SHOW INFORMATION
CURRENTLY CLOSED!
Opened Jul 13, 2012
Closed
Visit the King John website:
http://www.marinshakespeare.org/
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King John @ Marin Shakespeare
Shakespeareâs tragedy âThe Life and Death of King Johnâ is seldom staged, so the current performance at San Rafaelâs Shakespeare Marin may be one of the few times you will ever have to see it. Donât miss it! This play, as directed by Lesley Schisgall Currier, is full of surprises and all the passion, action, wit and betrayal that we have come to know and expect from the Bard. Not only that, it ends on a high note, with the crown of England finally bestowed upon the rightful heir to the throne.
The kings of England and France each declare the other usurper to the throne of England. They are both right and wrong. Their armies and their families clash, unite in marriage, part from each other under threat of excommunication from an emissary of the Pope. Innocents are caught up in the machinations; loyalties shift and shift again. Shakespeare invests them all with complex characters, full of bombast and confidence undermined by doubt and grief.
There are many high points in this staging, more than I can name here. A full battle takes place among and above the audience seating, silhouetted against the lavender sky of a fading day. Liz Sklar owns the stage as she makes Queen Constanceâs grief seem to be her own. Young actor Samuel Berston does an amazing turn as the young prince Arthur, made all the more touching when he shares the stage with James Hiserâs Hubert and turns aside his murderous plan. Scott Coopwood brings out all the complexity, the strength and weakness of King Johnâs character, and gives a tour de force performance in his final scene on stage. Erik MacRay as âthe Bastardâ by turns funny and fierce, stands aloof from the action and serves to illuminate all the turmoil going on around him.
You may not have another chance to see this play, but that is not the reason you should go see it now. It is indeed a powerful play, wonderfully acted and directed.
Weekends through August 12, 2012
Box Office (415) 499-4488
http://www.marinshakespeare.org/pages/performances.php
Reviewed by DavidHirzel on Thursday, Jul 12th, 2012
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