Stratford or Bust

Now my charms are all o'erthrown,
And what strength I have's mine own;
Which is most faint; now 'tis true,
I must be here confin'd by you,
Or sent to Naples. Let me not,
Since I have my dukedom got,
And pardon'd the deceiver, dwell
In this bare island by your spell:
But release me from my bands
With the help of your good hands.
Gentle breath of yours my sails
Must fill, or else my project fails,
Which was to please. Now I want
Spirits to enforce, art to enchant;
And my ending is despair,
Unless I be reliev'd by prayer,
Which pierces so that it assaults
Mercy itself, and frees all faults.
As you from crimes would pardon'd be,
Let your indulgence set me free.

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I just returned from an afternoon in Stratford, Ontario. My brother Mikhail and I headed out to the Festival Theatre to see a performance of The Tempest, by Shakespeare featuring William Hutt as Prospero.

It is amazing that a play almost 400 years old can still inspire a modern audience. The English language has changed substantially since Shakespeare's time, but the message is still crystal clear. I would have a hard time believing anyone who started rambling in iambic pentameter in regular speech these days but to hear it on the stage is another thing entirely. I fall in to a state of wonder and admiration for any actor who can take that kind of speech and deliver it intelligibly. William Hutt makes it sound so natural, even elegant.

It's not an easy thing to do either. There have been a number of Shakespearean plays made into films in recent years, and sometimes it's a hit and miss affair. Kenneth Branagh comes to mind as another actor who can speak the language and make it sound right. Branagh is the Lawrence Olivier of our generation. Period. Keanu Reeves, despite my admiration for most of his work, however, should stay away from Shakespeare. Kudos to Keanu for trying. Laurence Fishburn gave a wonderful portrayal of the Moor of Venice, and Michael Keaton was great as the constable in Much Ado About Nothing.

Shakespeare is still the boss writer after all these centuries, and I suspect people will still be flocking to events like the Stratford Festival hundreds of years from now to see his works performed on the stage. I sincerely hope so.