Vive Lavatch! But the kids are weird...

I really wanted to like this show. I was eager to report that Shakespeare Santa Cruz had uncovered a lost gem and polished it to rare brilliance. I’m always ready to root for the underdog, even if the dog is a play. "All's Well That Ends Well" has a bad reputation. It’s neither comedy, nor tragedy, but a “problem play” due to its “confusing tone, which shifts violently between dark, psychological drama and more straightforward comic material.“ It is a great challenge for any director. To wrestle success from this dubious material requires a strong vision, or at least a clearly defined, unique perspective. Unfortunately, Director Tim Ocel is serving it up straight, and I‘m sorry to say that in case of “All‘s Well“, a careful, sober, true to the letter production is just not enough. Why? Because Shakespeare never really tells us what drives the main characters, what makes them tick. We need the director to give us an idea as to why these kids behave so strangely, and why on earth we should like this perplexing pair. The Bard doesn‘t. Bertram is a spoiled brat, a prick. He inexplicably hates Helena, whom everybody else adores. Helena is a heroic heroine, but her fixation on a guy who is not only unworthy of her, but also clearly disgusted with her, makes her look insane. Why do they act, why do they feel the way they do? We're left in the dark. The comic parts of the play were a welcome relief from the conundrum, and great fun! I enjoyed every second that Lavatche or Parolles appeared on the stage. John Pribyl is terrific as the clown, the same is true for Allen Gilmore as Bertram‘s cowardly side kick. Still, I left unsatisfied and determined to look into how other companies had tackled this "problem play." One solution that occurred to me straight away: why not simply place the rich comic material at the heart of the production, and have the weak love story play out in the background? What else have I found? If we dared to disconnect (commoner) Helena's obsession with marriage to (aristocrat) Bertram from the romantic feelings she never tires to pronounce, what would we find? An aggressive, skillful social climber, which to me would appear a more plausible figure than the noble, humble, inexplicably love-struck creature SSC presents. If we stressed how everybody emasculates Bertram, how his mother, and Helena, and the king, order him around without taking his wishes into account, what would we find? A rebel with a cause, a much more human, more likable Bertram.
My advice for everybody curious about this rarely performed play would be to thoroughly prepare for it, not only by reading Shakespeare, but also by ingesting some criticism and reviews. Come ready, enjoy the show, and form your own opinion.
(Photo by r.r. jones: Allen Gilmore as Parolles)

I am so excited! As of today I have the privilege to consider myself part of… drum roll… The Press! (Small part, tiny part of The Press… but still!) Nobody was around to record it, unfortunately, so you’ll have to employ your imagination to recreate in your mind how I broke out in a little crazy dance upon receiving the good news: doobedoobedoo, yippie, yippie, yippie! Why the jig, you might ask? Well, I tell you why:
Shakespeare Santa Cruz is reaching out to encourage coverage by the alternative media, and they, i.e. Director of Marketing & PR Dana Werdmuller, reached out and encouraged blogging little me. I mentioned Shakespeare Santa Cruz in a recent blog entry, which apparently had a little bell at SSC Public Relations spring into action via Google Alert, and VOILA! I received the generous offer of a press pass from SSC, which translates into two tickets each for the festival performances of my choice if I can commit to blogging about my experience. O yes, o yes, you bet I can! I’ll be able to attend 3 out of 4 plays before I take off to Germany. I can’t wait! It'll be so much fun.

Kein Witz? Ja, nix wie her damit!
Ich bin ganz aufgeregt, seit heute bin ich offiziell Presse! Gestern hat mich aus heiterem Himmel Shakespeare Santa Cruz kontaktiert, ob ich Lust hätte über Aufführungen der diesjährigen Festspiele zu bloggen. Man möchte dieses Jahr die Berichterstattung der alternativen Medien fördern und wäre über Google Alert auf meinen Blog aufmerksam geworden. Ich bekäme einen Pressepass, d.h. zwei Karten für die Theaterstücke meiner Wahl, wenn ich mich bereit erklären würde Kritiken über die besuchten Vorstellungen zu verfassen und in meinen Blog zu stellen. Ich sollte nur Bescheid sagen welche Termine mir denn passen würden. Wie bitte? Nachdem ich damit fertig war mir ausgiebig die verwunderten Augen zu reiben, habe mich ganz frech für die samstagabendliche Premiere von Romeo und Julia angemeldet, plus Bach in Leipzig am Wochenende darauf, und noch Ende gut alles gut! hinterhergeschoben. (Wenn’s nicht so knapp werden würde mit dem Abflug nach Deutschland hätte ich das vierte Stück der Saison, Burn This, auch noch mitgenommen) Kein Problem, abgemacht, sagt die Dame von Marketing & Public Relations. Ich bin noch ganz platt, freue mich aber natürlich riesig, war ich doch schon immer ein grosser Fan von Shakespeare Santa Cruz.

Right now we're experiencing a bit of a lag between the end of the concert season and the upcoming summer festivals. The Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music is on my schedule for July, as is Shakespeare Santa Cruz, but right now there isn't too much going on. The only recent art event I can report about is the opening of a show of Chris Ryan's travel photos, to which indie film buddies Chris & Amy invited me. Some gorgeous shots of some gorgeous places, as you can see on Chris' website Views of the World. He also has 2 pages dedicated to shots of little old Santa Cruz.

Wir erfahren gerade eine kleine kulturelle Flaute zwischen dem Ende der Konzert Saison und dem Anfang der Sommer Festivals. Ein bisschen Kunst durfte ich dank Indie Film Bekannten Chris Ryan tanken, der mich zur Vernissage seiner Fotoaustellung eingeladen hat. Viele der Arbeiten sind online zu begutachten auf seiner Website Views of the World, wo er unter anderem auch 2 Seiten Santa Cruz gewidmet hat.

Belinda and I bought tickets today for this year's UCSC opera performance: The Consul by Gian Carlo Menotti. I'm not familiar with Menotti's work. Live performances are always fun, though, and the Music Department's Opera Theatre puts a lot of effort into their productions.