All’s Well That Ends Well (A Noise Within’s 2022 Production) Theatre Review

production photo by Craig Schwartz

 All’s Well That Ends Well is one of Shakespeare’s later comedies, and is not produced as often as the others. It is difficult to understand quite why that is so while watching the completely enjoyable new production of the play at A Noise Within in Pasadena. The success of this production is due in large part to its talented cast, led by Erika Soto as Helena (here named Helen, as in the Folger edition). Erika Soto is one of the best stage actors in Los Angeles. She gave what is probably the best performance of Juliet that I’ve ever seen, and was also excellent as Cordelia in King Lear and as Julia in The Two Gentlemen Of Verona. And here she gives an absolutely stellar performance as Helen. From the very first, she makes us feel for, and root for, her Helen, and her comic timing is impeccable. The entire cast, however, is quite strong. The set has a rather bright and pleasant vibe, with two sections of off-white walls, one up left and one up right, each with a single chair. Between those are tall doors, painted a beautiful deep blue. Stage right of the doors is a staircase, but as is often the case at this theatre, the actors also make use of the aisles in the audience for some of their entrances and exits.

During the first scene, the Countess (Deborah Strang) holds Helen with her right hand and Bertram (Mark Jude Sullivan) with her left hand, displaying a desire to connect them right from the start, which is wonderful, for of course her character plays a big part in uniting the two characters. On “trust a few,” the Countess places a ring on Bertram’s hand. Bertram is a tough role, because, even after he initially rejects Helen and tries to seduce another woman, we have to like him enough to want Helen to end up with him. Mark Jude Sullivan does an excellent job. In that first scene, he seems cordial and even kind to Helen, which is key. For not only do we have to want the two to be together, we also have to see why Helen adores him at the beginning. Once Helen is alone on stage, she goes to one of the windows to watch Bertram depart, showing us just how enamored she is of him.

The conversation regarding virginity between Helen and Parolles (Rafael Goldstein) is totally delightful, both actors turning in excellent performances. What I love about Rafael Goldstein’s Parolles is that, while he is a braggart and a liar, he comes across as so natural, particularly in this early scene. This helps us believe that Bertram might be unaware of the man’s true nature until later. And Helen is a match for him both in wit and playfulness, which is great. His naturalness and her playfulness keep him from stealing the scene. It is through the blue doors that the King of France (Bernard K. Allison) makes his entrance, aided by the use of a cane. He is cheered when noting the resemblance of Bertram to his late father, a really nice moment. When he is overcome with a coughing fit, one of the chairs is brought to him. And when the King exits, he leans on Bertram, which again shows Bertram in a good light, so important for a successful conclusion to the play. This production also does a great job of showing the King’s rapidly deteriorating health. For when we next see him, it is clear his condition has worsened, for now he enters on a wheel chair. And when next wheeled in, his strength is even less, as he is asleep and then seems to be in pain. There is the air of magic when Helen lays her hands on the King, which is interesting. She is fearless in that moment, and then confident when asking for her choice of husband. And on “an organ weak,” the King places her hand again over his heart, which is nice.

Jeremy Rabb (who was brilliant as Roderigo in Othello, and as Camillo in The Winter’s Tale) here gives us a wonderful Lafeu. The moments between him and Parolles are delicious, and I love the way he delivers the line “Pray you, sir, who’s his tailor?” It is shouted, almost in disbelief. In this production, both Rinaldo (here Rinalda) and Lavatch are female. The change of gender works remarkably well in both cases. Trisha Miller (who was fantastic as Goneril in the 2017 production of King Lear) is hilarious as Rinalda when telling the Countess what she heard Helen say. When recounting Helen’s words, she reads from notes she had taken down, a wonderful touch. And later in that scene, Helen’s reaction when the Countess says she is her mother is also hilarious. Her delivery of “The Count Rosillion cannot be my brother” is perfect, showing clearly just how infatuated she is with the Count. Lavatch (Kodi Jackman) and the Countess are both delightful in the “O Lord, sir” scene. Then Parolles in his hat with the green feathers elicits laughter with his very entrance. But perhaps the most striking entrance of the play is when the King comes running on, chased playfully by Helen, leaving no question whatsoever that her art worked in healing him. The change in his demeanor is tremendous, and the joy of the scene is powerful.

