Monday, July 2, 2007

UTAH SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL

Here is a kick ! 22 years ago while exploring southern Utah we stumbled into the Utah Shakespeare festival in Cedar City Utah. Haven't missed one since, as of 30 June 2007 I have seen all 37 Shakespeare plays, (or parts of them). This spot is a national treasure ! World class theatre and a Tony to prove it.
A decade or so ago they built an indoor theatre to compliment their magnificent outdoor venue, most Shakespeare goes outdoors, most other stuff indoors, 6 plays, 3 contemporary, or so and 3 more in the fall.
In case you need help the give it to you with pre game, post game and technical seminars which are about as good as most of the shows.
Grading these is all to taste !

Friday afternoon we see the Matchmaker, great costumres, great set, great actors, fun story well told, first time director: 92 A-.

Then there was Coriolanus, about three hours, 15 minute fight scene that was well staged and like all Shakespeare it had this tricky dialogue which at this point is too much for me! 61 D-.

Candida, traditional Shaw farce that evidentally is loved by all: not me ! I was totaly out of tune to the silly none believable story line and expressed my opinion in the post game seminar, ideas that met with the same reaction as trashing Mormans in Utah. Good actors, great set, 2 unbelievable intermissions, the whole thing was intermission to me, 01 F- all for the storyline which produced the lowest score of anything I every reviewed.
Lend me a Tenor ! Lets have an upper. Slapstick comedy in its world premier. I was programmed to love this because of the author, Peter Sham, a genius personality, solid education, national history and a working artist who with lots of help provided this treat. They hope to sell it to broadway and we all hope they do, its lotsa fun with lotsa elements, a couple dozen new songs and while it is being adjusted it has enough guts to get a nice broadway run. Lots of talent in this one too, lovely sets and costumes, 93 A-.

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