Show #40 "Throne of Blood" at Oregon Shakespeare Festival

Of all the shows we took in this week at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, this was one I was anticipating the most. "Throne of Blood" is an adaptation of the Akira Kurosawa film of the same name, which is an adaptation of the Shakespearean play "Macbeth."

It's also another chance to see Japanese characters come to life here in Ashland, OR. Twice in one day even! I couldn't believe my good fortune!

But, even for this champion of non-traditional casting, this show had me thinking and re-thinking my position on this issue.

First off, I was totally prepared to see many non-Asians portray the Japanese characters. After all, the OSF company does not have that many Asian performers, and color-blind casting has been something I long admired about their theatre festival.

But, after seeing this show, with the exception of the actual Asians in the cast (there were two of them), and perhaps one or two other actors, I just couldn't buy this cast as being Japanese.

No, it wasn't their non-Japanese faces that did it. I could have seen past that.

It was a combination of their voices and their movement. They just didn't speak like Japanese warriors or moved like them. I was dismayed to have seen a company of Equity actors who hadn't properly done their homework.

Okay, I'm still a strong proponent of color-blind casting. But even with this sort of artistic affirmative action in place, you still need to do the job right.

There were a lot of things about this production I really enjoyed. But, unfortunately, it just didn't take place in Japan. It took place in Ashland, OR.

That's not good. But, thank you, OSF, for putting on this brave piece of theatre. There were so many things you did right in this show. With another cast, it has the potential to be brilliant.

Show #39 "American Night" at Oregon Shakespeare Festival

Here's a question for you: How many ethnic, cultural, racial, political and religious stereotypes can you portray (and totally blow out of the water) in one matinee?

I sort of lost count on that one, but my lame answer is this: LOTS.

This world premiere presentation of "American Night" was a non-stop, multi-media, multi-racial and multi-laugh whirlwind that spoofed so many of our whacky and (unfortunately) commonly held stereotypes in American society.

Hardly any group in our country was spared. In fact, if I was a member of a group that was NOT spoofed today, I would have felt a little left out.

This is a story of Juan Jose, an immigrant from Mexico who is studying for his citizenship exam. Desperate to pass this test and become an American, Juan pulls an all-nighter hitting his text book on US history and government. But, his all-night session is interrupted with what comes naturally: sleep.

Sleep, perchance to dream......

And dream he does, with all sorts of crazy and twisted results. This isn't revisionist history, this is hilarious history.

As anyone who reads this blog has figured out, I am a HUGE supporter of non-traditional (and multi-racial) casting in plays. If no one ever did this, I would hardly have ever gotten on stage during my life.

Here we have intentional non-traditional casting, done with a wink and a chuckle. There is a Japanese guy playing a Japanese guy. There is a black guy playing a Japanese guy. There is this Hispanic guy playing a sumo wrestler. But hold on, there is also a black cowboy, a Mexican revolutionist, a white lady tea party member and a Japanese Mormon.

Hey, I didn't even mention the Ku Klux Klan-er, Japanese game show host, Sacajawea and Jackie Robinson. Huh? Doesn't make any sense?

It would, but only if you saw this crazy, zany and wonderful take on American history.

Can you tell I loved it?

Yep....ethnic stereotypes are terrific, when placed in the right hands. And I am so glad we Asians (more specifically we Japanese) were included in this comical odyssey. It made me raise my hands cheering. Others noticed my excitement. One of the actors (the Japanese one) stopped and gave me a high five during his entrance. Just as the spotlight was on us.

How cool is that?

Show #38 "Twelfth Night" at Oregon Shakespeare Festival

When coming to the Shakespeare in Ashland class this year, Twelfth Night was the only play I was very familiar with. Of all the plays the Bard has ever written, this is my favorite.

We saw this play in the evening following our viewing of the marathon Hamlet. Everyone was a bit worn out because of that, so I think it took some of the students a while to get into the spirit of the event.

Not me. I had been looking forward to this show for months. I was not disappointed.

Some of the production elements puzzled me, such as the Astro-Turf set, the over-the-top portrayals of some of the characters and some of the costuming choices. But, that really didn't matter to me. This was Twelfth Night, and that meant fun and laughter.

Again, non-traditional casting was a refreshing change from the usual and expected. Setting the play during Mozart's time was visually colorful and entertaining. The farcical approach to the story served it well.

One of the objectives of the class I am taking is holding discussions about each play that we see. Our students hold varying opinions based on varying backgrounds and educational experiences. It usually is interesting to hear their comments. Sometimes it is enlightening.

