Portland Actors EnsembleJune 26 - July 19, 2008
Summary:
"…Julius Caesar is full of tension, offering no easy answers, nothing to tip the scales, and in the end…our imperfections can thwart the best of our intentions." Embracing the tension of the Neoclassical late-18th Century revolutionary movement, PAE's bold production contrasts the struggle of selfless revolutionary aims with self-serving politics.
8 comments:
has anyone seen this? What are your thoughts?
-Just Curious
Haven't seen it, but there are some intriguing photos from the production on the PAE Web site: http://www.annaliesemoyer.com/pae2008jc/content/index_2.html
I saw this Friday 7/11. It was quite well done and very well attended. It got a little cool outdoors right near the end so bring a blanket -- and a chair, of course. I appreciated the vocal skills of the actors, I was able to immerse myself in the play without straining to hear. The role of Mark Antony was played by a woman. She was amazing, actually brought tears to my eyes. I left a donation of $20, and it was worth every cent and more.
Lots of shouting.
True, there is a lot of shouting in this production -- some of it warranted. I don't think I've ever seen an outdoor Shakespeare show in which every actor knew the difference between projecting strongly without seeming to shout, and shouting. At least most of this cast understands they need to be heard beyond the first three rows. The overall concept -- Revolutionary War costumes, lots of live incidental music -- is bold and intriquing. Leads are uneven, but usually interesting. Stronger supporting cast than I'm used to seeing in PAE shows. The setting is an active player -- cool stone column used for a few scenes, great view of the sky and Mt. Hood in the distance; the dance of light through the trees as the sun sets, versus the subtle yet dramatic upsurge of the "footlights" (half a dozen Coleman lanterns lit before the show starts but virtually unnoticeable for a number of scenes, until they become startlingly bright through the second half), is all wonderful. Stronger than typical PAE show, in my estimation.
It was terrible.
Well, that's real helpful. How about some specifics, so we'd have at least a chance of figuring out whether any of us might improve the next time around, or we're simply a lost cause?
The editorial page is not the place one normally expects to receive coverage -- at least not positive coverage -- for a play production. But PAE got it today in the Oregonian:
http://www.oregonlive.com/editorials/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/editorial/121668631370600.xml&coll=7
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