‘Fine performance work with some interesting, staged pictures, but disappointing that I lost interest in the story’s plot and characters.”

Once upon a time, a play from the Bard comes along that one might have heard of but had no context or opportunity to study in school.

This is one of those times for me with ‘Cymbeline’.

That doesn’t mean the Festival’s production isn’t worth seeing. I’m not saying that at all. There are moments when it’s visually spectacular and worthy of ‘Lord of the Rings’ (as director Esther Jun states in her Director’s Note). There are heated passions and emotions in performances that bubble with intensity. The cast of ‘Cymbeline’ includes Stratford stalwarts and young performers whom I’d like to watch for in the future.

I understand that audiences in Elizabethan England would have had some background in understanding the context and the characters. Nevertheless, Cymbeline’s plot is highly complicated. A few subplots feed from the central, and the characters intertwine so much that I got lost a few times.

By the end of the three hours, I lost my connection with the story. Instead, I appreciated the wonder and spectacle how Jun shaped the story to become ‘a magical play’ (as she called it in her Director’s Note).
In a long-gone Britain that is slowly wasting away, everyone is trying to save the delicate ecosystem and the court of Queen Cymbeline (Lucy Peacock). Innogen (Allison Edwards-Crewe), the only daughter of Cymbeline, secretly marries Posthumus (Jordin Hall), a worthy enough but low-born ward of the court.

Cymbeline is furious and banishes Posthumus. Cymbeline’s husband, The Duke (Rick Roberts), plots to wed Innogen to his only son and her stepbrother Cloten (Christopher Allen) and to rally Britain against Rome.
Upon banishment and finding shelter in Rome, Posthumus meets the wealthy Iachimo (Tyrone Savage) who bets that Innogen is not what Posthumus believes her to be and that he could seduce her. Iachimo tries to seduce Innogen, but confusion erupts in the following madness.

From this point on, there are characters in gender-swapping disguises, battles ensuing, familial strife and forbidden love as right will ultimately prevail.

Echo Zhou’s set and lighting designs make this Britain from long ago a fantasy world. Green lighting gobo effects remind the audience that they are in another world. There is a tall tree with branches far upstage. The tree rarely (if ever) moves from the stage. I’m puzzled as to why the tree remains there for the entire performance. Does it have something to do with things rooted in the world that will always remain firm? That point was not made clear. Michelle Bohn’s costumes radiantly sparkle at times, especially in those hushed green lighting effects.

As matriarch and queen of Britain, Lucy Peacock’s Cymbeline regally commands the Patterson stage each time she appears. Marcus Nance’s Jupiter and Rick Roberts’ Duke remain compelling throughout. In the second act, Nance’s appearance as Jupiter with the wings of a bird made me sit up immediately and pay close attention to him and how that moment is staged. Even though the play's title is named after the parental figure, the complete character arc of Allison Edwards-Crewe’s Innogen becomes the play’s focus. Edwards-Crewe propels through the various emotions with genuine believability at one moment and an intense ferocity the next.

Irene Poole is a gentle Pisanio. Tyrone Savage’s villainous Iachimo is fascinating. Jonathan Goad and Wahsonti:io Kirby have a terrific, amusing moment near the end of the play that draws much-needed laughter from the audience.

And Another Thought: Sometimes, when one attends the theatre, it’s okay to sit, experience and appreciate the marvel and staging of storytelling. Character development might just become secondary and that’s okay.

I wish I could have connected to more characters and the story than I did.

Running time: approximately three hours and five minutes with one interval/intermission.

‘Cymbeline’ runs until May 28 at The Tom Patterson Theatre, 111 Lakeside Drive. Stratford. For tickets: stratfordfestival.ca or call 1-800-567-1600.

THE STRATFORD FESTIVAL presents
‘Cymbeline’ by William Shakespeare
Directed by Esther Jun
Set and Lighting: Echo Zhou
Costumes: Michelle Bohn
Composer: Njo Kong Kie
Sound: Olivia Wheeler

Performers: Marcus Nance, Cynthia Jimenez-Hicks, Rick Roberts, Jordin Hall, Allison Edwards-Crewe, Lucy Peacock, Irene Poole, Anthony Palermo, Christopher Allen, Evan Mercer, Caleigh Crow, Tyrone Savage, Josue Laboucane, Anthony Santiago, Wahsont:io Kirby, Julie Lumsden, Matthew Kabwe, Jonathan Goad, Michael Wamara, Noah Beemer, Chris Mejaki, Tara Sky, Jennifer Rider-Shaw