PERICLES: PRINCE OF TYRE

PERICLES: Prince of Tyre, By William Shakespeare, Directed by Joel Sass, Cal Shakes (California Shakespeare Theater), 701 Heinz Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94710. 510-548-9666 or www.calshakes.org... All plays at the Bruns Amphitheater, Orinda.

May 31 — June 22, 2008.

PERILS OF PERICLES IS A WINNER

The old silent movie weekly series “The Perils of Pauline” may have been patterned after Shakespeare’s “Pericles” described in 1821 as a string of adventures far removed from probability. That certainly is true, but in the telling of Pericles’ tale of woe, director Joel Sass and his production crew have fashioned an inventive visual treat that removes the sorrow asking us to suspend belief and just enjoy. This Cal Shakes production is well deserving of the standing ovation marking the opening night of the 2008 season. A cast of eight plays 25 of the major characters and a multitude of minor roles. Sass synchronizes the four-member ensemble seamlessly into the story line from their first appearance as prowling tigers to a full-size elephant created of wicker baskets and an over-sized vacuum hose spraying a segment of the audience with water. Avoid the front row seats.

The story is a string of improbable adventures and is called a “tragicomedy.” What makes this production great is the inventive direction, top-notch actors in beautiful costumes (Raquel M. Barreto) cavorting on a magnificent set by Mepomene Katakalos, superbly aided by sound (Jeff Mockus), light (Russell H. Champa) and music (Greg Brosofske). One cannot praise enough the deft, professional shift of personalities by all the actors, with vocal dialect changes complete with nuances that individualize each character they portray.

It is a great pleasure to hear Shakespeare’s lines delivered with crisp enunciation and authority beginning with the superb Shawn Hamilton, brought in from the famed Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, to play Gower the narrator. Rather than using exposition, Sass creates Gower as an African tribal leader, delivering the narrative as a chant. He enters the stage at various intervals giving continuity to the story line. He tells of King Antiochus (Ron George) and his daughter (Sarah Nealis) engaging in incest. Many suitors for her hand were put to death when they could not solve a riddle that reveals the incestuous relationship. Pericles (Christopher Kelly) arrives, is able to solve the riddle but does not tell Antiochus who puts out a contract on Pericles’ life with a threat to destroy Tyre. On the advice of his trusted and faithful adviser Helicanus (Danny Scheie) to “Go travel for awhile”, Pericles flees and his perils begin.

All the action takes place in the area that is Eastern Mediterranean including North Africa. The first scene and second scenes are Antioch and Tyre before our protagonist reaches Tarsus, saves the populous from famine by providing grain thus gaining the trust of their rulers Cleon (Ron George again) and wife Dionyza (Domenique Lozano). He sets sail again only to be tossed by a wicked storm into Pentapolis, where, befriended by three fishermen (Ron Campbell, Alex Morf, Dominque Lozano) who salvage his rusty armor, is introduced to King Simonides, and wins a jousting competition and the hand of his daughter Thaisa (Delia MacDougall).

You will never a see a jousting competition like this again. Three knights (Alex Morf, Dominque Lozano, & Ron Campbell) dressed to the nines, mounted on beautiful “horses” tied around there waists. They prance, they whiney and have good fun only to be defeated by Pericles riding a broooomstick horse wearing rusty armor.

Marriage to Thaisa leads to a pregnancy but before she delivers, Pericles is summoned back to Tyre. He is now safe since the incestuous pair were punished by the Gods and burned to death. They set sail, a terrible storm bursts (great light and sound effects), Thaisa apparently dies in childbirth and is placed in a wooden casket and set adrift. The baby, named Marina is entrusted to Cleon and Dionyza and Pericles returns to Tyre. Thaisa’s casket drifts to Ephesus where Cerimon (Dominique Lozano), a skillful physician says, “This queen will live” and she does but the deep sorrow for her loss(es) bade her to enter the Temple of Diana.

Meanwhile back at Tarsus, 14 years have passed and Marina (Sarah Nealis) has blossomed into a beautiful girl but is competition for the daughter of Dionyza who orders her killed. Before that happens, pirates capture Marina, take her to Mytilene, sell her into a brothel run by Bawd (Delia MacDougall) and nasty Boult (Danny Scheie), but never loses her virginity because her pure nature converts bad guys to good guys including Lysimachus (Alex Morf). For this scene, Sass injects bawdy, slapstick humor that is crisply, and naughtily executed by Scheie and MacDougall.

Pericles goes to Tarsus to find Marina only to be told she is dead. He goes into a deep depression swearing never to cut his hair or speak again. By chance (again) his ship ends up in Mytilene, Marina’s purity snaps him out of his depression, they recognize each other, go to Ephesus, find Thaisa and the family is one again with the addition of Lysimachus who is to marry Marina. Running time 2 hours and 40 minutes but it seems a lot shorter even though the proverbial cold damp fog invaded the amphitheater. Going to a matinee and planning a picnic lunch would be a good idea but then you would miss the extremely effective lighting changes.

Courtesy of TheatreWorld Internet Magazine