Tonight I saw an adaptation of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night at White Rock Beach (Surrey, BC). For many years Vanier Park (Vancouver, BC) has hosted Bard on the Beach from May to September. It has been a place to showcase local talent through the great words of the Bard. It has evolved over the years to be a bit nicer and definitely a big ticket production. Surrey, maybe being newer, does not have the reputation of culture and arts. So when a friend mentioned that there was a theater company named Beach House Theatre putting on Twelfth Night I was pretty stoked. The play runs for about a week and the tickets sold out within days of going on sale. My friend being vigilant caught the update that they were releasing tickets for the dress rehearsal and bought us tickets.
The email reminder informs the patron:
1. that parking may be scarce so come early and be prepared to walk about 20 minutes if there is no parking in the lot -- parking was plentiful and really you did not have to park that far away even if you missed parking in the lot.
2. gates will open at 6:45pm -- liar liar pants on fire. We arrived a little after 6pm and at 6:30 we wanted to confirm the time and were told after 7pm when in reality we were allowed in at 7:15-7:20. AND then had to wait another 15 minutes to get in the actual tent...I would not have minded except I could not see why they were not ready on time as everything was bare minimum.
3. to confirm the gate opening was a trial as the box office was actually within the playhouse grounds versus being a bit out. This did not have a welcoming feel and made it hard to ask any questions. But if you are a "celebrity" watcher you can watch the actors walk in about an hour before opening. AND when we asked when we could get in they did not inform us that we must lineup. After the heat and hunger we went to the concession stand and when we got back there was a line (argh!)
4. Holy smokes were the raffle tickets expensive - $20 and you could only pay cash! Please note ticket was $19.95. If you have the cash and the means the money does 100% go to the proceeding year's production and you can win a round trip flight to anywhere in North America.
5. They were fabulous at recycling - they had bins for recycling and rubbish and you could go paperless for the tickets. Bravo! Once Gates did open you were able to get in fairly efficiently and quickly.
6. The venue is gorgeous and the set up inside is very beach pretty. They had long tables draped in white table cloths with candles. It was perfect spot to stand and eat your intermission snack. The booths were nice set up as was the main tent BUT the seat were hard and not very inviting. They did provide blankets from the cold (and in my case as a seat plumper) and sunglasses from the sun. Those were much appreciated.
The play itself was a solid 3.5 out of 5 stars. The adaption was smooth and was so funny! A few of the actors could play comedy well and add it with Shakespeare they showed their craft and expertise. The actor playing the Fool was one of the best I have seen in a long while. He had great expressions, mannerism, timing and singing talent. The actor playing Malvolio was brilliant - his facial expressions and harrumphs had the audience in stitches. The actress playing Olivia was brilliant in being indifferent and fluttering from one "man" to another. The actress playing Viola has great potential. Her timing for humour was great and her chemistry with Olivia sparked. Maria, Andrew, Tobey and Fabian were definitely scene stealers and really enhanced the comedy aspect of the play. The actor playing Sebastian seemed a bit nervous and his performance a bit forced yet he had a likability and charm that made him watchable. Unfortunately, the actor playing Orsino was a bit horrible. At times it felt like he was doing a parody of a horrible Shakespearean actor. He overacted in his gestures and the only facial expressions he had was squinting and not squinting. He paused several times in some passages where I was not sure if he had forgotten his lines or he meant it for his character. He did not have any chemistry with Olivia or Viola and it was hard believing her love for him. I think the comedic performances compensate for the lack of romance between Viola Orsino - but I still think Olivia and Viola had the best chemistry.
The performances have sold out for this season but sign up for their emails and I might just see you next year at a performance - I will be the one with a few blankets to make my seat more cushy.
http://www.beachhousetheatre.org/contact
love,
kris
