SHAKESPEARE, AS YOU LIKE IT
Bard’s light and dark sides on offer
BARD ON THE BEACH
MACBETH
June 6 to Sept. 13, various dates, times
AS YOU LIKE IT
June 12 to Sept 22, various dates, times
Where: BMO Mainstage, Vanier Park
Tickets and info: From $24 at bardonthebeach.org
Acclaimed Canadian actor Ben Carlson appears in the title role of Macbeth at Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival this year. He doesn’t hold back describing how the Scottish play differs from all the others. If King Lear takes tragedy right down to the dirt, Macbeth’s stygian story of power, corruption and terror does it one deeper.
“It’s hell, it’s under the Earth, and I believe it’s the darkest of them all, this play lives in hell,” said Carlson. “Some schools think Lear is darker, and I disagree, as I see it as incredibly hopeful in the depths of its tragedy. Macbeth is mean-spirited, it’s cruel, and it’s pretty clear that he was in a very, very bad place when he wrote it.”
A veteran of the Stratford and Shaw festivals with awards aplenty, Carlson is excited to be appearing onstage in Vancouver this season. Particularly, he said, because the production of Macbeth is going for as pure a reading of the play as possible. The actor last played the part in a Chicago production in 2008.
“It was completely modern and used a lot of technology, which was a perfectly valid, legitimate interpretation,” he said. “Another is to really get to the essence of it, which is what we are trying to do.”
Chris Abraham of Toronto’s Crow’s Theatre makes his directorial debut at Bard on the Beach with Macbeth opening the 29th season. Abraham has taken inspiration from a 1607 open-air playhouse setting of the play’s first production where the show went from the daylight into the night as the story descended into darkness. Carlson said the unique setting of Bard’s Vanier Park tents is perfect for such a reading.
Celebrated actor Moya O’Connell stars opposite Carlson as Lady Macbeth. It’s her return to Bard after a decade at the Shaw festival. Everyone involved in the production is humming with excitement in anticipation of tackling such an intense play with two renowned actors in the lead roles. From the vocal coach to the costume shop, this is a big deal.
“When you do Shakespeare OP — as in original practices — there is something of a twist, because you are doing it in the contemporary streetwear of London in the 1500s,” said costume designer Christine Reimer. “You can’t shop for anything, so we really get to develop the look right from the ground up, and that means appreciating what fashion design was at that time and why. The ‘Scottishness’ of the clothing is implied by how it’s somewhat less ornate and more functional than what might have been paraded around London at the same time.”
Reimer started drawing ideas last November after consulting with the director. Her team comes together at the end of March to start sewing. At the same time, As You Like It and the Howard Family stage shows — Timon of Athens (June 26-Sept. 9) and Lysistrata
(July 6 - Sept. 13) — also start manufacturing. Each production has its own crew, and Bard’s Olympic Village offices are humming.
“Thereareabout45or50costumes for Macbeth and something similar for the other mainstage show,” she said.
“And we’ve gone outside to a LARPing (live action role playing) store for some of the armour and enlisted the services of a specialist from the film industry to help with weathering the gear.”
The slick, swinging ’60s look of director Daryl Cloran’s As You Like It will leave a lot of audience members wanting to get first dibs at a wardrobe sale. Described by Carlson as a perfect light, foil to Macbeth’s heaviness, the production of the love story laden with comedic subterfuge incorporates more than 20 classics by the Beatles into the show. Past “musical”
Bard productions have been big hits, so it makes sense to see the company revisiting the idea. Personally, I’m waiting for the Led Zeppelin/Tempest as it seems a perfect fit.
Lindsey Angell, who plays Lady Macduff in Macbeth, stars as Rosalind in As You Like It. She notes how appealing it is to have such contrasting approaches to two such opposite sides of the spectrum of Shakespeare’s work. The musical jukebox style is a winner.
“As You Like It gives people who might have personal experiences with Beatles songs a chance to experience them in the context of this play, and that is a great resource for us to have,” said Angell. “And I know that will make them want to come back to see those same actors in Macbeth, or vice-versa, because the two approaches are so radically different. Both kinds
of viewers witness something so special in each production and, as actors, we really exercise different aspects of our craft.”
Simply put, Macbeth requires taut emotional intensity coupled with gritty athleticism and Carlson admits that he hits the gym to “come down” after rehearsals as much for mental health as physical.
As You Like It puts demands on cast to sing, dance, play instruments (in some cases) and kill with the delivery for maximum effect. All the cast admit that it’s hard work made all the more difficult because you give it your all every time, sometimes six times a week.
Naturally, there are coaches and trainers on hand to keep the cast healthy. But while a pulled muscle is one thing, one of the biggest challenges in performing a season at Bard on the Beach is how to keep your voice in fine working order.
That’s where Alison Matthews comes in.
“The full performance is when the body, the musical sound and — especially — the words come together, and we have a team that works on all of those aspects,” said Matthews. “This language is special, its richness is also somewhat informed by being in that glorious physical and geographical location at Vanier Park. I think it’s one of the reasons that Bard on the Beach has been so successful.”
Which isn’t to say there aren’t more than a few challenges in getting actors to project in a giant tent when the wind is blowing on a blustering Vancouver summer day, and then the deluge begins. Matthews’ “actor-centric design” takes into account how you have to compensate for everything from the weather to speaking iambic pentameter over Lennon and McCartney’s poetry.
“Performing at Bard is like an athletic event, and it’s really hard work,” she said. “What we’re in right now is the equivalent of spring training, where we offer a full company voice and text intensive in advance of rehearsals as well as a lot of individual programs to do with the physical ability to support the voice. I love to hear an actor speak these words for the first time and then find the right way for that actor to find the right tools to bring their distinct, individual take to the words.”
So when you find yourself cringing as the witches scream out their blood-curdling prophecies, and then you harmonize along with All You Need Is Love, remember how much rehearsal went into making sure the show must go on.