In an academic setting, there is this tendency to over-think the elements of the show. Perhaps I am just a shallow actor, but I find this tendency amusing. I suspect Shakespeare himself wouldn't even have thought of many of these theses and debates about his scripts.

To me, "the play's the thing." I guess in this case that means I don't want to lose sight of the fact that these plays are, first and foremost, entertainment. Yes, there are deeper and complex issues that are explored within the plays, but they were written and performed to entertain a mass audience. When I am not on stage, I am part of that mass audience.

So, that means I want to have fun and laugh. As an actor, I can't help but analyze the actors' performances and choices, but outside of that, I am there to be entertained.

"Twelfth Night" did just that. Bravo.

Show #37 "Hamlet" at Oregon Shakespeare Festival

Believe it or not, after being such a "theatre junkie" for well over a decade, I have never seen a production of Shakespeare's "Hamlet." I guess it's not performed too often. Clocking in at 3 hours and 20 minutes, I can see why.

The students in our Shakespeare In Ashland class were all abuzz about this show. Many of the participants are English teachers who teach this text every school year to their high school students. By contrast, I only read this script for the first time last week, in preparation for this class.

So, I had no pre-conceived notions about the play, so I guess it was hard to either impress me or disappoint me with this show.

I will have to say I was impressed in that I was thoroughly engaged in the story for the entire 3 hours and 20 minutes. That's hard to do.....

I also thought Dan Donohue, who played Hamlet, gave a performance worthy of a Tony. Too bad he wasn't on Broadway when we saw him. He'd be a shoo-in for Best Actor.

And, one of the other elements at the OSF I enjoy is their commitment to non-traditional casting. Here we saw an African-American Queen Gertrude, a deaf Ghost of Hamlet's father, female Rosencrantz and Guildensterns and a middle-aged Hispanic Horatio.

Some folks fussed a bit about some of those casting choices, but not me. Non-traditional can be an eye-opener and breathe new life into an old classic. There was also interesting updates to the time period. This was a modern Hamlet in a techno-savvy Denmark.

"The Mousetrap" show was performed as a hip hop number. Wow....what a delight. Ophelia was wired for sound when her father and the king attempted to entrap Hamlet. These were effective choices.

But, as supportive I am of non-traditional casting and performances, I did wonder at one thing. At the end of the show when the Norwegian prince Fortinbras enters the castle, the actor spoke, not in a Norwegian accent, but in an odd Scottish-sounding accent.

Yes, it was at the tail end of a long and otherwise brilliant production, but perhaps we in the audience needed an exercise break after 3 hours. Because we all shook our heads in unison.

Hmmmm..........

Show #36 "The Merchant of Venice" at Oregon Shakespeare Festival

For the serious theatre junkie, there is the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, OR. It is roughly the equivalent of going to Spring Training if you are a baseball junkie. Well, not quite, because at the OSF, we are not seeing dress rehearsals or auditions to see who makes the team.

We are watching the "real thing," and enjoying professional theatre to our heart's content. For me, this means that I have tickets to six shows in five days here in Ashland. Not a world record, by any means, but definitely a whirlwind of viewing.

My first stop on this marvelous journey is "The Merchant of Venice." This show is considered one of Shakespeare's more problematic plays. It is often passed over for production because it appears to be anti-Semitic. I am here in Ashland as part of a class, Shakespeare in Ashland, that prepares teachers to present Shakespearean literature to their students. It is my second year participating in this class.

And, like last year, I am the only non-teacher in the class. My perspective is a bit different than the other students' (and the instructor's) but thank God I have another actor in the class with me (kudos to Adam Othman for being here)!

I am also one of the only ethnic minority among the participants, so I think my perspective is colored by that as well. At least, it affected my opinion of this production of "Merchant."

As I have said in earlier posts, I believe theatre needs to be even-handed in poking fun or outright criticizing groups of people in society. This was a very even-handed and fair production.

We can't help that William Shakespeare created an "evil" character in Shylock, and continually told us he was a Jew. We can't help that his chief tormentors were identified as Christian. But, this production stayed true to Shakespeare's words, while taking both a critical and sympathetic view of people, whether they be Jew or Gentile, male of female or Venetian or Moroccan.

And, of course, the overall show was made even better with the admirable performances by the OSF troupe of actors and technicians. It is good to see the pros at work.

That is the primary reason I come all the way down to Ashland. These guys are good.