Masterful acting, directing that’s fit for a King John
King John
(out of 4) By William Shakespeare. Directed for the screen by Barry Avrich. Starring Tom McCamus, Graham Abbey and Seana McKenna. 175 minutes. No rating.
The Stratford HD version of King John, at select Cineplex theatres on Thursday and Sunday, is well worth a visit for several reasons.
First, how many chances do you get to see this relatively obscure history play of Shakespeare’s? Even Stratford has only taken it off the shelf on five occasions in its 63-year history. And while it could be argued that some of it is heavy going, Tim Carroll’s brisk, no-nonsense direction keeps it moving and it has some wonderfully written scenes.
Second, King John shows that Stratford has a superb acting company. The lead performances from Graham Abbey, Tom McCamus and Seana McKenna are as fine as you’d ex- pect, but every supporting role is treated with class and distinction.
Finally, director Barry Avrich has pulled off a coup in filming the first Stratford show from the Tom Patterson Theatre. Conventional wisdom has favoured shows from the Festival or Avon theatres, but the converted curling rink that forms the Patterson allows for some splendid camera work on Avrich’s part.
Close-ups abound, which not only give the piece an immediate House of Cards kind of feel but let you see how superb the acting is.
The plot about kingly succession, legitimacy and Anglo-Franco relations is so tangled that you’d have to take up macramé to figure it out. Thanks to Carroll and his crew you soon make sense of the personal drama underneath, which is ultimately what sells the project.
Abbey gives Philip the Bastard a deliciously endearing edge and his constant asides to the audience make us feel he’d be a great Elizabethan late-night talk-show host. McCamus takes astonishing chances as the eponymous monarch, making him foolish one second and forbidding the next, while McKenna’s Constance shows us that grandeur and grief are not mutually exclusive.
There’s a wonderfully imperious turn from Patricia Collins as Queen Eleanor and finely honed haughtiness from Brian Tree as Pandulph, the papal legate.
The most affecting moment onscreen, as it was onstage, is the confrontation between innocent young Noah Jalava as the doomed Prince Arthur and Wayne Best’s conflicted Hubert, the boy’s chosen executioner.
Their scene together is masterfully orchestrated and performed, with Avrich’s camera knowing where to make us look at all times. If you love Shakespeare and great acting, King John is a must-see. At selected Cineplex theatres in the GTA on Thursday, 7 p.m. (3:30 p.m. matinee also at certain venues). Encore presentation is Sunday at 12:55 p.m.; cineplex.com for information.