As the nights get longer in Portland, and winter sets in, free Shakespeare in the park disappears. So it was good to see that The Portland Actors Ensemble was doing a production of Richard III inside an actual theater. With outdoor theater, there are certain expectations that the transitions of the production will not be as smooth, lighting and scene changes seem to talk longer outside. However, expectations for an inside show are higher. With that in mind PAE's production of Richard III seemed to need another week to perfect these transitions that are needed in an indoor theater.
Overall, the lighting cues were late or non existent. Actors couldn't, or wouldn't find their light and were often standing in shadows. And even thought there were obvious tape marks on the stage, actors rarely put their set pieces where they were supposed to go. This led to many awkward blockages of the stage. In addition to the lighting cues, the sound cues were also sub par and often distracting rather than enhancing the action.
The venue was the Concordia University Theater Auditorium and Amanda would rate it to be a 8. The seats in this building were relatively comfortable considering the length of the play, and the sight lines were unobstructed. The acoustics were good and we were able to hear all the lines though some actors mumbling meant that we were not always able to understand what was being said.
Amanda would rate the production to be a 3.5, with the .5 simply as an acknowledgement of the fact that it is free community theater. Nathan Dunkin, as Richard, was strong, sly, cynical, and sarcastic. The problem was, he was too strong and too good-looking for the part. Throughout the play, Richard himself and nearly every other character comments on his '"gross physique". Other than a slight limp that seemed to cause him no pain, and carelessly holding his left hand to his chest, Richard was no more deformed than any other character. The actor seemed unable to embrace the physical manifestations that should match his inner evil, and they didn't. This reduced Richard to a mean guy with a barely noticable limp. The role of Margret, was very ably played by Linda Goertz. Often misportrayed as a cackling witch, Ms. Goertz instead took a more sinister tone with her dialogue filled with Shakespeare's most inventive cursing. (Cursing not swearing--she really cursed people). Other standouts include, long time company favorite Margret Darling as Elizabeth; and Chris Porter as Buckingham. Unfortunately the rest of the actors fell far short, not seeming to understand their role's complexities or reciting their lines in a monotone. Director Jeremy Lillie took a four hour play and pared it down to three hours and fifteen minutes of nearly pure tedium. There was debate within our group about whether a second intermission would have helped, but Amanda was dismayed that one of her favorite plays was so flat and lifeless that she wanted to leave after intermission.
Wendy would rate the venue to be a 7. She likes the Concordia Auditorium and the seats were comfortable to sit in, but she did not like how many old people were in the audience. She also thought that it was distracting that people who had clearly had come to see people in the play on opening night were sitting in the front row and twittered with excitement whenever those actors came onstage.
The production was very much a disappointment to Wendy. She would rate it to be a 3. Even though it is free theater, she expects more from this company and has seen many a great production by this company and this production just didn't cut it for her. She felt that director Jeremy Lillie could have easily cut another 45 minutes off this tediously long show. If he had done that, then she feels like she wouldn't have perked up at the end of every scene only to be deeply disappointed when more people came onstage. Wendy would also like to comment on the costumes, they were very historically inaccurate, to the point that it was distracting. It was very clear that the men's costumes had been rented from Tuxedo Warehouse, there were so many men in tails. She appreciates that they tried to have good costumes, and individually there were all very nice to look at, but she wishes that someone had taken the time to do their homework and research the time peroid in which Richard III is set, or at least have all the costumes match the same time period. She would also like to add a note about hair. Normally, hair is not a big issue for boys but every once in a while there will be a show where a man has long hair. It is important to have your hair up and out of your face when you're acting, so that people can see your eyes and face; clearly someone neglected to mention this fact to a member of the cast and as a result much of the feeling was lost in this person's performance because their face was hidden. Another note that Wendy would like to make is about acting in profile. All the actors in this production needed to "cheat out" just a little bit so that the audience could see their faces. When in the audience, if the actor is only giving you half their face, they are giving you half their performance, the other half is completely lost. This was a great disappointment that these experienced actors were making these mistakes that one is supposed to learn on the first day of Acting 101.
Overall Wendy aand Amanda are deeply disappointed. We have seen amazing productions from this company in the past. This was not one of those shows by a long shot. And by long we mean the show was looooooooooong and tiresome. The actors came across as smug and if one more of them had said "murther" instead of "murder", Amanda would have have left simply on principal. This kind of preciousness is cute in a comedy, not so for a tragedy. Amanda is planning on going to see the show again next weekend and hopes that time will season the show. She is only going because she told a friend that she was going to though. Wendy chooses to abstain from another viewing, for reasons listed above.
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