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Regional Reviews: Phoenix Equivocation
Also see Gil's reviews of Charlotte's Web and Kiss Me, Kate
The historical event at the center of Equivocation is The Gun Powder Plot. In 1605, a small group of Catholic fanatics allegedly plotted to kill King James I by blowing up the House of Lords with thirty six barrels of gun powder while the King, his family and his parliament would all be present. The planned outcome would be to put King James' daughter Elizabeth, a Catholic, on the throne, thus returning England to the Catholic fold. However, the plot was foiled and the conspirators either died on the run or were found guilty and hung. In Cain's play Shakespeare is called Shagspeare, which, I'm guessing, is to assure us that this is just Cain's fantasy of what could possibly have happened. The play begins when Lord Cecil, King James' Secretary of State, commissions Shagspeare to write the "official version" of the Powder Plot. Since the explosion never happened, leaving the play without a complete ending, Shagspeare goes about searching for more information and gets permission to speak to the condemned plotters. However, he discovers most have confessed under severe torture. So were they involved in the plot or not? Does he take the money and betray his moral principles or risk his life, and his fellow Globe actor's lives, by writing a play that tells the truth and goes against the King's wishes? With twists and turns, references to many of Shakespeare's famous plays, including the creation of Macbeth as well as the fascinating manner of showing us the creative process behind Shakespeare's playwriting, Cain has crafted a doozy of a play with famous historical figures front and center. The superb ensemble cast, led by Joseph Cannon as Shagspeare, couldn't be better. This is one of the hardest working casts in recent memory, with each cast member on stage for almost the entire play. Four of the actors play multiple roles, and each of the actors moves eloquently from one character to the next, sometimes playing multiple characters within seconds of each other. Director David Barker has done a fantastic job of not only casting the right actors for the parts, but instilling a sense of intrigue to draw the audience in. We are on the journey of discovery with Shagspeare and the intimacy of the Farnsworth Studio at the Mesa Arts Center combined with a perfect cast and the impressive creative elements of the show perfectly complement each other and give us the true essence of understanding not only what Shagspeare is experiencing but also the suffering and torture that the Catholic plotters endured. Cannon is impressive as Shagspeare. Having seen him in December as one of the male leads in the musical White Christmas at the Phoenix Theatre, where he excelled, I am extremely impressed with Cannon's ability to tackle this heavily dramatic part. The pain and guilt he displays in showing us Shakespeare's compassion for the imprisoned Catholic fanatics as well as his personal pain in dealing with his young son's death that haunts him throughout the play are profound. Alison Sell is Shagspeare's daughter Judith and her honesty and abruptness gives a true sense of authenticity to the play. Through her portrayal of Judith we can easily understand what the child of a writer, especially one whose twin brother died and whose father barely acknowledges her, must go through. Sell's delivery of Judith's humorous soliloquy that analyzes her father's use of soliloquies is priceless. Sell and Cannon also have a nice emotional connection that makes them appear naturally as father and daughter, even though they are fairly close in age. As far as the remaining four men in the cast, there isn't a weak link, with each of them easily depicting numerous roles. Beau Heckman's take on Cecil perfectly shows the conniving, slimy side of the man who is the King's right hand, Randy Messersmith gives a touching and emotional portrayal of one of the conspirators, Father Garnet and Jesse James Kamps' intense depiction of the main prosecutor Edward Coke shows the lengths the monarchy would go to in order to get a confession. All three also play acting company members of the Globe Theatre with ease. But Andy Cahoon is the person in the cast who gets the most varied parts to play. From his intense portrayal of the young conspirator Thomas Wintour to his conflicted take on Globe actor Sharpe and his depiction of King James as the outlandish yet treacherous leader, complete with thick Scottish brogue, Cahoon is simply superb. This is the third show in a row that I've seen Cahoon appear with the Southwest Shakespeare Company where he has excelled and contributed nicely. I also enjoyed the nice ironic touch in that four of the actors, Sell, Heckman, Cahoon and Kamps, who were just in the Southwest Shakespeare Company's production of Macbeth, are now appearing in a play that deals with the creation of Macbeth and reenacting some of the lines they just delivered in that production. Creative elements are top notch with a two tiered set design from Eric Beeck made up of wooden boards with phrases from Shakespeare's plays written on them. The set depicts everything from the Globe Theatre to the cells where the prisoners were tortured. A table, a few crates and benches are all that are needed to portray the various locations of the play. The costumes by Adriana Diaz, which also have Shakespeare phrases written on them, effectively and easily allow the actors to move from one character to the next with at times just a slight addition of a piece of clothing. The use of Shakespeare quotes in the creative designs nicely exhibits how his language is organic with the surroundings and lives on today all around us. Lighting by Daniel Davisson is exquisite, with shadows and light used effectively to move us from one location to the next and sound designer Peter Bish contributes a nice balance in each scene as well as adding some appropriately moody underscoring. Terrific direction from Barker not only includes his perfect handling of his actors but also several nice touches. These include a heightened sense of theatricality throughout, in everything including the staging of some impressive scenes, like the depiction of the hanging of Tom, and also in having the props and costume changes happen in view just right off the sides of the stage. I also like how Barker stages the rehearsal scenes of the play within the play, with Shagspeare off to the side mouthing the lines of the play in sync with the actors as they are saying them on the stage and the intense portrayal of the infighting amongst the company members. There isn't one missed opportunity or bad directorial choice. Equivocation is a complex and intricate piece of drama. While there is a lot that happens, it is also very accessible, even if you know nothing about the Gunpowder Plot or Shakespeare's history. With the use of contemporary language and heightened theatricality, such as having the house lights come on several times to shift us out of the past and into the present, even a fire alarm that went off toward the end of the performance I attended made many people think it was part of the play. And even after we were made to leave the auditorium, we all anxiously awaited to be allowed back into the theatre in order to see where the play would take us next. Cain's exploration of this historical event and the possible conspiracy around it are fascinating. He has crafted an excellent play that is part historical drama, part thriller but always thrilling and with a superb cast, impeccable direction and sublime creative elements, any fan of theatre or Shakespeare needs to experience Southwest Shakespeare Company's Equivocation . Equivocation runs through March 22nd, with performances at the Mesa Arts Center, 1 East Main Street in Mesa, AZ. Tickets can be purchased at swshakespeare.org or by calling (602) 535 - 1202 Director: David Barker Cast:
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