Not gonna lie: in all my Shakespeare studies, I never came across Cymbeline. In college, I took pretty much every Shakespeare course I could find, and in my "Comedies and Romances" class, the only romances we covered were The Winter's Tale and The Tempest.
So when Scooter told me he'd bought season tickets for us for A Noise Within, and the first play there were putting on was Cymbeline, I got excited. How wonderful to discover a new Shakesy play! But I think you can imagine my shock when John discovered through Facebook that another theatre ensemble was putting on the same play - a month earlier!
Massive props go out to Scooter here, as he insisted that we go see it. Given that I'd never ever read Cymbeline, I wasn't too sure we'd want to see it twice, so I had some reservations ... which I immediately hushed. Why would I deprive myself from this phenomenal compare-and-contrast opportunity?
Theatrum Elysium's Cymbeline BLEW MY MIND.
The talent was amazing. The dancing was unexpected and beautiful (which is a huge compliment, since I'm used to watching spectacular dancing on So You Think You Can Dance), paired perfectly with the right songs. The lighting was a feat of wonder, as it was spot on - a challenging task given that we moved from one space to the next as nightfall began to take over. The staging was remarkable, too, using the narrator as our shepherd, leading us through all of these outdoor spaces.
I was an experience unlike any other.
So I'll be excited to see how A Noise Within chooses to present this story to us.
So when Scooter told me he'd bought season tickets for us for A Noise Within, and the first play there were putting on was Cymbeline, I got excited. How wonderful to discover a new Shakesy play! But I think you can imagine my shock when John discovered through Facebook that another theatre ensemble was putting on the same play - a month earlier!
Massive props go out to Scooter here, as he insisted that we go see it. Given that I'd never ever read Cymbeline, I wasn't too sure we'd want to see it twice, so I had some reservations ... which I immediately hushed. Why would I deprive myself from this phenomenal compare-and-contrast opportunity?
Theatrum Elysium's Cymbeline BLEW MY MIND.
The talent was amazing. The dancing was unexpected and beautiful (which is a huge compliment, since I'm used to watching spectacular dancing on So You Think You Can Dance), paired perfectly with the right songs. The lighting was a feat of wonder, as it was spot on - a challenging task given that we moved from one space to the next as nightfall began to take over. The staging was remarkable, too, using the narrator as our shepherd, leading us through all of these outdoor spaces.
I was an experience unlike any other.
So I'll be excited to see how A Noise Within chooses to present this story to us.
It was definitely unlike any other Shakesy play I've ever attended. To mix modern dance with Shakespeare sounds impossible but it actually served to elucidate the emotion of the moment or the connection between the characters if you couldn't keep up with the language.
ReplyDeleteNow I'm trying to build my own Cymbeline soundtrack so that I can re-live the joy of Theatrum Elysium's rendition of this play.
I can't wait to see it again. Dance is just so evocative, and I really think you hit the nail on the head, Scooter: dance helps transcend that barrier, serving as a deeply emotional conduit. Amazing music selection.
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