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Pericles
Reviewed by Vanessa Cate
Independent Shakespeare Company
Through May 24
RECOMMENDED:
Like much of William Shakespeare’s work, the authorship of Pericles, Prince of Tyre has been called into question — so much so, that it doesn’t even appear in many compilations of his work. However, many scholars and historians do accredit it as being a joint venture between the Bard in his later years, and one George Wilkins – a man while not possessing much of a career on his own, did work as a brothel keeper, pamphleteer, and general criminal.
If in fact the two did work together, it was to their mutual benefit. For his part, George Wilkins’s life may have helped the addition of some scintillating and bawdy content. Brothels, prostitutes, incest and pirates add to the landscape. And Shakespeare crafts the piece into a serviceable story of fate, devotion, misfortune, and divine intervention.
Act 1 follows our hero Pericles (Andrè Martin), as he travels across Ancient Greece – buoyant with youth and lust. His compass seems to be fate itself, and ultimately he meets and marries the adorable (if also socially awkward) Princess Thaisa (Melissa Chalsma, who also directs). They fall in love and conceive a child.
Act 2 follows a new hero. Marina (Kalean Ung) is the daughter of Pericles and Thaisa, estranged from them for cosmic reasons and now a fully grown woman living amid peril and corruption.
Chalsma’s direction is lovely and smart. In a small theater, where most actors play multiple roles on a bare-bones stage, that direction is imperative. As the co-founder and artistic director of Independent Shakespeare Company, her experience shines as she brings to life a largely unknown work of the most famous playwright ever, and invites the audience into that world. One misgiving: The language gets sometimes lost, un-framed, and gives way to the trap of rhythm rather than clarity.
Houri Mahserejian’s costume design is a success, adorning with distinction different personalities clearly from separate and unique Grecian Islands. And Chris Porter’s music, woven seamlessly and creatively throughout, is a star of the show. Cristina Frias, Daniel Jimenez, Nikhil Pai, and Evan Lewis Smith make up the rest of the charming and versatile ensemble.
Independent Shakespeare Co. Studio at the Atwater Crossing Arts + Innovation Complex, 3191 Casitas Ave. #168, Atwater Village; Thurs.-Sat., 7:30 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; through May 24. (818)710-6306; www.iscla.org
