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Regional Reviews: Phoenix SpellBound! Also see Gil's reviews of The Wizard of Oz, A Year with Frog and Toad, 4 Girls 4, Little Women
Presented as a co-production with The Desert Botanical Garden, SpellBound! is being staged in the outdoor event area of the Garden. The outdoor venue doesn't work as well with the settings of the play as last year's co-production Fairy Worlds (an adaptation of A Midsummer Night's Dream). But the whole effect, with the lush gardens surrounding the stage, the mountains off in the distance and an engaging story, still makes for a magical evening. The basic plot of SpellBound! (and Cymbeline) involves the evil Queen who plans to marry off her step daughter Imogen to her fool of a son Cloten. However, Imogen has already secretly married the low in status Posthumus. Upon learning of this, Cymbeline banishes Posthumus, who then, abroad in Italy, brags of Imogen's virtues and makes a bet with Iachimo concerning Imogen's fidelity. The outcome of the bet sets a jam-packed story in motion, set in England, Rome and Wales, that includes intrigue and false accusations, two kidnapped children, a bit of cross dressing, a beheading and an expansive battle. Containing almost twenty songs, the folk/soft pop score by Shishir Kurup and David Markowitz includes an abundance of lush melodies played by a fantastic onstage band. While the tunes are varied and the song lyrics advance the plot with both added exposition and character development, some of the lyrics are left lacking in their simplicity; others are too modern, compared to the time period of the piece ("walk the walk and talk the talk" is a glaringly bad one); and some include false rhymes. But while some of the lyrics could be better, the songs still result in an intelligent musical score. Director Jared Sakren and Michael Flachmann's adaptation is fairly faithful to the original, though a few characters and plot points are removed—none that are sorely missed. Sakren has staged the action fairly well, with a good use of the expansive space; a few key moments are staged on the side areas so everything isn't always set front and center. Janine Colletti is superb as Imogen, making her three dimensional. She is sweet, endearing, feisty, and full of life, and also gives plenty of emotional lift to her well-delivered songs. Kyle Sorrell brings a perfect sense of urgency to the role of Posthumus and, once the results of the bet are known to him, adds in layers of jealousy, rage, pain, and sorrow. Joe Cannon instills the scheming Iachimo with an abundance of cockiness yet is deeply emotional in his superbly sung confession. Kathleen Berger is deliciously evil as the Queen, with an excellent singing voice, and Matthew Zimmerer is playfully broad as her buffoon of a son Cloten. As Cymbeline, Tim Blough brings a refined sense of authority to the role while Bob Altizer, Andy Cahoon, and Wyatt Kent are rambunctious as the family Imogen meets in her travels. In smaller roles, Clay Sanderson and Marshall Glass, as the royal court physician and Posthumus's servant, bring plenty of concern and understanding as to what the characters are being asked to do, with their decisions having major impact on the plot. Jeff Thomson's large set design works well, though it is fairly minimal with just the use of some chairs, tables, and a trunk to set the locales, yet when combined with Michael J. Eddy's expressive lighting it creates an enveloping atmosphere. Maci Hosler's costumes are superb, with excellent designs for each character that complement their status and actions. Also, the vibrant creative elements and Aaron Blanco's fight choreography create a smashing battle of multiple fighting partners amidst puffs of billowing smoke. While SpellBound! may not be a complete success, it does a fine job in reducing the lengthy plot to one that even someone new to Shakespeare can easily follow. And while the score has its shortcomings, with some additional work on the lyrics I think this version of the Cymbeline story could have a healthy future life. SpellBound! runs through May 24th, 2015, with performances at The Desert Botanical Garden, 1201 N. Galvin Parkway in Phoenix. Tickets can be purchased at swshakespeare.org or by calling 480-644-6500 Director/Adaptor: Jared Sakren Cast: *Member, Actors' Equity Association
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