One of my favorite scenes in this production is the choosing of Helen’s husband. The noble bachelors enter at the sound of a solemn drum, which is funny, and form a semi-circle in front of her, while Bertram remains behind her. Helen, who of course has already made her choice, takes such joy in the process at first, taking her time. But she then hesitates before making her choice known, and the hesitancy in that moment, her nervousness and worry endear her to us all the more. What is also wonderful about the way this scene is staged is that the King takes both Helen and Bertram by the hand, much as the Countess did in the first scene. But this time their hands are drawn together. Another thing that makes this scene work, and the play as a whole, is that Bertram is not really cruel. It is more that he is taken by surprise at being told whom to marry. Soon after that when Bertram and Helen are together, Bertram keeps his distance. But when he does take a step toward her, perhaps without thinking, she too steps toward him, causing him to then step back. It is a sweet sort of dance, and within it we can see there is some attraction. That’s followed by a touching moment when he almost kisses her, but changes his mind.

All’s Well That Ends Well is one of two Shakespeare plays to employ the bed trick (the other being Measure For Measure), a strange plot device in which a man is tricked into sleeping with his betrothed. It is something that might be difficult to believe, that a man wouldn’t know to whom he was making love, but this production handles it quite well, part of the success due to not dwelling long on the actual moment of the switch, and part of it due to Helen and Diana (Nicole Javier) being of the same height. In the second half of the performance, the blue doorway and the section of wall stage left are removed, and in its place is a yellow curtain. The switch happens behind the curtain, a wonderful image of the two women exchanging places. There is a strong sense of solidarity between them, expressed especially in that moment, that moment having its own beauty as well. In this production, the play’s final lines are spoken by the entire cast, each of them taking a few words, a cheerful way of uniting all the characters.

This production of All’s Well That Ends Well is directed by Nike Doukas. It runs through March 6th. There is one fifteen-minute intermission, which comes at the end of Act III Scene iii. A Noise Within is located at 3352 E. Foothill Blvd. in Pasadena, California. Free parking is located at the Sierra Madre Villa Metro Parking Structure.

Shakespeare References in The Silk Vendetta

Victoria Holt’s novel The Silk Vendetta contains several Shakespeare references. Half of them are to Romeo And Juliet. The first of those comes in a conversation after the death of a minor character. The main character says that the Italians “are a fiery people” and “always having feuds.” Cassie replies, “Romeo and Juliet and all that” (p. 124). The next is to one of Juliet’s most famous lines. Holt writes: “‘What’s in a name?’ I had asked. ‘A tremendous amount,’ she had retorted” (p. 183). Juliet’s line is “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose/By any other word would smell as sweet.” The final of the Romeo And Juliet references again is in relation to feuds. Holt writes, “Oh really, Father, these family feuds went out with Romeo and Juliet” (p. 279).

Two of the remaining three references in this book are to Hamlet. The first is to that famous speech from Polonius. Holt writes: “What does your Shakespeare say: ‘Neither a borrower nor a lender be….’ But I was thinking of a loan” (p. 217). The second is to Hamlet’s most famous soliloquy. Holt writes, “I have no desire to slip off this mortal coil just yet” (p. 327). Hamlet says: “For in that sleep of death what dreams may come/When we have shuffled off this mortal coil/Must give us pause.” The other reference is to Julius Caesar. When Lenore feels that everyone is siding against her, Holt writes, “I thought: You, too, Cassie” (p. 221). That of course is a nod to Julius Caesar’s “Et tu, Brute?”

The Silk Vendetta was published in 1987. The First Ballantine Books Edition was published in January of 1989.

Shakespeare Study: The Tragedy Of King Lear (revisited, again)

I love all of Shakespeare’s work, but the play I find myself returning to most often is King Lear. It is, in my opinion, his greatest play, and perhaps the greatest literary and artistic work in the history of humanity. And no, I’m not exaggerating. Reading it again, I found myself in tears more than once.

