[Editor’s note: In the previous issue of The Ontarion, published on Feb.11, 2016, there was an incorrect statement made regarding Director Peter Busby’s casting decision. The Ontarion regrets this error and would like to extend an apology for any confusion this misprint may have caused.]
Guelph Little Theatre presents one big cast
Guelph Little Theatre is in the midst of a 10-performance run of Ann-Marie MacDonald’s Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet).
The comedy explores protagonist Constance Ledbelly’s theory that Shakespeare’s tragedies Othello and Romeo and Juliet were originally comedies. Constance goes in search of the author and the missing wise fool who will turn tragedy to comedy.
Looking at the play’s production history, the cast is normally comprised of five actors—3 women and two men—who play 16 characters. The purpose of this is to emphasize to the audience that the world unfolding exists within Constance’s subconscious.
[pullquote align=”left” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]…lack of clarity in terms of conception.[/pullquote]
MacDonald’s casting decisions add a great deal of complexity to the performance text because audiences can view similarities across characters played by the same actors.
Director Peter Busby’s production featured 18 actors, which replaced the play’s inherent complexity with a lack of clarity.
It was unclear why two different actors were cast as Othello (Michael Sutherland) and Professor Claude Night (Harry Bishop), but Jess Myers played both the Student and Juliet, whilst Evelyn Barber played both Ramona and Desdemona since Claude, the Student, and Ramona are all minor characters.
The Ontarion asked Busby about his casting decision; he provided three reasons.
Firstly, “I prefer to spread the joy of performing around to as many players as possible […]. With a larger cast, many parts become more manageable for people who work elsewhere for their living.”
Secondly, “[My] vision of the play required the large sets you saw […]. A couple of our set changes involve up to 12 people working in coordination. It’s difficult to find this many people in community theatre willing to rehearse and work consistently just backstage. Giving them roles increases their commitment and satisfaction.”
And thirdly, “The main reason I plead in asking permission, I thought that my interpretation of the script justified the large cast—I had a citadel of soldiers accompanying the commandant, Othello, which makes military sense and adds gravitas to his situation, and a ballroom full of dancers for Romeo and Juliet. Fewer players would diminish these scenes.”
Despite these well-intentioned and practical reasons, the production’s casting reflected a lack of clarity in terms of conception.
The attempt to inject realism into a work that aims to take the audience down the rabbit hole and into the Shakespearean wonderland that is Constance’s subconscious was problematic and permeated the production’s foundation.
The set changes, for example, were frequent but insignificant. Stagehands rushed to move set pieces onstage and offstage or to move a riser a couple of feet so that the bottom of the stairs faced a slightly different direction. The time, noise, and effort to make these minor changes were unnecessary and disrupted the flow of the performance.
The play’s sword-fighting scenes, however, were choreographed and rehearsed well, while the blocking provided clear sight lines and worked well with the lighting. Additionally, the acting improved once Barber’s Desdemona supported Caitlin Popek’s Constance. Barber was energetic and fun; she also had an excellent grasp on the language of the text so she was able to inject comedy into her role.
On the other hand, Myers’ Juliet appeared disconnected with the text. Pauses inserted every couple of words created a halting staccato, making it difficult to follow what she was saying. Similarly, André Nichol seemed disconnected from the text in his portrayal of The Chorus.
The audience laughed the most during the third act thanks to Shane Steward’s cross-dressing Romeo and Jeremy Case-Klassen’s portrayal of Tybalt. The production benefited greatly from Case-Klassen’s physical comedy and comedic timing. Also worth mentioning were Dian Borek’s Nurse and Shaun Purves’ Iago, which were received well by the audience.
It was nice to see the community being supportive of this production, and to witness the effort and commitment that all those involved had clearly put into making the production a reality. Sometimes, the vision one has for a production works in direct opposition to the text and doesn’t translate to the stage.