Brown
Box Theatre Project is performing its Sixth Annual Free Shakespeare Tour with
William Shakespeare’s tragedy Cymbeline.
This production is being performed in various locations on the East Coast throughout
August and September in the hope of sharing Shakespeare’s work with those who
ordinarily may not get to see live theatre. It is a story about love, loss,
family, and honor. Cymbeline is the King of Britain whose sons were taken from
him when they were infants leaving Cymbeline with only a daughter, Imogen, as
heir to his throne. His second wife conspires to wed her son, Cloten, to Imogen
in order to gain control of the throne. Imogen is already secretly wed to
Posthumus, a young man her father does not fully approve of. Imogen despises
Cloten and wants nothing to do with him. When the marriage of Imogen and
Posthumus is discovered by the King, Imogen is imprisoned and Posthumus is
banished and must flee to Italy to save his life. Imogen, not wanting to endure
Cloten’s advances any longer and afraid she has lost her husband, disguises
herself as a boy to escape the country, with help from Posthumus’ servant
Pisanio, and finds comfort and company amongst new friends. This story is a
tragedy, and has its fair share of sword-fighting, battles and death, yet the
play ends happily for most of its characters.
Although
this play is performed outdoors, the creative team did a nice job of using
modern technology to aid in its telling. The cast wore wireless microphones
that fed into a few speakers on either side of the performance area. Original
music and sound design by Andrew Paul Jackson also played through the speakers,
but at times the volume over powered the lines being spoken. Occasionally, gusts
of wind would be picked up by the microphones but that can’t be helped being outdoors.
The lighting design by Joey Guthman was simple, using a dozen or so lights, but
they were very effective in setting an eerie tone and projecting just enough
light for the actors and set to be seen. The set was made of wood and featured
various levels for the action to take place including the bare ground in front
of it. Creative staging by director Kyler Taustin fully utilized the set and
the outdoor space.
The
cast of twelve each portrayed their character with various degrees of
understanding, charisma, emotional depth and strength. As a whole, they had
wonderful chemistry with one another and did a nice job making the story
understandable for the audience. The cast includes Isa Braun as the conniving
Queen, Kai Tshikosi as King Cymbeline, Jamie Davenport as Imogen’s servant
Helene, and Sydney Lynn Stachyra as Roman Ambassador to Britain Caius Lucius. Cymbeline’s
daughter Imogen was dynamically played by Austyn Davis who wonderfully
displayed both the strength and vulnerability of her character. She was able to
fervently dismiss advances from Cloten and Iachimo and later, in her
grief-stricken state, beg Pisanio to kill her. Her love, Posthumus, was played
by Felix Teich who was convincingly heartbroken by news he receives from
Iachimo that his wife has been unfaithful to him. His sadness quickly turns to
anger when he orders Pisanio to kill her; a request he later regrets. Teich and
Davis, though they spent much of the play apart, had a believable connection
that had the audience rooting for their marriage to survive the chaos that
surrounded it. Pisanio, who was at times conflicted about his loyalties to
Imogen and Posthumus, was strongly portrayed by Will Madden. Even when he was
held at knife point and forced to serve Cloten, Pisanio’s loyalties to Imogen
and Posthumus held fast. Pisanio was a man who undoubtedly wanted to do what
was right and Madden clearly portrayed this quality in his performance.
Cymbeline’s
long-lost sons were played by Ben Heath as Guiderius and Marc Pierre as
Arviragus. They were believable as brothers as they were both playful and
protective of each other. Belarius, the British nobleman who was banished by
Cymbeline and who kidnapped the King’s infant sons, was portrayed Cameron Scott.
Scott played Belarius as a fierce leader, hunter and protector. His strong,
deep voice fit his character well. Cloten, as played by James Wechsler, was
full of himself and his only power was that he was good with his sword. He used
this power to intimidate and control others. Wechsler’s characterizations were
fantastic and completely unexpected. He was at times amusing, for instance as
in his early morning wake-up song that he sang for Imogen, while at other times
he came across as a terrible person and very sleazy. Ben Heath and Marc Pierre,
who also performed as Cloten’s servants, had comical facial expressions during
his early morning song to Imogen and their musical accompaniment was nicely
done. Chris Olmsted as Iachimo delivered a remarkable performance with intelligent
choices and characterizations. He clearly
understands the text as if Shakespeare was his first language. Notably in act
one, Iachimo says, “I am the master of my speeches” and I think the statement
applies not only to Iachimo but Olmsted himself. He was suave and charming as
he tried to woo Imogen and quick on his feet playing it off as a
misunderstanding when she turned him down.
Highlights
of the performance were the quick swordplay and fight choreography by Ben
Heath. The swordfight between Heath and Wechsler was very well done and the
full cast battles were exciting to watch. Another highlight is the original
music by Andrew Paul Jackson for “Fear no more the heat o’ the sun” that
featured three part harmony performed by Pierre, Heath and Scott during the
burial scene in act four. The new tune was haunting and dark and fit well with
Shakespeare’s lyrics. ©
Cymbeline is being
performed at a variety of locations in and around Boston through August 28th
and then plays at a number of locations in Delmarva September 2nd
-18th. The play runs 2 hours
with no intermission. These are free performances with donations always
welcome. For more information, specific performance locations and times visit www.brownboxtheatre.org.
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