THEATRE REVIEW:
KPBS AIRDATE: July 14, 2006
It’s midsummer in San Diego – a perfect time to
come in out of the sun and soak up some classics. The Old Globe’s Shakespeare
Festival is in full swing, and it’s got something for everyone: a comedy, a
tragedy and a grand and gory mix of the two. “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,”
“Othello” and for the first time in the Globe’s 70-year history, “Titus
Andronicus.” That’s the bloody one, and as the brilliant Festival artistic
director Darko Tresnjak promised, it’s “bloody good fun.” There’s so much
murder and dismemberment in this revenge tragedy that it veers over the edge
into comic excess. So, Tresnjak capitalizes on that, using Beatles tunes and
songs from the musical “Chicago” to punctuate the action – employing wildly imaginative
ways to symbolize the endless flow of blood – from red ribbons to confetti,
drizzled red sand to gorgeously snapped Chinese fans. But underneath is a
topical, political message about the absurdity of vengeance – and the violence
and destruction it begets.
“Othello,” of course, is about the venom of
jealousy. The monstrous Iago will stop at nothing after his general has failed
to elevate his position. So he poisons Othello’s mind, subsequently bringing
down his rival, the devoted Desdemona and the pitifully reckless and credulous
Moor. Deep-voiced Jonathan Peck is wonderfully noble and emotional as Othello
and Karl Kenzler is terrific as the oily Iago, whom he plays like a Venetian
Ken Lay, smooth and businesslike in his evildoing, smirking at his own
insidiousness. On the lighter side, “Midsummer” is about the crazy vagaries of
love. It isn’t the strongest or funniest production of the three, though it
should be. But there are some gorgeous stage pictures and enchanting updates.
One of the great delights of having a resident repertory company is seeing the
same performers play vastly different roles, showing their comic and dramatic
range. So treat yourself to a smorgasbord of Shakespeare this summer. And bring
the kids; they especially seem to relish the bloodthirsty brutality of “Titus.”
Now, while you’re on the trail of intellectual
enlightenment, why not go back even further in time – to the Greeks? 6th
@ Penn Theatre is presenting an excellent production of “Iphigenia at Aulis,”
the Euripides tragedy written in about 400 B.C., given a fresh, modern,
sensitive and sensible new translation by Marianne McDonald. The play will
surprise you with its relevance. Euripides was the greatest anti-war playwright
of antiquity, and in this drama he shows misguided and self-serving leaders
willing to sacrifice their children to the endless lure of battle and the
elusive promise of victory.
Summer is heating up on San Diego stages… and
contemporary politics sneak right into the action. So why don’t you get in on
the action, too?
©2006 Patté Productions
Inc.