King Lear by William Shakespeare – The first edition I read this time around was The Arden Shakespeare edition, edited by Kenneth Muir. The introduction gets into the different early editions of the play, and the dating of the play, and its likely sources, going into some detail regarding The True Chronicle History Of King Leir. Regarding the parallels, Muir writes: “It might even be suggested that there is a possibility that Shakespeare acted in King Leir; and as Perillus is on the stage when all save one of the above parallel passages are spoken, that may have been Shakespeare’s role” (p. xxix). Muir also draws some parallels between King Lear and Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus, and addresses some of the criticism of the play. Muir writes: “In the scene in which he is being led off to prison he has apparently overcome the desire for vengeance: he has left behind him all those attributes of kingship which had prevented him from attaining his full stature as a man; he has even passed beyond his own pride” (pages xlix-l). Ample notes are located at the bottom of each page of the text. Regarding Kent’s line “Nor tripp’d either, you base foot-ball player,” the note reads: “Football, perhaps suggested by ‘bandy’ (82), was regarded as a low game in Shakespeare’s day. It was played by idle boys in the streets to the great annoyance of the citizens” (p. 38). Regarding Kent’s line “thou unnecessary letter,” the note reads: “This title is given to the letter Z because it was generally ignored in the dictionaries of the time. Baret omits it altogether in his Alvearie, and Rider in his Dictionary, ed. 1640, says it is not used in Latin” (p. 68). Regarding the word “politician” in Lear’s line “And, like a scurvy politician,” the note reads: “trickster, one who follows Machiavelli’s ‘policy’, not a politician in the modern sense of the word” (p. 169). Regarding Albany’s line “Great thing of us forgot,” the note reads: “Kittredge remarks that ‘this amnesia on everybody’s part is necessary for the climax that follows.’ But, after all, there is no reason why Albany should suspect that Lear and Cordelia were in danger; and he had had plenty to occupy his mind during the wasted ten minutes” (p. 200). And then regarding his use of the word “object” in the line “Seest thou this object, Kent,” the note reads: “sight. Kirschbaum, defending the Folio through thick and thin, takes this to refer to Edmund, lying wounded. It is more natural for it to refer to the bodies of Goneril and Regan, especially when one takes Edmund’s next speech into consideration. He is really answering Kent’s question. The bodies are brought on the stage so that Lear can be confronted with his three daughters, as in the first scene of the play” (p. 201). Regarding the final two lines of the play, the note reads: “These lines are given to Albany by Q; and critics have argued that the last speech should be given to the person of highest rank who survives. But Edgar has to reply to Albany’s speech, and the words ‘We that are young’ come somewhat more naturally from his mouth than from that of Albany” (p. 206). The book contains appendices, including scenes from King Leir and passages from relevant works. This book was first published in 1964. The copy I read was the reprint from 1975.

