REVIEW: “ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL” @ STNJ

WHEN: September 18–October 10, 2010; Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Sundays at 7:30 PM; Thursdays–Saturdays at 8 PM; and Saturdays and Sundays at 2 PM
WHERE: The F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre, 36 Madison Avenue in Madison, on the campus of Drew University
TICKETS: Call the box office at 973.408.5600 or visit online at http://www.shakespearenj.org/ 

Ten years ago, when The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey chose All’s Well That Ends Well to inaugurate the brand-new F. M. Kirby Theatre, I thought it an interesting, if risky choice. Interesting, because audiences are generally unfamiliar with the work, and risky, because twenty-first century theatergoers are often troubled by the moral implications of the play.

A decade on, my thoughts haven’t changed much. The sparkling production now onstage at the Kirby will still leave you scratching your head over whether all’s well that ends well, but one thing is sure: While you may have neither seen nor read this comedy before, you’ll be knocked out by the stylish staging and top-notch acting of nine actors who play 22 characters, without missing a beat in delivery or scene change, thanks to director Stephen Fried, scenic designer Bill Clarke, costume designer Emily Pepper and lighting designer Tony Galaska. (Above: Tamara Tunie as the Countess of Rossillion and John Ahlin as Lavatch the Fool)

All’s Well belongs to that group of Shakespearean comedies the critics have labeled as “problematic” because the satiric and brooding spirit that pervades the action doesn’t seem very funny. The plot is convoluted: too-eager, low-born Helena wins Count Bertram as a husband without his consent; he, for spite, sets unfair conditions by which he will accept her as his wife; and Helena fulfills those conditions by deception. Add several unattractive characters—most notably Bertram, a thorough cad; the boastful and cowardly Parolles; and a submissive female character—and you see the problem for modern audiences. The fact that the play ends with a sudden and implausible conversion of one of its villains doesn’t help matters, either.

That the subject of All’s Well is serious is immediately telegraphed by the palette Pepper selected for costumes: it’s primarily black, white, gray and taupe, with no color appearing until a scene near the end that’s populated by Italian peasants. As if liberated by the weighty matters at noble courts, these denizens of the countryside wear reds, yellows and whites. (L-R: Italian Peasants Tamara Tunie, Ellen Adair, Izzie Steel, John Ahlin and Robin Chadwick)

And what are these somber themes addressed by the Bard? Relations between the sexes is one (with a nod to the potential hazards of sexuality); the lack of respect for their elders and masters shown by several of the younger characters high- and low-born is another. The barrier of class to the happiness and fulfillment is still a third. Using romance and satire, Shakespeare gets in some pointed barbs at the failings of human beings and the gap between ideals and achievement, ideas that continue to preoccupy us today.

Outstanding performances are turned in across the board. Tamara Tunie is terrific in her main role as the Countess of Rossillion, mother to Bertram, loving toward her ward Helena, whom she wants to call her mother, and exasperated by the wayward actions of her cad of a son. And she is delightful as the Widow Capilet, a Tuscan peasant who is not above making money off the French soldiers or a disguised Helena who offers her ducats for help carrying out her “bed trick” scheme to trick Bertram. Robin Chadwick is equally as fine as the dignified Lafew, advisor to the King of France and arch-nemesis to the boastful, cowardly knave Parolles, who accompanies Bertram to the Italian wars. The latter is portrayed masterfully by Clark Carmichael; just watching him comb his mustache or grovel abjectly to his attackers in a practical joke they’ve set for him will have your sides aching with laughter. Ditto John Ahlin as the fool Lavatch, who gives voice to the play’s themes, all while speaking the truth about mankind. Ahlin is hilarious showing how one answer can fit any situation, merely by changing the tone of voice and speed of delivery, not to mention his body English! As a cheeky servant, he embodies the disrespect those below stairs have for their masters. (Above: Clark Carmichael as Parolles)

The heroine, Helena, is played with earnest eagerness by Ellen Adair in a performance so charming that we almost forgive her scheming to entrap Bertram in a marriage he doesn’t want. Clifton Duncan has a harder job as Bertram, a young man so ungentlemanly that he runs away from his new bride to the wars and then seduces a young peasant girl with no compunction about her loss of virginity and reputation. That the audience didn’t like his character was evident at the performance I attended on Sunday afternoon where the audience registered their disapproval by the intake of breath and, at one time, applause when Bertram gets his comeuppance!

The cast is rounded out by Izzie Steel as Rinalda the maid, all circumspect devotion to her mistress the Countess, and as Diana, the peasant girl Bertram attempts to seduce but who throws her lot in with Helena in an attempt to subvert his inappropriate actions. John Barker and Brian Cade play servants, noblemen and Florentine soldiers, and do a fine job with all six!

All this scene switching is accomplished with a minimum of fuss. Two different lighting fixtures—a fringed lampshade for Rossillion and a crystal chandelier—along with chairs, crates, tables and rolling bureaus, let us know exactly where we are at all times. The dressers who helped the actors through a myriad of very quick costume changes are to be commended too.

In All’s Well That Ends Well, Shakespeare explores themes that continue to bedevil society today. Young people often select lovers/friends/idols unworthy of their affection and admiration. They confuse glory (read, fame) with honor and decency, and the outward appearance of nobility/goodness for nobility/goodness itself. In the more than 400 years since this play was written, it seems that “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” The play may be unfamiliar, but the human nature therein portrayed, and that the STNJ enacts, is something we all recognize.

Symposium Series performances, which include a post-play discussion with the cast and artistic staff, will be held Tuesday, September 21, at 7:30 PM, and Saturday, September 24 and October 2, at 2 PM. “Know the Show,” a pre-performance talk that provides background and an insider’s perspective on the production, will be held September 23 from 7:00–7:30 PM; tickets are $5.00, $4.00 for subscribers. The Saturday, October 2, 2 PM performance will be audio-described for those with visual impairments. A free pre-performance sensory seminar allows patrons to feel props, costumes and set pieces to further enhance their live theatrical experience.