Anja Racić, Eve Gordon, & Teodora Avramovic (Photo by by Craig Schwartz Photography)
Reviewed by Madison Mellon
Antaeus Theatre Company
Through November 17
RECOMMENDED
It takes a certain boldness to tackle Cymbeline, Shakespeare’s unusual and rarely-produced genre hybrid. Antaeus Theatre Company rises to the challenge, moving the action to the American West and trading ancient Britain for the dust and danger of the 1800s frontier. Under Nike Doukas’s confident direction, the result is a lively and fast-paced production of a somewhat messy and contradictory play.
The story follows Imogen (Elinor Gunn), daughter of King Cymbeline (Bernard K. Addison), who marries the lowborn Posthumus (Peter Mendoza) against her father’s wishes. When Posthumus is exiled, a wager on Imogen’s fidelity sets off a chain of deceit and mistaken identity, culminating in war and a slew of twists and revelations. Transplanted to the American frontier, the tale takes on a dusty, gunslinging aesthetic: The royal court is replaced by tumbleweeds and saloon doors.
The ensemble, many taking on multiple roles, give the sprawling narrative a sense of cohesion. JD Cullum mercurially cycles through a series of characters (Second Lord/Philario/Cornelius/Lucius) and brings complete clarity to each role with only the smallest costume adjustments. Teodora Avramovic also shines as Guiderius, bringing a broad physicality and rough-and-tumble humor that effectively balances some of the story’s more serious turns. The rest of the company follows suit, infusing their roles with color and energy.
Ann Sheffield’s layered, textural set design and John Ballinger’s rousing music effectively establish the production’s Western aesthetic, creating a world that fits the adventurous tone of the play. From a purely narrative perspective, it’s unclear exactly what the new setting seeks to illuminate about the story, but that didn’t ultimately detract from the piece. The Western conceit functions as a visual backdrop more than a conceptual reimagining, and it provides enough stylistic cohesion to carry the piece through Shakespeare’s sometimes tonally uneven narrative.
It is clear why Cymbeline is considered one of Shakespeare’s “problem plays”. It dips its toes into comedy, tragedy, and romance, often jarringly. The ending is comedically convenient. Many of the revelations that occur throughout are either predictable or completely strain credulity. And yet, it doesn’t particularly matter. It feels like an experiment, and there is a great deal of entertainment to be had in watching it unfold. Antaeus’s production succeeds by meeting the play on its own terms rather than trying to refine it and iron out its kinks.
Antaeus Theatre Company, 110 E. Broadway, Glendale. Thurs. 8 p.m.; Fri. 8 p.m.; Sat. 2 & 8 p.m.; Sun 2 p.m. https://antaeus.org/ Running Time: two hours and 20 minutes with an intermission.
