Cedar City. . . A Theater Junkie's Best Friend

Last Saturday's trip to see The Winter's Tale in Cedar City was awesome! (forgive my enthusiasm. . .for me, getting to watch productions like these is like a druggie getting their fix). I was thrilled to see some of my favorite actors I've seen in previous shows back on the stage, including Brian Vaugn (Leontes, also the director), David Ivers (Autolycus), Melinda Pfundstein (Hermoine), and Quinn Mattfeld (Clown). This gave me an interesting  perspective of their characters from seeing them in different productions in the past.

Quinn Mattfeld (left) as Antipholus of Syracuse 2009 production of
The Comedy of Errors

Kate Cook (left) as Miss Elizabeth Bennet and Brian Vaughn
as Mr. Collins in Pride and Prejudice, 2010.

Tony Carter (left) and Jennifer Whipple as Featured
 Performers in The Greenshow, 2010. [she was Perdita]

Brian Vaughn as Richard Hannay and David Ivers as the  Innkeepers Wife in Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps, 2010

Brian Vaughn as Richard Hannay and David Ivers as the

 Innkeepers Wife in Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps, 2010

David Ivers as Benedick in Much Ado about Nothing, 2010

Melinda Parrett (left) as Rosalind and Quinn Mattfeld as Orlando
 in the 2009 production of As You Like It. [by the way, Melinda was one of
Hermoines ladies in waiting]

I also found something else interesting. . .Brian Vaugn, director and also Leontes, is actually married to Melinda Pfundstein, who played Hermoine. (Why she never changed her last name, I don't know. Her choice I guess). Knowing this, I felt something deeper between them as I watched the performance. I guess it made all of the outrageous behavior of Leontes I felt while just reading it feel more grounded, especially when Polixenes was feeling Hermoine's "pregnant belly" and listening for the baby to kick. Leontes looked positively broken. Also, something I didn't necessarily pick up on while reading until I looked back, Vaughn seemed to portray from the very beginning with his solumn, defeated manner that he already suspected this way before the opening of the play; and, perhaps, that him telling her to convince Polixenes to stay was his way of trying to confirm it. It was a very bold casting choice on his part, but I think it worked.

Another element I want to discuss was the set. . . I mean. . . WOW! The moment I walked in, I was absolutely mesmerized by it. From the perspective of a theater techie and designer, I give it top marks. Simple, effective, and versatile, and just so stinking beautiful! The bald, skinny tree trunks in the back giving it depth and dimension, and reflecting of the  austerity of winter. . . the deteorating, frosted panels. . . and then, when combined with the lighting effects - the harsh downlight making it feel cold and sterile, the purple textured wash making it mysterious and visually rich - just. . . awesome. Their designers never seem to dissapoint me.

I was trying the entire time to decide on what the designers concept behind the set was. (I think I made a comment about this on J.J.'s blog somewhere). I've always had it drilled into me that no design, be it set, lighting, costumes, or whatever, should ever go without a specific concept and symbolism behind it. It took a lot of thinking, but I think I finally came up with some possibilities. First and most obvious, the windows are obviously frosted to kind of look like they have snow drifts gathering on them, depicting that it is winter. And, as I said before, the kind of branchless, dead trees also give the feeling of the death that accompanies winter, and adds beautiful depth and dimension to an otherwise very small space (not to mention, they came in handy later for the wilderness scenes). The elegant chandeliers, classy black piano, and luxurious kind of rococo chairs portray their high class (royal, actually) status.

The really fascinating element though, the deterorating substance on the window panes. . .upon closer inspection, it almost looks like it was supposed to have a film of gold leafing on it that has chipped and peeled away to almost nothing. This seems to reflect the decay of something that was once grand and idealistic, such as Leontes' relationship with Hermoine. The Decay of Idealism and Granduer.

Mikell Pinkney (left) as Antigonus and Michael David Edwards
as the Storyteller (portraying the Bear) in the Utah
 Shakespeare Festival's 2004 production of The Winter's Tale

The other thing I should mention is the obvious disregard of traditional Elizabethan set and costume in favor of something more late 1800s-early1900s (it seemed very Edwardian to me). I heard some murmerings of distaste on the matter. . .but personally, I enjoyed it. In previous workshops I've listened to during trips to the Shakespearean Festival, I've heard many times from designers who have said that each time they approach a play they've done before (and they do have to repeat the same shows over and over), they try to approach it in a completely new way; something that's never been done before. They don't keep stock sets of costumes and props, but usually start entirely from scratch, pulling only occasion items from previous costumes. And it makes sense, how boring would it be if they did it the same way, over and over? It also makes perfect sense to me for them to have done this, because they weren't able to put this on in the traditional space for Shakespearean plays (The Adam's Theater, modeled after the Globe Theater in London). Of course this would be the perfect opportunity to mix things up, and I applaud him for it. And, if you still have any complaints, check out the bear from the last time they put on The Winter's Tale . . . as compared with the one that we saw. (Admit it. . . that bear was SO COOL!)

I found the specific era he chose interesting as well. The costumes depicted a time in history when women were finally standing up for themselves, trying to gain more rights and a better status in society through suffrage, as well as trying to end domestic voilence and abuse through prohibition. It makes sense to me, because Hermoine (and especially Paulina - you go girl!) took a stand against her mistreatment from Leontes and gave him what he had coming.