Then
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Brooks Atkinson appears to particularly enjoy the movement of Douglas Campbell's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" as he states the performance is more like a track meet than a fairy story. However, the poetry is discarded. Atkinson even states that the lively performance is "tone dead." The "hysteria of motion"means there is "never a dull moment"and Campbell's mixture of personal with comedic elements is applauded. Keeping the actors parts alive off stage as well as on is noted and highly appreciated by Atkinson. The actors have a "flair for individual characterization", particularly Helen Burns as Hermia and Kate Reid as Helena. This strengthens the comedic theme and ultimately sets a "high standard for enjoyable buffoonery.”
Winter's Tale
The paintings displayed in Herbert Whittaker’s article evoke the feeling of luxuriousness. Tanya Moiseiwitsch’s detailed sketches demonstrate the significance of costume design as they capture pure nobility and enhance the realism of the play. The colors are rich and deep and the costumes are voluminous, giving them a regal look in order to help the audience understand the nature of the characters. For example, the Sicilian guards are heavily armed with helmets and greaves to allude to warlike tendencies while Hermoine's sheer veil and flowing hair gives her a youthful, innocent look.
Romeo and Juliet
First Picture: Julie Harris and Bruno Gerussi as Shakespeare's star crossed lovers in Stratford 1960 production of "Romeo and Juliet".
Second Picture: By contrast Nathan Cohen, who had seen the same production only the night before Atkinson, had very few kind words to say about it. He criticized Julie Harris’s Juliet, saying that although she looked the part her acting lacked the proper technique Shakespeare required and Bruno Gerussi’s overly macho Romeo lacked nuance. While he did credit Langham's direction, Cohen found the production to be "Languid and Listless”.
Third Picture: This was Stratford’s first production of the famed tragic romance, highly praised by critic Brook Atkinson. He notes that Julie Harris plays Juliet as a very authentic innocent teenager in love, with Bruno Gerussi giving Romeo the wild passion and impulsiveness the role required. He also notes on the supporting cast, particularly Christopher Plummer’s Mercutio, who prevent the production from becoming too mournful.
This photo captures the Festival theatre stage. The all-wooden look is exquisite and still exists today. Designers have the opportunity to create any setting or atmosphere due to the neutral appearance.
King John, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Romeo & Juliet
In this article, the critic begins by commenting on the plays themselves and not the actual productions. It is a commentary on how uninteresting King John is as a play compared to Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night's Dream. Although this particular troupe was able to make King John stimulating to a modern audience. The critic states that they portrayed the characters better than how Shakespeare wrote them. Unfortunately the overuse in comedy in their performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream overshadowed the story line, according to the critic. Romeo and Juliet on the other hand had an attention to detail which made it stand out from the first two productions.