Photo by  Justin Van Leeuwen

Charles Marowitz , collaborating with Peter Brook, reduced Shakespeare’s plays to 30 minutes and now Margo MacDonald has reduced Richard II, Henry IV parts 1& 2, and Henry V to two hours and forty-five minutes, including intermission. I`m not suggesting that MacDonald is Peter Brook, far from it but the idea is not new. Still it is an enormous feat of dramaturgy.  Here, she transports us into a punk style hideout of rebels and would be performers. Vanessa Imeson’s costumes, puppets and set design play a central role in this space where history appears to be telescoped forward and backward through time. A graffiti covered portrait of Queen Victoria is stuck up on the walls of what appears to be a backstage area that conveniently becomes a public house, a battle field, the throne room of Henry IV, and various other spaces that house the main events of these four historical plays that MacDonald has collapsed into a single evening as the rough old punks batter the monarchy and take a good swipe at all the institutions of her majesty- Victoria or Elizabeth II. It is not clear but it does not matter.

Prince Hal (Katie Ryerson) sporting a mangy looking dead skunk on his/her head) carouses with his mates at the local tavern along with the huge Sir John Falstaff (Matthew John Landfall), Ned Points (Simon Bradshaw) the tavern wench (Geoff McBride) and other amusing creatures. Hal’s father King Henry IV (Geoff McBride) terribly disappointed with his debauched offspring wishes his son would have been more like Percy (John Doucette) who is stirring up a conspiracy against him in the North, with some disgruntled English Lords and some Scottish lords, namely Glendower (McBride again!) and that hairy creature from the highlands Douglas (played by Melanie Karin).

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Katie Richardson as Prince Hal, Matthew JOhn Lundvall as Falstaff. Photo: Justin Van leeuvan

Who knew that William Shakespeare presaged punk?

That connection is one of many unexpected elements in this anarchically funny, flawed and mostly rewarding adaptation by Margo MacDonald of Shakespeare’s Henry IV parts 1 and 2 and some of Henry V.

At two and three-quarter hours including intermission, the show is a bit of a marathon. That’s true despite MacDonald, who also directs, having cherry-picked from the three plays to tell the story she’s interested in: the ill-fated relationship between Prince Hal, the future king of England who must set aside his rambunctious youth and companions to become a responsible leader, and Sir John Falstaff, the “huge hill of flesh” who is Hal’s principal companion and who never sets aside his wastrel ways…..

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http://www.ottawacitizen.com/entertainment/Theatre+review+Bumpy+enjoyable+ride+both+punks+princes/8873190/story.html

Plays at the Gladstone Theatre September 3-8, at Shenkman Richcraft Studio 10 – 15, at Centrepoine, 17-22.

Published in the Ottawa Citizen, September 5, 2012.

John Lenartz as Vince Lombardi. Photo-Depot Theatre

The Depot Theatre is closing out their 35^th season with a first-rate production of LOMBARDI – yes, CoachVince, THAT Lombardi. Written by Eric Simonson and based on the book “When Pride Still Mattered” by David Maraniss, the play deals with the man behind the myth. We learn not only of his philosophy, but also of his relationships with his wife Marie and three of his players, Dave Robinson, Jim Taylor and Paul Horning. Set largely in 1965, it includes flashbacks to 1958, 1959 and 1964. It’s structured around a series of interviews with a reporter.

Director Chris Clavelli’s simple set of two armchairs and a table backed by a large green-board with the diagram of a play and a cocktail cabinet stage right works very well for the production. The action is enhanced by Isabella Byrd’s excellent lighting that helps focus the changes of time and place. As always, Jean Brookman’s costumes are good, especially Marie’s final dress.

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