I’ve wanted to start this blog for a while, and have been looking for a show to start me off. This evening, I saw that show.
Urban Bard Productions offering of Two Noble Kinsmen, a not-often-produced play by John Fletcher and William Shakespeare is performed outdoors, and without aid of light or sound equipment.
The experience is “theatre in the rough.” The mandate of the company, as stated in their program, is to “use Toronto’s urban landscape in unexpected ways to stage entertaining and relevant theatre.” In a nutshell, rather than having a defined stage area and static audience, scenes are performed throughout a selected location, in this case College Park, while ushers guide the audience from location to location.
For those unfamiliar with the story, Two Noble Kinsmen, an adaptation of Chaucer’s “Knight’s Tale”, tells the story of Palamon and Arcite (in this production pronounced with a hard c), two noblemen of Thebes, and long-time friends, who are captured in battle by Theseus, king of Athens. While in prison, they spy the beautiful Emilia, sister-in-law to Theseus, and are love-struck. In short order, Arcite is ransomed out of prison and banished from the land, though not for long. Meanwhile, Palamon is moved to even darker dungeons. While in the dungeon, however, Palamon becomes the object of obsession for the jailer’s daughter who sets him free and sets into motion the rest of the play.
This is a young company, working on nuanced material in a challenging space. As you might expect, some moments work well, some less so.
Erick Fournier as Arcite seems to struggle with the text, and though some moments work for him, others feel like an uphill battle. Christopher Sironi as his cousin Palamon is more comfortable with the words, but sometimes is often too subtle in his delivery for the performance venue. Perhaps as a result of these factors, the depth of brotherly love between the title characters comes up short. While Sironi and Fournier had the chemistry of comrades in arms early on in the show, they lacked the tension of love-rivals later on. As their character prepare for the inevitable battles that will see one of them die, the feelings of loss that come from crossing a point of no return are just not there.
I do want to mention the fight choreography by Kevin Robinson, who makes full use of the large performance area he is provided. It is engaging and virile, and elicited more than one gasp on opening night. Fournier and Sironi deserve praise for their execution of it on the unforgiving concrete ground.
Excellent as well was Adrianna Prosser as the jailer’s daughter. Her character might not rate a name, but her performance as the b-plot protagonist certainly rates attention. From her first monologue of affection for the imprisoned Palamon, she wins you to her side. As her character descends into the madness of absent love, Prosser takes you along for the ride. Comparisons to Ophelia are naturally inescapable. However, unlike the drowned maiden of Denmark, this is a fiery romp of crazy, completely engaging and enjoyable, and with a happier end.
As I mentioned before, this is theatre without a theatre. Scenes are played all through the square: in the greenery, on the stairs, up and down the walls, and even in the fountain. This is the second time I’ve been to a production that used this convention (the first was a production of Richard III in my university days) and I’ve now enjoyed it both times. Director Scott Moyle uses it to best effect in the first half of this production, making the audience a fly on the wall of the scenes, and allowing for a natural flow from one piece of action to another. The opening image of a messenger of war running through the park fountain before tumbling forward, shot by an arrow, is memorable. A scene in which the audience follows Arcite down a path on which he runs into a number of Athenian countrymen is exemplary of how this mode of staging works best.
Unfortunately, about half-way through the production, the action settles into a single location in the square, and what was immersive theatre begins to feel more like a tennis-match. Scenes happen around the audience location, leaving us merely to reorient the direction we faced. Theatre in the round, but in reverse: not terrible, but not as fun as what came before.
This is not to say the second half of the show does not have memorable moments. When Palamon, Arcite, and Emilia pray to their patron gods and goddesses, simple mask work effectively brings the gods Mars, Venus, and Diana to life. And, of course, the jailer’s daughter reaches the heights of her insanity in the latter half of the play.
It is challenging to do classical theatre; challenging again to do it in a non-traditional space; challenging a third time to do it in a space in which people coming home from shopping, or merely out with their kids can walk around or through the field of action. But it’s a rewarding challenge for those who participate. This is a mixed bag production, but overall it’s a pleasant one. This is a show worth seeing, and worth seeing staged in this way. Moreover, it is worth supporting a group willing to take on this challenge so that they can learn, and take it on again.
With a PWYC price tag (though a $10 donation is recommended), Two Noble Kinsmen is two hours I’m glad I spent, and two hours you should consider spending yourself.
Two Noble Kinsmen performs May 29, June 4, 6, 10, 12, 18 & 20 at College Park, behind the mall at 444 Yonge Street
Performances start at 7:00PM. The show starts on the west side of the fountain.
