The 2014 Shaw Festival – Season Recap
By David Grapes - Arts Journalist
Although the Niagara-on-the-Lake region is known primarily
for its booming wine tourism industry, this bustling little tourist town is
also home to the Shaw Festival, which despite its humble beginnings has grown
to become the second largest summer theatre festival in North America with a
budget exceeding 27.8 million dollars.
Originally founded in 1962 to promote the works of George
Bernard Shaw and his contemporaries, the artistic mandate was expanded in 2003
and 2009 to include the work
of “contemporary Shavians” — writers
whose work, like Shaw’s, continues to question the status quo in new and
different ways. This years schedule is an eclectic mix of plays that
includes two Shavian classics (Arms and
the Man and The Philanderer), an
American classic (The Philadelphia Story),
a lost gem from playwright St. John Hankin (The
Charity That Began at Home), a Broadway musical (Cabaret), Sean O’Casey Irish masterpiece (Juno and the Paycock), Tennesee Williams’ one-act comedy A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur and
Edward Bond’s rarely produced black comedy (The
Sea) among others.
The ten show season is produced in a repertory format in
Shaw’s four beautiful theatre spaces, which allows the avid theatre goer the
opportunity to see two plays a day or five plays over a weekend. And come they
do. Last year’s attendance topped 270,000 patrons with over 31% coming from
American patrons.
Now in her 12th year as Artistic Director Jackie
Maxwell has chosen the theme of “theatrical surprise” for the 2014 season. “All
really good theatre contains an element of surprise. Be it large – say an
unforeseen political upheaval – or small – perhaps a personal moment of discovery
– the effect is the same. We entered the theatre with a set of expectations and
suddenly they have shifted. We must now sit up in our seats, lean forward and
follow a new idea – just like the characters onstage” - stated Maxwell. And
judging from the 8 productions that I had the pleasure of attending in early
August, she certainly delivers on her promise. I found this year’s productions
to be fresh, highly imaginative and often surprising in their concept and/or
staging.
With the exception of
When We Were Married and The Mountaintop (both playing to SRO
crowds), I was able to attend the remaining eight productions in the 2014
season. These were my Favorites:
The Sea **** Four Stars!
Edward Bond’s satanic
little farce surprised me on many levels, from its quirky characters to its
hilarious over the top funeral scene. The production featured the great Fiona
Reid in a tour de force performance that gave weight to this unusual and poetic
play.
Juno and the Paycock **** Four Stars!
O’Casey’s depressing
and unrelentingly sad Irish wake of a play is anchored by the glorious acting
ensemble of Jim Mezon, Mary Haney and Ben Campbell and they handle this monster
of a play with humor, pathos and style. Watching this play felt a little like
being out on a theatrical pub crawl and I have to admit I felt the hangover
from this production for several days. The surprise here was how much you can
like a play that at its heart is so innately unlikeable.
A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur *** ½ Three and one half Stars!
This little gem of a
one act by Tennessee Williams featured radiant performances by Deborah Hay and Kate
Hennig. Better known for his dramas Glass
Menagerie, A Streetcar Named Desire
and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, I was
amazed at how funny and sweet this little slice of life play could be. I left
the theatre feeling optimistic and hopeful and that was a surprise.
Cabaret *** ½ Three and one half Stars!
Having seen this musical
many times over the past three decades, I was pretty sure that I had seen just
about everything that could be done to or with this Kander and Ebb gem.
However, I was certainly surprised by the three level all metal revolving set,
the garish Felliniesque cabaret girls and Juan Chioran’s freakish yet engaging
Emcee.
Also worth your time:
Arms and the Man *** Three Stars! and
The Charity That Began at Home *** Three
Stars! The Philadelphia Story ** Two 1/2 Two and one Half Stars! and The Philanderer
** Two 1/2 Two and one Half Stars!
If
you go: There are a number of convenient non-stop flights from all
major airports to Toronto with numerous rental cars options available at the
airport. Niagara-on the-Lake is located at the Northern end of the scenic
Niagara Parkway about fifteen miles from the Canadian Falls and eighty miles South
of Toronto with easy access from the QEW.
Ticket Prices: Ticket
prices range from $24 to $113 CAN. There are many ways of saving on ticket
prices, from Super Sundays to preview tickets to $30 tickets for patrons under
the age of thirty. In 2013, the average cost of a theatre ticket at The Shaw
was $64.62. The season runs now through October 26th.
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