Let There Be Art! And Let It Be On Stage!

“Whatever the worries of the hour or the threats of the future, once the picture has begun to flow along, there is no room for them in the mental screen.” 

                                              ~  Winston Churchill 

Winston Churchill, an avid painter himself, wrote this quote to express his feelings about painting. But I see it as broader than that. These words could easily apply to any creative venture that we could describe as "art." And, for me at least, that includes theatre.

 

We had a wonderful experience last weekend. Rick and I headed to Stratford, Ontario, to see our friends, Suzanne and Jim in London and together go to the Stratford Festival. We went to see see two musicals, playing back to back with only a short dinner break in-between and featuring the same casts.  

And, it was phenomenal. 

The Stratford Festival is a summer repertory theatre that features all genres of theatre, held between spring and early December, over several theatres in the charming Canadian town. Both musicals we saw were held in the largest of the theatres, The Festival. 

To set the scene, Stratford is set on the Avon River (just like the "original!") It's a lovely walk to the theatre itself. 

As you enter the theatre you walk past a beautiful tiered garden. 

 

We noticed many sitting on the benches there, enjoying the gorgeous blooms. And there were many to enjoy. 

Shortly before showtime, a brass ensemble comes out to call guests into the theatre.

The theatre itself is a three-quarter thrust stage, so the director has the challenging task of ensuring that no matter where one is sitting, they see more than the actor's backsides! This is easier said than done. The director guides the show working with all the creative individuals involved -- actors, dancers, designers of lights, costumes, sets and more. They have to think with the "whole picture" in mind, painting their own canvas of music, lights, and visual elements -- and then working with the designers and performers to bring their vision to life. The director/choreographer of both these shows was Donna Feore.

 

The first show we saw was "Guys and Dolls," a classic musical based on Damon Runyon characters that opened in 1950 and has been produced countless times ever since -- on Broadway, community theatre and high schools. You may have even been in it! 

 

And, if you have seen or been in it, you know the choreography is extensive! Here is the video of the "Crapshooters Ballet." Can you imagine doing this every night? This is art.

Set design under these circumstances -- not blocking vision -- is essential. Michael Gianfrancesco, who designed both shows, used that center stage area to slide things in and out -- a newspaper stand on the city street or, below, a "set" for one of Miss Adelaide's musical numbers, "Bushel and a Peck." 

 

The atmosphere was changed by use of creative lighting and design (by Bonnie Beecher, who lit both shows), capturing the feel of a 1950s New York City street or a bar in Havana. 

 

You can't talk about art and the theatre without mentioning costume design. In the evening, after dinner, we saw the wonderful "Something Rotten." 

 

The premise of this that Nick Bottom and his brother are aspiring Elizabethan playwrights and their big nemesis is William Shakespeare, portrayed as an arrogant yet insecure rock music idol, and creatively dressed in a period doublet with plenty of sparkle!

 

When Nick is stumped for an idea, he visits a soothsayer to find out the "next big thing" of the future and he tells him "It's a musical!"

 

 Or rather, he sings it!

Set during the Renaissance, costumes for this one are about as far a cry from Adelaide's scanty show outfits or the pinstriped suits of "Guys and Dolls" as any costumes could be. (Costumes by Michael Gianfrancesco.)

 

In either case, the costumer has to think about how the actors and dancers will move. They have to be fabrics not likely to rip during a cartwheel, for example. They have to fit the period. Dana Osborne, the "Guys and Dolls" costume designer, explains it here.

Gianfrancesco also did the set design for "Something Rotten." It is a bit simpler, more rustic -- after all, it was the Renaissance -- but you can see that it uses the same framework -- a center area that can be used for entrances and an area above that can be used as a balcony.

 

When there is only so much floor space, and much of that space at times will be filled with actors and dancers, it's critical to make the area be both functional and yet appropriate for the show. This design gives added dimension and depth, as well as an additional performing space, by going higher, the area above being used as a balcony.

 

After seeing both these shows (incidentally, played back-to-back with only a dinner hour in-between) I was amazed and in awe of the energy of the cast. Yes, cast -- singular. The entire cast of "Guys and Dolls" was in "Something Rotten" and three of four major leads in the first played three of the leading characters in "Rotten." Both of these are exhausting shows for both anyone in the company, whether they are the actors or dancers. (They were all singers.) 

 

The two male leads of both shows in particular had roles so physically different and such different characters that if it wasn't clear before, one would certainly know that acting is an art. 

Dan Chermeroy and Mark Uhre in "Guys and Dolls"

 (And no, you would not be likely to recognize them from one show to another. What a difference costumes, wigs and make-up make!)

Mark Uhre and Dan Chermeroy in "Something Rotten" 

Returning to Churchill's quote: “Whatever the worries of the hour or the threats of the future, once the picture has begun to flow along, there is no room for them in the mental screen.” 

 

We've had a lot on our mental screens -- and I mean that both personally and collectively. Whether it is stress over the political situation in our country and world, or personal issues -- physical, financial, emotional -- whatever they may be, we need to escape.

Art lets us escape, whether it is with a brush, as Churchill did or by music, sculpture, quilting, woodworking -- anything that takes our minds off the world and our own situations. 

 

As for me, I'll choose to escape to the theatre, to "song and dance, sweet romance, where happy endings happen just by happenstance."

(All production photos in this post were gratefully borrowed from Stratford Festival's site and Facebook (production photos by David Hou and Ann Baggley). If you have any chance to get to this wonderful spot during this, or any, season, do it. And if musicals aren't your thing, you'll find anything from Shakespeare to Oscar Wilde, "The Hobbit" to "Death of a Salesman.")

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