Information at http://www.urbanbard.ca/TwoNobleKinsmen.html
Urban Bard Productions offering of Two Noble Kinsmen, a not-often-produced play by John Fletcher and William Shakespeare is performed outdoors, and without aid of light or sound equipment.
The experience is “theatre in the rough.” The mandate of the company, as stated in their program, is to “use Toronto’s urban landscape in unexpected ways to stage entertaining and relevant theatre.” In a nutshell, rather than having a defined stage area and static audience, scenes are performed throughout a selected location, in this case College Park, while ushers guide the audience from location to location.
For those unfamiliar with the story, Two Noble Kinsmen, an adaptation of Chaucer’s “Knight’s Tale”, tells the story of Palamon and Arcite (in this production pronounced with a hard c), two noblemen of Thebes, and long-time friends, who are captured in battle by Theseus, king of Athens. While in prison, they spy the beautiful Emilia, sister-in-law to Theseus, and are love-struck. In short order, Arcite is ransomed out of prison and banished from the land, though not for long. Meanwhile, Palamon is moved to even darker dungeons. While in the dungeon, however, Palamon becomes the object of obsession for the jailer’s daughter who sets him free and sets into motion the rest of the play.
This is a young company, working on nuanced material in a challenging space. As you might expect, some moments work well, some less so.
Erick Fournier as Arcite seems to struggle with the text, and though some moments work for him, others feel like an uphill battle. Christopher Sironi as his cousin Palamon is more comfortable with the words, but sometimes is often too subtle in his delivery for the performance venue. Perhaps as a result of these factors, the depth of brotherly love between the title characters comes up short. While Sironi and Fournier had the chemistry of comrades in arms early on in the show, they lacked the tension of love-rivals later on. As their character prepare for the inevitable battles that will see one of them die, the feelings of loss that come from crossing a point of no return are just not there.
I do want to mention the fight choreography by Kevin Robinson, who makes full use of the large performance area he is provided. It is engaging and virile, and elicited more than one gasp on opening night. Fournier and Sironi deserve praise for their execution of it on the unforgiving concrete ground.
Excellent as well was Adrianna Prosser as the jailer’s daughter. Her character might not rate a name, but her performance as the b-plot protagonist certainly rates attention. From her first monologue of affection for the imprisoned Palamon, she wins you to her side. As her character descends into the madness of absent love, Prosser takes you along for the ride. Comparisons to Ophelia are naturally inescapable. However, unlike the drowned maiden of Denmark, this is a fiery romp of crazy, completely engaging and enjoyable, and with a happier end.
As I mentioned before, this is theatre without a theatre. Scenes are played all through the square: in the greenery, on the stairs, up and down the walls, and even in the fountain. This is the second time I’ve been to a production that used this convention (the first was a production of Richard III in my university days) and I’ve now enjoyed it both times. Director Scott Moyle uses it to best effect in the first half of this production, making the audience a fly on the wall of the scenes, and allowing for a natural flow from one piece of action to another. The opening image of a messenger of war running through the park fountain before tumbling forward, shot by an arrow, is memorable. A scene in which the audience follows Arcite down a path on which he runs into a number of Athenian countrymen is exemplary of how this mode of staging works best.
Unfortunately, about half-way through the production, the action settles into a single location in the square, and what was immersive theatre begins to feel more like a tennis-match. Scenes happen around the audience location, leaving us merely to reorient the direction we faced. Theatre in the round, but in reverse: not terrible, but not as fun as what came before.
This is not to say the second half of the show does not have memorable moments. When Palamon, Arcite, and Emilia pray to their patron gods and goddesses, simple mask work effectively brings the gods Mars, Venus, and Diana to life. And, of course, the jailer’s daughter reaches the heights of her insanity in the latter half of the play.
It is challenging to do classical theatre; challenging again to do it in a non-traditional space; challenging a third time to do it in a space in which people coming home from shopping, or merely out with their kids can walk around or through the field of action. But it’s a rewarding challenge for those who participate. This is a mixed bag production, but overall it’s a pleasant one. This is a show worth seeing, and worth seeing staged in this way. Moreover, it is worth supporting a group willing to take on this challenge so that they can learn, and take it on again.
With a PWYC price tag (though a $10 donation is recommended), Two Noble Kinsmen is two hours I’m glad I spent, and two hours you should consider spending yourself.
Two Noble Kinsmen performs May 29, June 4, 6, 10, 12, 18 & 20 at College Park, behind the mall at 444 Yonge Street
Performances start at 7:00PM. The show starts on the west side of the fountain.
Information at http://www.urbanbard.ca/TwoNobleKinsmen.html