By snoadmin
In my experiences with Shakespeare performances, they are either hit or miss. I’ve seen actors who awkwardly pour out lines in a manner that leaves audience members perplexed and oblivious to any sort of plot behind the confusing language.
But I’ve also seen performances where the words flowed through the actor’s actions and emotions, giving a clear picture of Shakespeare’s dramatic original plots. The Cal State Long Beach Department of Theatre Arts’ presentation of “Pericles” was the latter.
Running April 20 through 28, the play consists of 21 actors playing 78 different roles. While many of the costumes were similar, each character was unique, making it easy to distinguish the different parts each actor was playing. A few of the characters especially evoked laughter from the audience.
Samantha Richert’s portrayal of Thaisa, the young, peppy, boy-crazy princess, definitely got everyone laughing, as did Marisa Duchowny as the scandalous, money-hungry whorehouse employee.
The story line was very complex and dramatic with incest, death and deceit throughout the short two-hour play, reminding me of something they would strive for in a reality show or a soap opera. Each scene was unpredictable and added another twist to the tangled plot, which was very effective in drawing the audience in and keeping us on the edge of our seats.
There were a few other touches the director added that drew my attention. A few modern aspects were added to the costumes and the characters, like when a group of “pirates” came on stage dressed in modern gang-like apparel. One was even carrying a gun.
The layout of the Studio Theater complemented the direction of the play with the audience lining three of the walls and the long, runway-like stage projecting into the middle of the audience. Every seat in the house was a good one, and it brought the play closer to the audience so we could feel like we were in the story rather than watching it from afar.
The actors did a good job of making sure the words flowed and sounded natural, which I know from the Shakespeare monologues I had to memorize for theater class is definitely not an easy task. It is, however, crucial in getting the audience to understand what is going on.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by the large amount of talent we have here at CSULB and was impressed with the work that was put into this piece down to every little detail, like the use of the strips of fabric hanging down from the ceiling for many scenery purposes throughout the course of the play. I know what a challenge this play probably was, but the University Players definitely pulled it off.
