A feast of theater
A visit to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival offers something for everyone be they older, younger, singles, couples, families or groups. The "play's the thing" in the Ashland, Ore., setting. People come for the plays and stay to enjoy the town, its offerings and environs.
The OSF eight-month season runs from February to November with 11 plays in repertory - four by Shakespeare and seven by classic and contemporary playwrights - rotating in three theaters: The outdoor Elizabethan Stage seats 1,200; the Angus Bowmer Theatre seats 601, and the intimate Thomas Theater seats 360. There is not a bad seat in any of the theater venues.
For the 2013 season, OSF offers a range of Shakespeare: "A Taming of the Shrew," "King Lear," "Cymbeline" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream." "My Fair Lady" continues their recent commitment to the American Musical. "A Streetcar Named Desire," and August Wilson's "Two Trains Running" bring contemporary classic drama to the stage as does their production of "The Heart of Robin Hood" from the Royal Shakespeare Company in London.
OSF strives to support new works and offers three world premiers: "The Tenth Muse," "The Unfortunates," and, from their participation in the "American History Cycle," comes "The Liquid Plain."
Of the many pleasures of OSF, the repertory acting ensemble is one of the most fascinating. At the end of each performance, there is one "curtain" call. The applause is for the ensemble, not for individual performance. The talent, versatility, and depth of the actors is one of the main strengths of the company. The lead in a great tragedy might be a minor servant in a comedy you see that night. The same is true for directors, designers, sets, lighting and sound.
OSF productions satisfy both intellect and sensibility.
Placing "The Taming of the Shrew" on the "Padua Boardwalk" (think Santa Cruz, Calif., in the '60s) lends a definite fresh take to Shakespeare's romance. At its core is the commitment of "Petruchio" (dressed in a cross between Johnny Cash and Evel Knievel on a bad day) to wed, and tame "Katerina" (think the late Amy Winehouse). The director plays it as if it were about lust and trust. This production is clever.
OSF actors are facile in their use of Shakespearean language and verse. Secondary characters bring this about with accents ranging from William F. Buckley Jr. to classic Olivier. Visually clever with bright colors, a giant video screen, neon lights and a giant red carnival mouth (used as an entrance/exit as well as to exhort the audience to turn off electronic devices) add to the mix. An on-stage (on the roof of the hot dog vendor) laid-back rock band with a "Beach Boys" surf beat added to the cacophony. It was too clever, too cute and too loud. Where are Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor when we need them? (Netflix, of course.)
"My Fair Lady" is a revelation in courageous and imaginative performance and direction. Audiences expect big sets and gorgeous costumes. The OSF production is on a bare stage in the Bowmer Theatre graced only by two facing grand pianos and a set of risers with mismatched old theater seats. Stairs and a balcony connect with the stage at each side. Prior to curtain time, various members of the cast warmed up, inspected the stage and came out into the audience to chat. We watched "Eliza" smear soot on her face and dress for the opening scene in Covent Garden. Two men sat down to the piano. The overture and the magic began. This production focuses on the characters, their foibles, their fears, their dreams and their growth. Their voices are marvelous, the music a masterpiece of Lerner and Lowe. It is brilliant. The glitter and glamour is there. It is in the performances of a stellar cast. This is musical theater at its zenith.
"Streetcar named Desire," exceeds expectations. The Tennessee Williams masterpiece has been tainted by the Marlon Brando/Vivien Leigh Hollywood version. At OSF, the characters are multi-dimensional. "Stanley" is not simply a brute, but a sensitive and physical man pushed to the edge by the uninvited invasion of his wife, "Stella's," sister, "Blanche DuBois," into their shabby, one-room, New Orleans French Quarter apartment where her presence is a challenge to who he is as a man. Furtive, fragile and unhappy with life, Blanche is a remnant of old South Aristocracy, a prisoner of the past. Charming when she gets her way, she is vile and destructive when crossed. "I don't want realism," she declares. "I want magic." Stella, her sexually liberated younger sister, loves Stanley and Blanche. "Mitch," Stanley's repressed ex-army/poker buddy, finds romance with Blanche and becomes her potential savior until Stanley, out of frustration, anger and revenge, tells everyone the truth about Blanche's descent into alcohol and sexual oblivion. A steel butterfly to the bitter end, Blanche exits the stage to enter a mental hospital. As she places her hand on the arm of the doctor who has come to take her, she utters one of American theater's most famous lines: "I have always depended on the kindness of strangers."
"Two Trains Running" takes you to into a small, marginal restaurant in Pittsburgh during the 1960s. Played against a rundown ghetto neighborhood, this August Wilson play continues his series of works elucidating black lives in the 20th Century. Wilson's genius is his insight into human nature through people who live small lives full of little decisions that render big consequences: love and death. Full of comedy and pathos, they live on the edge of "making it." His metier is realism. His manner is language. His mode is details: the slap of rundown shoes, spoken patois, gestures. He shows us that we make our own futures. A character literally states: "If you drop the ball you have to go back and pick it up." "Two Trains" does not drop the ball. The stunning cast rivals the original New York production.
"The Heart of Robin Hood," adjusts the story of the English folk hero and gives it a feminist twist with Maid Marion taking control of Sherwood Forest and teaching Robin a thing or two about the human heart. Written in the Monty Python tradition of farce, it is entertainment for the whole family. This is not the stuff for intellectual insight. This is fluff. Produced on the outdoor Elizabethan Stage, it boasts a stunning set clothed in imaginative lighting and sound effects as well as fanciful stage direction and costumes. Great fun is to be had by all.
"Cymbeline," "King Lear," "Midsummer Night's Dream" and "The Unfortunates," were in conflicting schedules during this writer's visit. "The Tenth Muse" and "The Liquid Plain" open in July. It is a great temptation to make a return trip to catch these productions.
While at OSF, don't miss "The Green Shows," free entertainments on the green in front of the theaters prior to curtain time. "Festival Noons" are lectures, events and theater diversions by actors, directors, scholars and technical professionals. Some are free, others have minimal fees. Weeklong study classes for individuals, teachers and families are available.
It is possible to go to OSF and immerse yourself in theater. Be sure to savor the restaurants: brew pubs, Greek, Italian, Asian, American, French, organic, etc. "Liquid Assets" is lovely after an evening in the theater. They have a terrific wine list and a kitchen serving fresh dishes imaginatively prepared and plated until midnight. Shopping is an adventure as well. Tiny Ashland has four bookstores. Don't miss Bloomsbury Books for a great selection and a nifty coffee shop with a garden upstairs. Three used bookstores stir the imagination as well. Clothing, sports equipment, travel accessories, gifts, jewelry, records...you get the picture. And, not to be missed: four ice cream stores! The Varsity movie theater has six screens with popular as well as art films. Lithia Park is a stunning hike up a hill to the sounds of Ashland Creek running its length through 93 acres. All of these are downtown in a five-block stretch of Main Street. One caveat: Do NOT drink the water at the fountain in the Plaza unless you love sulfur.
To travel to OSF, 15 Pioneer St., Ashland, nearby Medford Airport is serviced by Alaska, Southwest and United airlines. A taxi should charge a flat rate to Ashland of not more than $35-40. Ask first. You won't need a car once you get to town. If you drive, it is a lovely two-day adventure from North Idaho to Ashland.
Info: www.osfashland.org or (800) 219-8161