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Hamlet: “The air bites
shrewdly, it is very cold.”

OVEMBER
CAME early in
Vanier Park
Sunday night.
As 1 watched the wind
stir the rain and mist over
a leaden English Bay it
ij9g «Was hard to remember |
curtain had actually been hot.
call while watching Hamlet
earlier in the week.
But inside the tent at
Bard on the Beach the weather was only an issue for the
actors who had to brave the rain for their entrances.
~The sold-out audience at The Comedy of Errors was keep-
“ing warm by clapping.
Scene after scene. bit after bit. the inventiveness of the
- company and director R. H. Thomson were being applauded
by a crowd which had spontaneously decided, shortly after
intermission, that Shakespeare was fun.
- Fun and accessibility seems to be artistic director Chris
‘Gaze’s mission statement for Bard on the Beach.
The Comedy of Errors fulfills this mandate in spades.
~The old story of two sets of identical twins is given a
modern setting complete with mountain bikes, video
recorders and modern security systems although the inhabi-
tants of this modern Ephesus “still believe in witches.

‘Surprisingly, there is not much that jars in this juxtaposi-
tion of setting and language.

The familiar healing scene (we are in a tent. don't forget)
reminds us how little some beliefs have changed in 400
years.

Laurier DuBeau sets:the pace in this physically energetic.
:-preduction but the success of the show boils down to solid
“ ensemble work, witty direction and an inventive score from,
musical director George Ryan. .

That said,’a manic Christopher Weddell and a smugly, sly
Allan Zinyk-are standouts in comic support of Dubeau.

* Hilary Strang hits the only false notes. A naturally strong
._ actor, Strang seems oddly constrained physically while stri-
Gently harsh vocally and suffers-hugely in comparison to
-Denyse Wilson’s joyful energy.

Wilson is also compelling in Hamilez, the other half of this
annual : summer.season of Shakespeare.

- Her Ophelia is certainly the clearest I have seen in docu-
menting the unfortunate girl” s descent into madness.

Of course, others share i in 1 this success. _ Director Douglas

NEWS photo Mike Wakefleld

‘Campbell. Ron Halder's Claudius, Merrilyn
‘Gann’s Gertrude and especially Scott
Bellis’ Hamlet and Eric Schneider's
Polonius al] have a hand in telling her story.

But it’s the only theme in the play where ©
actors and director succeed i in telling the
sume story.

Hamlet's relationship with his mother,

_ Gertrude’s with Claudius, Claudius with
everyone else us well as his conscience:
Horatio’s with Hamlet — were at best con-:
fusing and at worst (Hamlet/Gertrude)
ignored.

Bellis is a quirkily commanding Hamlet.

However, I found myself asking “what's
his point of view?” in his very first solilo-:
quy and I'm afraid that question (of others
more than Bellis) came back to haunt me.
more times than the ghost of Hamlet's
father.

The words, well spoken though they are,

THE. BACKWARDS
Zone (left to right:
Michae!i Setticasi,

"Tim Cadney, Skye
Wilson, ‘Barry
Campbell, Peter
Jorgensen and
Christi McAllister), .
will be . performing
their brand of the-
_atre improvisation at -

"{ the Harmony ° Arts

: Festival to Aug. 12.
The young comedy
troupe got together
in 1993 while attend-
‘ing Sutherland sec-

| ondary school. and
-| have been honing

“their. .skilis.. ever
“since. Look for their
take .on life in the
tent next ‘to Argyle
House.: os

SUMPTUGUS COSTUMES dress a hollow Hamlet at Bard onThe

See Sly page 18. Beach's annual summer festival of William Shakespeare’ 's work. °°

_ CRITICS’ MPAA ©). THEME
AVERAGE RATING :

this weekend at the q
| Harmony Arts
Festival!

Festival:

Information
925-7290

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