Book Reviews and More: Cymbeline Stratford Festival 2024 A Review

Wednesday, 21 August 2024

Cymbeline Stratford Festival 2024 A Review

Cymbeline

2024

Stratford Festival

Director Esther Jun

Set and Lighting Designer Echo Zhou

Costume Designer Michelle Bohn

Composer Njo Kong Kie

Sound Designer Olivia Wheeler

Fight Director and Intimacy Director Anita Nittoly

Movement Director Alyssa Martin

Executive Producer David Auster

Casting Directors Beth Russell and Ari Weinberg

Creative Planning Director Jason Miller

Cymbeline Stratford Festival 2024 A Review

Cymbeline Stratford Festival 2024 A Review Stage Post Show

First I want to state that I greatly enjoyed this production, and there is a but, but I will get to that later in the review. Over the last few years my son, who is now 16, and I have attended a number of plays in Stratford at the festival. We eagerly await the announcements of the season’s shows and often debate what shows we want to attend and why and then we buy our tickets early in the winter. This was our third of four planned shows this season, and we also have tickets for Something Rotten, Romeo & Juliet, and Twelfth Night.

My top ranking for the performances would be:

Allison Edwards-Crewe as Innogen

Lucy Peacock as Queen Cymbeline

Jonathan Goad as Belarius

Jordin Hall as Leonatus

Irene Poole as Pisanio

My son’s top picks were:

Michael Wamara as Guiderius raised as Polydore

Noah Beemer as Arviragus raised as Cadwal

Marcus Nance as Jupiter

Allison Edwards-Crewe as Innogen

Jonathan Goad as Belarius

Full cast in order of appearance:

Jupiter - Marcus Nance

Philarmonous (Soothsayer), Briton Soldier - Cynthia Jimenez-Hicks

Duke, Roman Soldier - Rick Roberts

Posthumus Leonatus - Jordin Hall

Innogen¬ – Allison Edwards-Crewe

Cymbeline - Lucy Peacock

Pisanio - Irene Poole

First Lord, Ghost Brother 2 - Anthony Palermo

Cloten, Roman Soldier - Christopher Allen

Second Lord, Ghost Brother 1, Roman Soldier - Evan Mercer

Lady In Waiting, Roman Soldier - Caleigh Crow

Iachimo - Tyrone Savage

Philario, Jailer - Josue Laboucane

Frenchman, Ghost Sicillius, Roman Soldier - Anthony Santiago

Cornelius - Wahsontí:Io Kirby

Helen, Ghost Mother, Briton Soldier - Julie Lumsden

Caius Lucius - Matthew Kabwe

Belarius - Jonathan Goad

Guiderius - Michael Wamara

Arviragus - Noah Beemer

Roman Captain, Briton Servant - Chris Mejaki

Queen’s Guard 1 - Tara Sky

Queen’s Guard 2 - Jennifer Rider-Shaw

Understudies

Posthumus Leonatus - Christopher Allen

Philarmonous (Soothsayer), Jupiter - Caleigh Crow

Queen’s Guard 1, Queen’s Guard 2, Roman Captain - Cynthia Jimenez-Hicks

Belarius - Matthew Kabwe

Pisanio - Wahsontí:Io Kirby

Cornelius, Roman Captain - Josue Laboucane

Innogen - Julie Lumsden

Guiderius, First Lord, Second Lord, Ghost Brother 1, Ghost Brother 2, Frenchman,

Ghost Sicillius - Chris Mejaki

Iachimo, Philario, Jailer - Evan Mercer

Arviragus - Anthony Palermo

Cymbeline - Irene Poole

Helen, Ghost Mother - Jennifer Rider-Shaw

Duke, Caius Lucius, Roman Captain - Anthony Santiago

Lady In Waiting - Tara Sky

Cloten - Michael Wamara

I have seen two other productions of this play over the years, one on film the 2014 edition and the other a staged production years ago. The first presented it as a tragedy in line with the first Filio from 1623. The second presented it more as a history or drama. But this production really emphasises that it can be presented as a comedy, and for the most part the only people who die are the ones who deserve it. The comedic aspect took both my son and I as a surprise. And after the production it was obvious the audience did not know what to make of it. It is the first play I have been to at Stratford over the last three seasons that did not receive a standing ovation. I was shocked and stunned by this fact, for even though it was not exactly what I was expecting and the switch of the key roles of King and Queen to Queen and duke, I thought it was an incredible performance.

Lucy Peacock and Allison Edwards-Crewe do an amazing job in this production. And Jordin Hall does an incredible job in his role. But the one that surprised me most was Irene Poole as Pisanio, it was masterfully played. It was so obvious the cast was having fun during the final reveal, and though I expected a much more serious presentation this one was executed flawlessly. The audience laughed out loud on several occasions during this scene.

This is one of my favourite productions in years. And though Richard III and King Lear are among my favourite plays, the way this production retold the story in a new way was magnificent. Two years ago I had the chance of seeing Richard III twice once on my own and again with my son when they filmed it. If this production is filmed I would love to be in the audience and return for the filming of the outtakes. If you can only get to two plays this season I would say go and see this and Something Rotten!

This is a fantastic production of a play you will often have the chance to see, I can easily recommend it and urge you to try and see it in theatre and if we are luck streaming on Stratford @ Home.