Shakespeare in the Park
For the 29th year, the Freewill Shakespeare Festival is playing outdoors at the Heritage Amphitheater in Hawrelak Park in Edmonton. Each year they perform a tragedy and a comedy on alternating nights for over 3 weeks, rain or shine, for crowds up to 1000 people. This year they are performing Merchant of Venice (tragedy) and The Merry Wives of Windsor (comedy), and I saw the comedy. I have seen a handful of shows over the years, my wife has seen about a dozen, and we will continue going as this years may have been the best we have seen. While this play may not be one of the first plays to come to mind when thinking of Shakespeare, it had plenty of laughs, strong roles for women, and was fun from start to finish. Having some of the same actors in the production year after year is nice because you get to see them grow in their performances and change their appearances as well (the production value is great). It is fun when the actors move past you down the aisle during the show, the actors have microphones so you hear them all, and the makeup and lighting is well done. This years show was about a wealthy, older knight who attempts to charm two married women who learn of his actions and decide to punish him in comical ways. The Merry Wives of Windsor was written by William Shakespeare (around 1597-1602) and was directed by Ashley Wright who updated the play with a 1970s vibe, showcasing the wardrobe and music, which makes the play more accessible. Stealing scenes are Jesse Gervais (Host, his dance moves and charm had the crowd cheering), Belinda Cornish (Mistress Ford, her revenge plan and execution of it was a lot of fun to watch), and John Ulyatt (Ford, his jealous behaviour and disguise were hilarious). Also great about this annual festival is that they put on puppet shows, have pay what you will performances, and showed costumes and designs from past shows. If you appreciate Shakespeare, want to see talented actors in an amazing outdoor venue, and enjoy a live show, check out Shakespeare in the Park. (note: the picture is of a past performance of As You Like It in 2015)