HAVE PASSPORT, WILL GO TO THEATRE - Part 1
Theatre Adventures Abroad
I
love to travel. It broadens the mind, enriches the soul and is just plain fun.
While I can get into pretty scenery and quaint villages, I'm an urban boy at
heart and given the choice, a city vacation usually wins. (A combination of
pretty scenery, quaint villages and a city is even better!) Living in a
major city, I enjoy the energy of cities and the variety of cultural
treasures to be discovered in them. And, of course, if at all possible,
we try to catch some theatre. Although the basics of theatre really hasn't
changed much since the Greeks, and please notice I said basics, and theatre at its core is theatre no matter what country
you're in or what language the play is performed in, each country has its own
star network and names I have never heard of before are major stars in their
native countries. And, yes, even though we share many personalities with the
U.K., for example, the U.K. also has its share of actors that
we're not familiar with whose names sell tickets at the box office.
Want
some examples? Read on.
DEVON: Roughly three hours by train from London in southwest England is the
county of Devon. Home to historic Exeter, vibrant and commercial Plymouth and
the seaside beauty of Sidmouth, Devon has everything you'd expect of a
picturesque English county…winding, narrow roads, beautiful, old buildings, and
an abundance of theatre. After all, this is the nation of Shakespeare and the
theatrical tradition still thrives. For proof, I offer the following.
REBECCA - Manor Pavilion Playhouse, Sidmouth, Devon,
UK - August, 1995
In the acknowledgments, the Open Hand Theatre Company is thanked. Our dear friends Ron and Roger were members of Open Hand and did many productions with them. On more than one occasion I would quip that Open Hand's sister company was the Closed Fist Theatre Company. Think about it. I'll wait. For the record, this witty comment was always greeted with the same pained smile I'm sure it's getting now. Sigh.
The Manor Pavilion, Sidmouth
August, 1995. A
taste of summer stock/repertory…UK style and part of the Charles Vance Summer
Play Festival. Charles Vance, you say? You don't know of him? Seriously? I
quote: "Although both Charles Vance and Imogen Moynihan have had separate
and distinguished careers as actors and directors in their own rights, they
must now be unique in being the last of that anachronistic band of husband and
wife teams presenting and working together in repertory." Still not
ringing bells, huh? Don't worry. I hadn't a clue either…still don't.
"Rebecca" is one of those hoary stories of dead first wives, evil
housekeepers, secret-keeping husbands, deception, adultery, and lies. In other
words, great fun. Smartly acted and directed, with an impressive physical production,
this was hugely enjoyable. Our friends Ron and Roger would do many things at
the Manor Pavilion before leaving Sidmouth. The Manor Pavilion seats 277 in a
gently raked auditorium that offers good sightlines from all seats. Even
better, a full bar offered libations before and after the show and during the
intervals.
Sidebar: Sidmouth
is one of those quintessential British seaside communities that you envision
whenever you hear someone in a British play, film or TV show say that they are
going to vacation by the sea. Could Sidmouth be the "By the Sea" Mrs.
Lovett dreams about when she sings of her longing for a more idyllic life with
Sweeney Todd? Perhaps. Charming, yet with a surprising sophistication, I would
spend lots of time here with my friends Ron and Roger, especially during the
"Lick My Wounds" tour (see earlier post). It's a terrific place to
get genuine clotted cream, not the fake stuff. Sidmouth remains a favorite spot
of mine.
JOLSON - Theatre Royal, Plymouth, Devon, UK -
September, 1995
September, 1995. Jolson covered 30 years in
the life and career of Al Jolson through a bio-book and great standards from
Tin Pan Alley and featured a mini-concert as its finale. Once referred to as
"The World's Greatest Entertainer," in private life, Jolson was quite
the douche, in stark contrast to his public persona. How much of this portrayal
is fiction and how much is fact is unclear, but it provided for a lively and
entertaining evening at the theatre with all the production bells and whistles
one would expect from a West End musical. (Jolson
had its tryout in Plymouth.) Beloved UK comedian and entertainer Brian
Conley played Jolson in a dynamic performance that the audience ate up from
start to finish. Popular stage and television star John Bennett played Jolson's
friend and agent Louis Epstein. Until Jolson,
I had not heard of either actor. Judging by the entrance applause awarded to
both men, I was in the minority. Playing Ruby Keeler in a really nifty
performance was Sally Ann Triplett, who I just saw here in Chicago in the
tryout of the John Logan/Brian Yorkey/Sting musical The Last Ship. She was impressive then; she was impressive now.
Sidebar:
It seems as if every major city in the UK has its own Theatre Royal. Originally
the designation of "Theatre Royal" indicated that the theatre had
received a Royal Patent, without which theatrical performances would be
illegal. I won't even pretend to understand the logic, but Theatre Royals dot
the landscape of England and Scotland. Plymouth's current Theatre Royal opened
in 1982 with Princess Margaret cutting the proverbial ribbon. The main
auditorium seats 1315. The auditorium is of that era and is functionally
efficient and aesthetically cold.
DICK WHITTINGTON - Northcott Theatre, Exeter, Devon,
UK - December, 1998
December,
1998. The pantomime, or panto as it is commonly called, has been a tradition in
British theatre since time began. Based on popular children's tales, the
typical panto follows strict rues of format. For example, the hero is played by
a woman (think Peter Pan), the Dame is played by a man in drag and there is
always lots of audience participation. I couldn't tell you the plot if I tried,
but it was all great, noisy fun. This panto was different in at least one
respect: Dick, the hero, was played by a man. The Dame, however, was played in
great exaggerated drag and the audience participated with glee. Even I got into
the action, though perhaps I should not have cheered the villain. The folks on
stage did not take kindly to that breach of protocol and good-naturedly, and to
the delight of the audience, chastised the crass offender (me). It was a
delightful experience and one that simply cannot be duplicated in the States.
