WHEELOCK FAMILY THEATRE BLOG: A Tale of Two Cities

Showing posts with label A Tale of Two Cities. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Boston Parents Paper by Diedre WIlson

The Best of Times, the Worst of Times
A Tale of Two Cities is a Must-See for Parents and Older Kids

Tweens and teens see their share of media content that’s more appropriate for adults. And the programming – whether on TV, in films or on the Web – often involves gratuitous and graphic violence. There’s no remorse, no hint of the devastating after-shocks that result from mindless physical and verbal abuse.Why, then, would I recommend that these adolescents book a seat at a Wheelock Family Theatre (WFT) performance of Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities this month? Because it puts young people in the same room (instead of in front of a screen) with inspired actors dramatizing one of the finest pieces of literature in history. And because the message this story so effectively conveys is that violence and blatant disregard for humanity is never without chilling and heart-wrenching devastation.

For kids who spend too much time viewing gory corpses on TV’s CSI and Law & Order or horror flicks on the big screen, A Tale of Two Cities offers a soul-searching taste of violence and the enduring, if sometimes tragic, power of love. It’s absolutely worth seeing for its lessons in history and humanity.It is the story of two classes – the rich and the poor – in the months leading to the French Revolution of the late 1700s, when peasants rose up against a powerful, heartless aristocracy and demanded change. The actors in this WFT production keep both adults and adolescents completely absorbed in the story of Charles Darnay, the Frenchman who tries to distance himself from a hated family of aristocrats; Sydney Carton, the hard-drinking lawyer who, deep down, wants only to do something meaningful with his life; Lucie Manette, the kindhearted woman loved by both Darnay and Carton; and her father, Dr. Manette, the victim of wrongful imprisonment by the aristocracy. Pushing the plot toward its tragic conclusion are Madame Defarge and her husband, two commoners working toward a revolution against the rich to end the poverty, cruelty and injustice both have seen too much of.

The set is stark – skeletal structures depicting a city on the verge of disaster, the sound of a dropping guillotine heard off stage over and over again, a flood of red lighting against dark silhouettes of actors. Madame Defarge, played as bitter and increasingly enraged by WFT co-founder Jane Staab, will strike a chord. She is demonic in her understandable fury. Carton’s sacrifice for both Lucie Manette and a France in freefall will inspire young people and inject feelings of depth, pride and heroism – something you don’t always get in today’s television dramas.WFT is celebrating its 29th season as an award-winning family theater that annually presents a drama, a musical and a play for young children on the campus of Boston’s Wheelock College. A Tale of Two Cities runs through Nov. 29 at the theater located at 200 The Riverway, Boston. The show runs Friday nights at 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 3 p.m. Ticket prices range from $15-$25.See it. Take your older kids. The discussions – and the thoughts – that will follow will be well worth it.Deirdre Wilson is the senior editor of the Boston Parents Paper.

Dan Willens in Beantown Bloggery

Wheelock Family Theatre has produced here a greatly approachable introduction to Charles Dickens's most famous novel, A Tale of Two Cities. Dwayne Hartford's updated language makes the narrative accessible to the modern audience, even to those who may not be familiar with the novel itself. In order to keep the script at a reasonable length, Mr. Hartford has also trimmed the tale to its essentials--it is tightly focused on the major plotline of the novel and the 10 or so characters around which it revolves.

Particularly notable performances come from Bill Mootos as Sydney Carton (who also acts as the narrator) and Jane Staab as Madame Defarge. Mr. Mootos aptly represents Carton's initially dogged cynicism, as well as its gradual softening towards his eventual redemption. Ms. Staab's portrayal of Madame Defarge's lust for vengeance, on the other hand, heightens intensely as the plot reaches its climax. The costumes are rich and convincing, and the set, austere by design and with only a few changing elements, is cleverly used to represent everything from the galleries of a London courtroom to the streets of Paris during the storming of the Bastille.

