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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (July 5, 1996)
30 ▼ July 5. 100« ▼ ju s t o u t Romeo and Juliet with a lot of homoerotic horseplay but no balcony, a gripping production of Coriolanus with a bare-chested wrestling match setting the tone for this hyper-mascu line staging, and Love’s Labor’s Lost with four early-Elizabethan feminists moving stage cen ter—these are the highlights of the outdoor sum mer season at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. The most discussed production of the summer A The missing balcony was a great cause of dis cussion during opening weekend. Younger audi ences seemed to have no trouble with the play’s most famous scene— and perhaps Shakespeare’s most famous scene— being played center stage with neither Romeo nor Juliet acknowledging the other. Purists obviously missed the traditional ap proach— when no “light through yonder window” broke, much of the audience grew briefly uneasy. Mikael Salazar makes a likable Romeo, and his bare-chested wedding-morning scene proves him to be a physical hunk. Vilma Silva was a strong, independent Juliet, easily believable as the lovesick adolescent yet confident in her tragic decisions. Shawn Galloway provided strong sup port as Mercutio, but Tyrone Wilson’s biker-look Tybalt was a disappointment. The set—a huge assembly of metal pipes— served as a wind chi me- like screen, again blocking out the traditional Elizabethan stage. P lay I t U p Shakespeare reigns at OSF this summer — but make haste, forsooth, tickets are going fast T by Christopher Kamera is undoubtedly Shakespeare’s rarely staged Coriolanus, a huge hit in the playwright’s life time and, interestingly and understandably, a popu lar title with Hitler and his Nazi officials. Set in the days of ancient Rome, this Coriolanus suc cessfully plays it both ways— the costumes and sets are a blend of modem military outfits and golden Roman breastplates and a gilded laurel- wreath crown. Directed with nonstop energy by Tony Taccone in his second outing at OSF, Coriolanus basically ignores the famous OSF outdoor stage and builds a high-tech metal scaffolding in front of the seven levels of the Elizabethan stage. Armed soldiers run through the aisles, actor- held megaphones blare from the upper balcony of the seating area announcing military commands, a whirl of helicopter blades and flashing lights brings the title character on stage (creating a “Has Miss Saigon finally reached Ashland?” titter in the press rows). This is Shakespeare unlike Shakespeare’s ever been seen in Ashland. At the end of Act 2, as Coriolanus flees Rome, the brawny Derrick Lee Weeden literally climbs the walls of the playhouse to escape. When he returns to Rome in Act 3, he rappels down the other side of the theater’s enclosure like Stallone in a moun tain-climbing adventure. For director Tony Taccone, Coriolanus is his first Shakespeare staging. “I avoided it forever,” he laughs. “People always say they want to see Shakespeare and then just sit there and fall asleep. I wanted to do a production that will keep the audience awake.” And he succeeds. Strong characterizations support the director’s hyper-masculine military concept. Weeden gives a memorable performance as the bloodthirsty yet sensitive and intelligent military leader. Ray Porter, newly slimmed down and obviously buffed up, makes a cunning foe. Their bare-chested wrestling match sets the play— and their rivalry—in action. omoerotic horseplay between Romeo and his friends, black leather jackets and styl ized black modern-day street wear, a lot of slow-motion sequences and a balcony scene with no balcony gives this Romeo and Juliet a decid edly nontraditional feel. Director René Buch, making his OSF debut, is a specialist in Spanish theater. “1 learned English just to be able to read Shakespeare in the original language,” Buch laughingly confesses. H ove’s Labor’s Lost represents OSF at its traditional best. The elegant costumes, the songs and dances, the use of the multilevel stage much as Shakespeare would have used it, all combine to bring this infrequently staged comic digression to stage center. Pat Patton, directing his last show at OSF, goes for a very traditional production— and audiences love it. In a season where nontradition rules, tradition seems a bril liant concept. Love’s Labor’s Lost is one of Shakespeare’s “problem plays.” It’s a comedy without a happy ending. It’s a romance with no weddings. It’s a serious discourse on love and fidelity, but all the concerns are lightweight and frivolous. In Patton’s staging, the women walk away with the show. Lise Bruneau, as the French princess, and Robin Goodrin Nordli, Vilma Silva and Mhari Sandoval as her ladies in waiting are simply scene-stealers in the best tradition of The Bard. The men in the play provide solid support, but the four French noblewomen— clearly crafted with a modern-day feminist feel— run the show. It’s ajoyous comedy of manners that had opening night audiences cheering its subtle humor. With three out-and-out hits in the outdoor Elizabethan Theatre, OSF should have one of its strongest seasons in years. Juliet asks Romeo, “What’s in a name?” The OSF box office can respond: “virtually sold out,” which the run of Romeo and Juliet was before it opened, OSF officials noted at a recent press conference. Scat tered tickets remain, and good seating is still available for Coriolanus and Love’s Labor’s Lost. The outdoor season continues though Oct. 6. The indoor season, continuing through Oct. 27, is highlighted by A Pair o f Threes and the just- opened Cabaret Verboten at the intimate Black Swan Theatre. In the Bowmer Theatre, memo rable stagings of Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale and Clifford Odets’ Awake and Sing! continue through the fall. Rita Dove’s eagerly anticipated The Darker Face o f the Earth opens on July 24, and Tom Stoppard’s highly praised Arcadia re turns to the repertoire Sept. 24 for a fall encore. A disappointing Molière Plays Paris is also on stage at the Bowmer. Complete ticket information is available at (541 ) 482-4331. L Derrick Lee Weeden in Coriolanus He sees a strong tie between the passionate actions of Shakespeare characters and the classical Spanish theater. “Shakespeare’s time was one of great passion and crude humor—the concept of the reserved British behavior of the later Puritan period was not an influence on Shakespeare,” he notes. For this year’s Romeo and Juliet, Buch stayed true to the characters and the poetry—if not to the traditions. Gone are the velvets and brocade of Renaissance Italy, gone are the lavish decorations and accessories of the masked ball, gone are most of the sets. First-time home buyers, you're in for the education of a lifetime. Got a couple hours? Our realtors and certified tax consultant explain the fiscal realities of your real estate dream s and how to achieve them . W e offer free, in-depth customer education along with complete professional services, including: HOM E & IN V ES TM E N T PR O PE R TY PURCHASE & SALES PR O PER TY M ANAG EM ENT LICENSED TAX C O N SU LTA TIO N & PREPARATIO N Call now to take advantage of our encyclopedic knowledge... (503) 653-8378 fax (503) 786-1227 m a ttes MitoauMa, Oregon 97222 4725 Southeast Washington Street Serving (he andre Portland metro t i .v kiLvttt * ù v u I r .ili r u i w 1979 .