BWW Reviews: CHAMBER CYMBELINE from Seattle Shakespeare Company

Seattle Shakespeare Company continues their 20^th Anniversary season with one of Shakespeare's last and seldom produced plays, "Cymbeline".  And while one can see why this play is not so often dusted off, the Chamber production the company has put forth has some wonderful moments and performances.

The story, adapted by director Henry Woronicz, follows the woes of King Cymbeline (played by Larry Paulsen) and his family and subjects.  Cymbeline's only daughter, Imogen (Jennifer Lee Taylor) has refused to marry her step-mother, the Queen's, son Cloten and instead marries the poor Posthumus (both played by Connor Toms).  As punishment he locks up Imogen and banishes Posthumus hoping that over time she'll forget about Posthumus and marry Cloten.  While out in the world Posthumus meets Iachimo (Bradford Farwell) who bets Posthumus that he can woo the chaste Imogen.  But when he fails at his task, Iachimo sneaks into the fair Imogen's bed chamber to note its surroundings and steal a bit of her jewelry to prove he actually did accomplish bedding her.  Once proven to him, Posthumus is outraged at his wife's infidelity, so he orders his faithful servant, Pisanio (Alexander Samuels) to kill Imogen.  But Pisanio cannot go through with it and sends Imogen into the woods to hide disguised as a boy.  She comes upon the banished Belarius (Jeanne Paulsen who also plays the conniving Queen) and his son Guiderius (Ben McFadden) who take in the wayward youth.  And that's just part of the story.  There's still the Queen's plot to assassinate the King to contend with as well as the King's missing son who was kidnapped 20 years ago when he was three.  Oh and there's also a little war with the Romans going on.

With all of these story elements you can see why some companies shy away from this one in favor of some of Shakespeare's other, more focused plays as "Cymbeline" seems to be a mish-mash of plot devices from so many other Shakespeare plays.  We have the mistaken identities and gender bending of "Twelfth Night", the star-crossed lovers and sleeping potions of "Romeo and Juliet", the false accusations of infidelity of "Othello" and "Much Ado About Nothing" and the familial betrayal of "Hamlet".  And all crammed together into one, at times unfocused, story.  So it's no big surprise that companies favor the more recognizable and better structured earlier works over this one.  But even with all its problems, Woronicz has managed to put together a nicely pared down and simpler Chamber version complete with some wonderful double casting and a few stunningly effective bits of staging.  Right from the top he infuses the show with a presentational storytelling atmosphere as the actors take turns in setting up the exposition as they hand out each other's bits of costume that so well convey their multiple characters.  And a special kudo for his spectacular staging of the battle sequence along with Fight Choreographer Gordon Carpenter which came across less as fighting and more as a finely executed dance.

Toms manages his dual roles with ease switching back and forth from his noble Posthumus to his foppish Cloten.  I've enjoyed pretty much everything I've seen Toms do with the Shakespeare Company as well as other theaters but I have to say he seems to be the Company's go-to guy lately and I'd like to see a little more variety up there.  Taylor shines as the lovely Imogen as she infused her with strength, heart and charisma.  And Farwell is wonderfully slimy as the duplicitous Iachimo.  In fact everyone in the cast has their moment to shine and takes it but even with all that I was still not blown away by this production.

All in all, an enjoyable evening of a not often produced play that deserves to be seen if only as a further education of the works of one of the world's most enduring playwrights.  But, in the end, I left the theater not overwhelmed, not underwhelmed, but just plain whelmed.

"Chamber Cymbeline" from the Seattle Shakespeare Company plays at the Center House Theatre in the Seattle Center through January 30^th.  For tickets or information contact the Seattle Shakespeare Company's box office at 206-733-8222 or visit them online at www.seattleshakespeare.org.

Photo Credit: Erik Stuhaug

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