Free for All! Go see it.

This evening I was treated to the Shakespeare in the Park Free for All show of Pericles. I haven't missed a Free for All show in 4 years, and am glad I did not miss this one. It is early enough in the run (it goes until June 4th), that you should make plans now to go see it. It's free. And it's good.

The production is faced with a challenge, presenting Shakespeare to a modern audience not of the usual suspects. Sure, there are the regular playgoers and theatre folks there, but the one special thing about the Free for All is that you meet and hear many who would not otherwise go to a play, let alone a Shakespeare play not commonly know. "Pericles" added to the task this year, as it is not one that will draw by name along such as "Hamlet" or A"A Midsummer Night's Dream" might. At first, some of the directorial and production decisions kept me apprehensive and on edge, wondering if I would enjoy it. Let's breeze through these examples first, before getting to the better parts. As in last year's performance, there is a tendency for the production to be a bit campy or diminutive to the text and the work, and although somewhat necessary, it played out a little to harshly for me in the first few Acts and Scenes. The famine experienced by King Cleon and wife was somewhat over-embellished so to speak. In one of the first comic relief scenes, as Pericles washes ashore at Pentapolis, one actor playing a dumbfounded fool a fisherman was a bit overboard, as were the caricatures portrayed by the suitors of Princess Thaisa. And in some transitions the heavy "Eastern" Music played to an exotic, belly-dance feeling, and the dinner of Thaisa's suitors didn't suit me with modern balloons intruding. These were all minor compared to the overall production, however.

The effort at producing a seamless and enjoyable experience for the audience was bold and accomplished, in my opinion, and through a combination of competent acting, incredible direction and text interpretation, and skillful sound and lighting, the "modern" audience seemed enthralled and drawn in, not petering out as may be expected during a long, hot evening with the Bard. The beginning, a tough one to deal with because in a sense it is very small, even though setting the play's events, was well done and orchestrated with a tight fist, two onstage "maids" turning into a chorus to lead us into the rest of the journey, a tool involving other actors later on and used throughout to guide onlookers through what could be a very bumpy and disjointed ride. In a scene discounted above for its balloons, it should be noted that the dance which set the table for Princess Thaisa's wooing was fantastic, brining on many set pieces in an entertaining way in plain view. Scene changes throughout, in fact, were very nicely integrated. Another stands out, wherein the walls of the set turned a beautifully rich shade of lighter greenish-blue, and the floor a darker patterned green, the first time the set changed drastically enough to take you away from it in full. If only I could remember exactly what that was for, it was too dark at the point to take notes any longer. Overused perhaps, but very well done, were the scenes wherein Pericles traveled the sea, peacefully or not so much, when the long strips of blue materials, or one large strip for the goddess Diana, were the setting.

The Director, David Muse, and his assistants and staff should be applauded for some of the best directional choices I've seen for Shakespeare, especially for a modern audience's consumption. The simple act of filling in a dash or broken phrase with action and import was brilliantly done along the way, as well as the sparks of light in which actors expounded on the lines and underlying meanings. Lines where one speaker cut off another could easily be played as such, but many times in this production these were filled with dramatic pauses, or an action or sound or gesture that brought meaning to that pause or break in the text. The language was also as fluid as possible for the modern mind to hear, especially for any not used to listening to or reading and then listening to Shakespeare and his meter. Speaking of meter, when Pericles' men travel to find him, the tapping and military style of there marching and speaking to that meter was a moment of brilliance on the part of the direction, even if in this case the actors' lines did not keep up. I'll be looking back at the text again to refresh my memory and see how well it was adapted to our present day ears. And of course, the production played up the wonderful puns and wit in the text, as well as the sexual connotations found throughout.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the night, and left, as it seems many of my fellow audience members did, with a satisfied smile and brighter outlook for the walk home. As I was leaving, one man nearby was loudly conversing in his cellphone, explaining where he was coming from and such, and said something to the effect of "This was amazing! I actually understood it, even more than "Romeo and Juliet," and I've seen that move many times." Ah, there's the rub...;perhaps others will find the same, when you're seeing live theatre, there's nothing to be afraid of, and you may gain much more than the static silver screen. So, stop reading this and go see it.

Disclaimer: I am not a professional critic, I am simply a lover of theatre who has studied English Literature (including Shakespeare of course) and also done theatre work and lighting design professionally here and there. I hope you enjoy this review.)