Wheelock Family Theatre, true to their mission of engaging the whole family in the theater experience, has also spent the time to create a helpful study guide providing discussion questions for the audience. At each show, they also offer an event (in our case, a debate on the themes of the narrative) to further encourage audience discussion and participation.The play is runs through the end of the month so you've got two more weeks to kick it in gear and get over there and see it.

Sheila Barth Review

Chelsea Times, Everett Independent, Salem State Newspaper
Wednesday November 18, 2009

Many will remember studying Charles Dickens’ classic tale of the French Revolution, “A Tale of Two Cities,” as high school freshmen, so the fact that Wheelock Family Theatre is recreating it on stage with an impressive cast is exciting.
Dwayne Hartford’s over two-hour adaptation of Dickens’ gut-wrenching tale is intriguing enough to keep the audience’s attention, interweaving its bi-country characters and plot in this 18th century of class separation, nobility vs. selfishness and romance, with deadly festering, vengeful overtones.
However, something gets lost in the shuffle, which, hopefully, can be easily corrected. The production has several elements of good theater- a stark, barren, ugly structure of tri-level, angular wooden posts, with platforms, designed by Anita Fuchs, and simplistic props that emphasize the ugliness of the era. Lisa Simpson’s costumes with brocade and lace elegance and elaborately, curled wigs for noble’s strike an overt contrast to the peasants’ homely attire. However, when actors playing multiple roles wear the same costume but are thinly camouflaged by simple touches, it’s confusing. Also because the play switches quickly from Paris to London, yet everyone is speaking English regardless of their role. M. Lynda Robinson’s line as proper British nanny Miss Pross is laughable when she laments in Paris, “Oh, why doesn’t everyone speak English?” Uh, they are…
There are real attempts at humor to lighten this masterful story of self-sacrifice, love and revolution, which seem sorely out of place. With a festering revolution, a child killed by a nobleman’s carriage, murder, unreasonable incarceration In France’s Bastille, the ultimate, frightening guillotine execution committed offstage but with Dewey Dellay’s terrifying sound effects and recorded crowds cheering at each bloody swipe of the blade-this isn’t funny, folks.
The problems rest with Susan Kosoff’s direction. The actors don’t project enough, making it difficult to hear them, so the audience is reliant on two stage monitors projecting the dialogue. While reading the monitors, we’re distracted from powerful scenes.
Lighting designer John R. Malinowski adds poignant touches, especially during bloody scenes, when he drenches the background in red light, but overall, rapid scene changes from Paris to London are indistinguishable.
Also, there’s allegedly a strong resemblance between self-effacing, alcoholic, cynical British lawyer Sydney Carton and French aristocratic immigrant Charles Darnay, but with slender Paul Melendy as Darnay and larger-built Bill Mootos as Carton, the only apparent likeness is their brown wigs. Both deliver find performances, though. Melendy is believably honorable as a French nobleman who renounces his birthright and heritage because of his father and uncle’s cruelty to the lowly masses and servants, while Mootos is impressive as the play’s narrator and hero. His soliloquies and ultimate sacrifice are moving.
Jane Staab as bloodthirsty, vengeful revolutionary Mme. Therese Defarge, who knits incessantly as she calmly plots her overthrow of royalty and nobility, is effective, as is John Davin as her husband, Ernest Defarge. Pretty Robin Eldridge as sweet Lucie Manette is also fine, but she speaks too softly. David Rothauser as her befuddled father, Dr. Alexandre Manette, who was unjustly tossed in the Bastille Tower-No. 105- arouses our sympathy; Cliff Odle as banker Jarvis Lorry and in two lesser roles is fine, as is veteran actor Dale Place in three roles- the evil Marquis de Evremonde, British lawyer Stryver, and governor of the Bastille.
Playwright Dwayne Hartford said his adaptation is relevant to today’s society and times- the best of times, the worst of times, with genocide, revolution, poverty and greed occurring globally. This is the right time to see “A Tale of Two Cities,” but with some simple changes.