight, a designer with imagination and a leading man with star quality.
Fortunately, all three are present here.
Leon Rubin sees the play as a journey through Asia, and although it doesn't
make strict geographical sense, the theatrical benefits are immense.
Scenes are set in Japan, India, Thailand and Bali. However, in Rubin's
vision, it's not just an excuse for pretty costumes, but an opportunity to
explore the spirituality of each culture.
Make no mistake; Pericles is on a moral quest as well as a heroic one, and
Rubin's concept allows us to explore the variety of ways in which a man
makes contact with the forces in the universe greater than himself.
Designer John Pennoyer has turned the Festival stage into a blank white
canvas on which he may paint his pictures.
But rather than surfeiting us with spectacle, he knows how to hold the eye
with one well-chosen image, whether it be a sweeping sail, or a woman's
sea-blue dress.
This is not to imply that the show doesn't have its eye-popping visual
moments. The most successful is the imagining of the court of Pentapolis as
a Japanese city-state where flamboyantly armoured samurai come to do battle
for the hand of the King's daughter.
But all of this vision would be of little use without the cast to back it
up, and here, Rubin has been blessed.
Jonathan Goad continues his meteoric rise as the actor to watch of his
generation.
His Pericles is impeccably spoken, with the kind of clear, rapid diction
you must command to succeed in the larger Shakespearean roles. He also
moves with virile grace and knows how to command respect in repose.
Underneath it all, is one quality a performer cannot learn. Goad is the
possessor of a deep and abiding humanity, a sense of compassion that makes
itself felt in all of his interactions on the stage.
You believe in him; it's as simple as that.
Another stunning display of acting comes from Thom Marriott as the
narrator, Gower. In the wrong hands, this can be the most tedious of roles,
but not here.
Rubin and Pennoyer have gone on a brief visit to the world of Cirque du
Soleil for their inspiration. Marriott is nearly naked, painted totally
white, moving in and out of the action of undulating waves of silk.
But his effect is more than visual. Marriott knows that a true narrator
must love the story he's telling and his delivery is rich and complex,
without ever becoming emptily declamatory. When this man speaks, you truly
hang on every word.
Add to all this, the single most impressive Stratford debut I can recall:
that of Nazneen Contractor as Pericles' daughter, Marina.
This young woman blazes with intensity and turns the character's virtuous
integrity (which can seem cloying) into a positive life-force.
She, too, speaks the verse with beauty, and her recognition scene with Goad
is played at such emotional intensity that most of the opening night
audience was moved to tears.
Space doesn't permit a detailed list of praise for the cast, but excellent
work is also being done by Donald Carrier, Michael Therriault and Haysam
Kadri.
There are a few reservations that must be stated. Rubin's "Bollywood" view
of the court of Ephesus is a bit excessive, and the performance of Wayne
Sujo as the mystical Cerimon is not at the level it ought to be.
But forget these quibbles. This is a cause for celebration, the kind of
show that serves as a reminder of the things you really go the theatre for:
entertainment, yes, but also enlightenment and joy.
If you see only one show this summer, then let it be Pericles.