Magical Pericles
Production team turns lesser play into clear triumph
By John Coulbourn, Toronto Sun
In the canon of Shakespeare, it is considered one of the Bard of Avon's lesser works.
In the hands of director Leon Rubin, however, Pericles emerges as something considerably more.
Pericles (or as it has been re-christened here, no doubt as a marketing ploy to a comic-book generation, The Adventures Of Pericles) just could be the Shakespearean success story of the current Stratford season. I caught up with it recently at Stratford's Festival Theatre.
It would be easy to credit designer John Pennoyer for much of its success, for in building the show he has transplanted the action from the Aegean Sea to the Indian Ocean, leading his audiences through a visual feast flavoured by the rich silks and brocades of the Far East and the vibrant colours of Arabia, India and Japan.
But look a little closer and the success of Pericles actually goes far deeper than that.
While Rubin obviously buys into Pennoyer's exotic vision of the play and, in fact, appears to relish it, he quite wisely never lets it rise beyond the level of window dressing.
Instead, he relies on the power of the text, the magic of the story and the skill of his cast to render the tale truly spellbinding.
In the title role of the ill-fated Prince of Tyre, Jonathan Goad takes a firm grip on leading-man status, adding a refreshing intelligence to the macho swagger of the itchy-footed royal and his increasingly complicated search for a bride.
As the poet Gower, returned from the grave to act as narrator of the tale, Thom Marriott turns in the latest in a string of impressive performances, overlaying his characterization with a knowing streak of world weary wisdom that renders him unforgettable.
In supporting roles, as the various characters Pericles encounters in his perambulations, Rubin has also found some jewels.
Karen Ancheta as Pericles' bride Thaisa, Nazneen Contractor as Marina, the daughter of their brief union, and Wayne Sujo as Cerimon, who snatches Thaisa from death's door with spellbinding incantations -- even though they may never get the chance to perform Shakespeare again, these talented artists make articulate arguments in favour of colour-blind casting.
Throw in some delightful work from Sarah McVie, Michael Therriault and Kyle Blair as the proprietors of a particularly seedy brothel and it is very possible to overlook the shortcomings in this "problem play," as it has been dubbed by scholars.
In a production this good, it's tough to remember just what those problems are supposed to be.