One of Shakespeare’s later plays gets the fresh air treatment at the Theatricum Botanicum, an outdoor amphitheatre tucked away in Topanga Canyon like the key to a chastity belt. And what a venue it is, with a stage surrounded by woodsy paths that give the actors the opportunity to enjoy off-stage freedom of movement and defined by a versatile set.
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Willow Geer and Mike Peebler
Insofar as Shakespeare’s works are concerned, “Cymbeline” is the Bard in full-throttle popcorn mode. Cross-dressing, games of mistaken identity, lovers at risk of becoming star-crossed, murderous plots, miscommunications and misunderstandings, surprise revelations – it’s all here, with a message of forgiveness that finds superior resonance in The Tempest. Shakespeare presents a number of plots revolving around the low-born but noble-hearted Posthumous’ banishment from England after his secret wedding to King Cymbeline’s daughter Imogen. The villainy of the Roman Iachimo’s attempt to seduce Imogen away from Posthumous, in a bet to disprove her chaste honour, intersects with royal court intrigue and tensions between England and the Roman Empire. Heartbreak and comedy ensue although the cast, prone as much to mouthiness and overacting as to an enthusiasm that culminates in a grandly staged grand battle, is inconsistently able to fully realize either. Aaron Hendry plays Iachimo as a graduate from the David Spade school of seduction, while Thad Geer, in the role of Cymbeline, has the monotonous, phoned-in delivery of an early script reading. A drag, but one that is counterbalanced by Mike Peebler’s passionate, sympathetic Posthumous, Willow Geer as Imogen, and Gerald Rivers’ measured but emotive, conflicted servant Pisanio.
Why We Are a Theatre Town
As tempting as it to see L.A.’s theatrical community as the Hollywood Auxiliary, the Theatricum Botanicum – low-key in comparison to the Center Theatre Group’s juggernauts – proves that not everything has to be an appendage to the film industry. L.A., in other words, really is a theatre town, and you don’t necessarily have to dig through layers of tinsel to get to it. You do have to have a mind for expeditions, however, to make the drive to the Theatricum, especially when tickets prices are $30 and $20 for the lower and top tiers respectively. Alas, however generally enjoyable, this production of Cymbeline doesn’t quite deliver the incentive for anyone not living in Malibu to shlep up (or down) Topanga Canyon Road – especially considering that excellent Shakespeare is available in Barnsdall Park during the summer courtesy of the donation-supported Independent Shakespeare Company.
Cymbeline. Written by Shakespeare. Directed by Ellen Geer. Starring Susan Angelo, Matt Ducati, Samara Frame, Thad Geer, Willow Geer, Tim Halligan, Aaron Hendry, Steve Matt, Mike Peebler, Earnestine Phillips, Gerald Rivers, and Jeff Wiesen. On stage at the Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, Sundays at 3:30, through Sept. 27. 310.455.3723 or visit online at www.theatricum.com.
Frédérik invites you to discuss this production and more at his blog (www.inkandashes.net).
