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Shaw Festival has Noel Coward treats
(by Herb Hammer - May 28, 2009)
THEATER, BY HERB HAMMER
Shaw Festival has Noel Coward treats
The Shaw Festival has an extra treat in store this year for those who annually take the trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Each season, flocks of theatergoers, many from Northeast Ohio, make their annual pilgrimage to the tiny town where the best of the best theater is presented on three unique stages.
Named for George Bernard Shaw, the festival presents plays by the master playwright, along with others of his generation.
This season, the festival offers 10 short plays by Noel Coward. Eugene O'Neill is represented, as is Garson Kanin, along with two plays by the master himself, George Bernard Shaw.
Niagara-on-the-Lake is a short drive north of Niagara Falls, Canada, where each year, from April to October, the town hosts a selection of plays performed mostly by Canadian actors. Small, distinctly different hotels provide visitors comfortable lodgings during their stay while they take in some or often all of what the festival has to offer.
The Noel Coward offerings could very well be the treasures of the season. The 10 plays as a group are billed "Tonight at 8:30" and are presented as three groups of three plays each, with one matinee.
The first of these groupings the festival has entitled, "Brief Encounters." They include "Still Life," "We Were Dancing" and "Hands Across the Sea." These obscure Noel Coward plays can be seen at the Festival Theatre, the largest of the three stages. This theater is near the entrance of the town.
"Star Chamber," by Mr. Coward, will play the cozy Royal George Theatre as a matinee. This play, the most familiar of the group, presents a meeting of actors brought together to discuss a home for retired thespians. The meeting turns into a riotous comedy.
Two more groups of three make up the 10 Noel Coward plays.
Not to be missed this season is Eugene O'Neill's "Moon for the Misbegotten," performed at the arena-style Court House Theatre. A man and a woman meet under the stars and discover certain truths in this tale of hope and forgiveness.
More familiar this season is Garson Kanin's comedy "Born Yesterday." A rich garbage king arrives in Washington with his dumb-blonde girlfriend. His attempt to give her an education turns into light classic comedy.
Each year, the festival presents one Broadway musical. This year, they've chosen Stephen Sondheim's "Sunday in the Park With George." This interesting look at painter Georges Seurat's masterpiece is a musical delight.
The two Shaw plays are "The Devil's Disciple" and "In Good King Charles's Golden Days." The George Bernard Shaw plays always draw a crowd.
Those who choose to stick around for a week can take in 11 shows, which include the 10 Noel Coward specials and eight others. Put together, the theater lover can see a staggering 18 plays.
The less adventuresome can go on line to check the schedule and choose the plays that catch the imagination, as well as book hotel reservations.
We have reviewed the festival on these pages in previous years. This year, we hope to do the same.
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