Sidebar:
Exeter is a historic town in Devon and home to Exeter University. A
I-didn't-know-that fact: Exeter is home to third-oldest synagogue in the United
Kingdom (1763). The theatre itself is a comfortable, small house that is now
owned and operated by Exeter University. It opened in 1967 and seats, after a recent
renovation 464.
And
now let's cross the North Sea to….
STOCKHOLM!!
A city of great beauty, history, culture, style, sophistication and real
Swedish meatballs. Plus Sweden has one of the best looking royal families in
Europe. Let's be honest here. Prince Carl Phillip is just plain H-O-T. In the
princely good looks department, His Highness beats the crap out of those British
brothers. Often called the "Venice of the North," Stockholm was a
last minute subsititution for the actual Venice when proposed flights got
delayed. (The joys of standby travel!) It was a convoluted journey there and
back (Chicago-Cincinnati-Paris-Warsaw-Stockholm; Stockholm-Milan-overnight-Atlanta-Chicago),
but the planned four days turned into a week and both of us fell in love with
the city. The Old Town, the Castle, the City Hall, the jewel box of an opera
house, the maritime beauty of the Vasa and the GLBT-welcoming atmosphere all
made for a memorable time. Imagine our delight, then, when we discovered, quite
by accident, that two popular musicals were on the boards during our stay.
Needless to say, we beat tracks to the respective box offices.
MY FAIR LADY - Oscarsteatern. Stockholm, SE - March
2009
March, 2009. Upon
overhearing Bob and I chatting before the performance, the lady next to me
tapped me on the arm and said, "You're American, aren't you?" (As if
my flat Midwestern accent didn't give me away!) When I said "yes,"
she said, "You do know the show will be performed in Swedish, don't
you?" I smiled and said that we both knew the show well and it wouldn't be
a problem for us at all. And it wasn't. In any language, this is a masterpiece.
It's not my favorite show, but there is simply no denying the magnificent score
and the timeless tale that nearly 60 years after it first opened still
enthralls audiences. Beautifully designed and staged, this production was as
first-rate as any production I've seen anywhere. Leads Tommy Körberg and Helen
Sjöholm are Swedish superstars with extensive recording and stage credits and
even appeared together before in Chess. The
audience greeted both of them with extended entrance applause. Yes, both of
them were too old by at least two decades for the parts, but both performances
were vibrant, well-acted and well-sung. (Curiously, the actor playing Pickering
seemed too young. Go figure.) In Swedish, I didn't even mind Doolittle's two
songs, which normally drive me up the wall. The show sailed along quite nicely
until Act Two during the Embassy Ball scene. (In Stockholm, the interval came
after the "Ascot Gavotte" scene with Mrs. Higgins, et. al.) Beloved
Swedish stage, film and television comic star Henrik Dorsin played the smallish
part of Zoltan Karpathy. Moments after his entrance in the scene, he went into
an extended comic monologue that lasted about 10 minutes. Seriously. I know he
wasn't doing Alan Jay Lerner's dialogue because I know the script doesn't
include a reference to Chicago. Whatever the reference was, it got a huge
laugh. While it may not have served the intentions of Messrs. Lerner and Loewe, or Shaw for that matter,
it delighted the audience and after he finished to great applause, My Fair Lady resumed as though nothing
had happened. Most strange. This production also, unfortunately, dropped one of
my favorite songs, "Without You," possibly to accommodate Dorsin's
bit? The highlight of this excellent production, however, was Sjöholm's
brilliant "I Could Have Danced All Night." She sang it with a
wondrous delight and vocal excitement and during the last chorus, the scenery
disappeared and Eliza was alone on a bare stage and bathed in gorgeous lighting
as she brought the song to an absolutely thrilling conclusion. Bar none, this
was the best rendition of the song that I have heard. Ms.
Sjöholm stopped the show cold and the ovation was exciting and deserved. A
perfectly loverly evening!
Sidebar:
Oscarsteatern was built in 1906, seats 905 and is Sweden's most well-known
musical theatre.
THE PRODUCERS ("DET VǞRAS FÖR HITLER") - Chinateatern,
Stockholm, SE - March, 2009
March,
2009. Although Susan Stroman isn't credited with the direction and choreography
and none of the original designers recreated their work, this was virtually a
mirror of the original production. (Were all of the creative aspects licensed?)
Popular Swedish theatre stars Kim Sulocki and Claes Malberg (the bigger star of
the two) played Leo and Max, respectively, with the brio these demanding parts
required. And although all of the performances from leads to ensemble were
crisp and professional, the direction and choreography tight and precise and
all the design and technical aspects spot-on and although the show received
solid applause at the end, it nevertheless somehow seemed, I don't know,
forced? A bit too over-eager to please? It was obvious the audience enjoyed
themselves, but there was never a real show-stopping moment in the show.
"Springtime for Hitler" came close. Is it that Mel Brooks' broad
humor didn't translate well into Swedish? Or is it simply that The Producers' time had come and gone? Concerns
aside, however, it was enjoyable and fun. (And the ensemble men were mighty
easy on the eyes!)
Sidebar:
Chinateatern was built in 1928 as a movie theatre and seats 1250. The large
front lobby is typical of movie houses built in those days.
And
just in case you're wondering, over in Sidmouth, the summer festival continues,
though no longer under the auspices of Charles Vance who died in 2013 at the
age of 83. This is quite the lineup and quite an ambitious season.
Enjoy
the week. More later.
©
2014 Jeffrey Geddes