King Lear by William Shakespeare – The next edition I decided to read is the RSC edition, edited by Jonathan Bate and Eric Rasmussen. In the introduction Jonathan Bate writes: “Written soon after King James united the thrones of England and Scotland, and performed in his royal presence at Whitehall, King Lear reveals the dire consequences of dividing a united kingdom. In principle, the aged Lear’s decision to take voluntary retirement does not seem a bad thing: he is losing his grip on matters of state, his daughters and sons-in-law are ‘younger strengths’ with more energy for government, and, most important, the division is intended to prevent a future civil war between rival claimants, which would have been a definite possibility in the absence of a son who would automatically inherit the whole kingdom” (p. ix). Regarding Cordelia in that scene, Bate writes: “Lear knows that she loves him best, but we may assume that until this moment her love has always been expressed privately. As youngest and unmarried daughter, Cordelia has probably never spoken publicly before the court. Lear’s intention for the opening scene is that it will be Cordelia’s coming out: she is supposed to give public expression to her great love and in return she will be rewarded with the richest portion of the kingdom and the most prized husband” (pages ix-x). And regarding the ending, in the introduction Bate writes: “Then when Lear enters with his beloved daughter dead in his arms, loyal Kent asks, ‘Is this the promised end?’ He is thinking of Doomsday, but the line is also a sly allusion on Shakespeare’s part: in all previous versions of the Lear story, several of which would have been familiar to members of the audience, Cordelia survives and Lear is restored to the throne. The death of Cordelia is all the more painful because it is not the end ‘promised’ by previous literary and theatrical tradition” (p. xv). The text follows the Folio version of the play. Notes are included at the bottom of each page. Regarding Gloucester’s line “Do you smell a fault?” in the first scene, the note on the word “fault” reads “transgression/loss of scent during a hunt/vagina” (p. 4). Regarding Kent’s line “and to eat no fish” in the fourth scene, the note reads: “i.e. only to eat a hearty diet of meat/not to eat fish on Fridays like a Roman Catholic/not to have sex with prostitutes” (p. 23). And regarding Kent’s line “Revenge, affirm, and turn their halcyon beaks,” the note reads: “the kingfisher (halcyon) was thought to act as a weather vane if dried and hung up” (p. 44). Regarding Lear’s “hewgh!” in Act 4 Scene 5, the note reads “perhaps Lear imitates the sound of the arrow as it flies through the air or hits the target” (p. 95). On that same page, the note regarding Edgar’s “Sweet marjoram” reads: “Edgar invents a password that relates to Lear’s headgear and to the plant’s alleged medicinal properties in treating brain disorders” (p. 95). Though the text follows the Folio version, the book does include the Quarto passages that don’t appear in the Folio, presenting them in their own section after the play. The book also includes a scene-by-scene analysis. In that section, regarding Act 2 Scene 2, the editors write, “The encounter of king and beggar, the question of ‘superfluity,’ and the stripping down from courtly accoutrements to raw nature are at the core of the play” (p. 147). There is also a history of performances of the play, focusing on RSC productions. In that section, the editors write: “The political dimensions of King Lear are most clearly evidenced in the king’s interaction with the mad beggar. Edgar, the abused son, and Poor Tom, the forgotten citizen of Lear’s England, embody both familial and national neglect” (p. 176). Also regarding Edgar, they write: “Our opinion of Edgar will determine how we consider the end of the play. His spiritual journey, which echoes Lear’s, provides him with a unique understanding of humanity and the preciousness of life. But he is also a very human avenger who has to set the world right and provide hope for the future” (p. 180). This book also contains interviews with directors who have tackled the play. This version, with the footnotes, was originally published in 2007 in William Shakespeare’s Complete Works. The Modern Library Paperback Edition was published in 2009.

King Lear by William Shakespeare – The next edition I read was one I’d read before, but was tricked into purchasing a second time because of a different cover. It was The New Penguin Shakespeare edition, edited by G.K. Hunter. I included notes on this edition in an earlier post, but here is one note I did not mention the first time. In the introduction, G.K. Hunter writes: “The old King Leir play gives an adequate motive for the love-contest, an unsubtle motive, but one that fits perfectly well into the nature of the play. Leir wishes to trick Cordella (Cordelia) into a profession of love so binding that he will be able to demand that she marry the Irish king – which he desires for political as well as personal reasons. Shakespeare removes this (understandably enough), but substitutes nothing else; in his play, there is no motive at all” (p. 27). This book was first published in 1972. I’m not sure what year this copy was published, though there is some indication online that it might have been 1999.

King Lear by William Shakespeare; illustrated by Ian Pollock – This wonderfully illustrated edition begins with a drawing of each character. There is then a bit about the themes of the play and on the arc of Lear’s character, written by David Gibson. Gibson writes: “As Lear falls into the terrible truth beneath appearances, he becomes, himself, the Fool. And so devastating is his experience of the cruel world that he longs to see it destroyed. When he was surrounded by lies, he believed everything: now, surrounded by the truth, he can believe in nothing.” That is followed by a brief synopsis of the story. This edition follows the Folio reading of Kent’s line, “Reserve thy state.” Kent’s lines about banishment are presented in thought bubbles, so not spoken aloud. Cordelia’s asides are likewise presented in thought bubbles. When Edmund talks about his shape, he poses before a mirror. Kent, when disguised, wears a fake beard, which is interesting because some editors assume Kent has actually shaved his beard; thus his use of the word “razed.” The Fool is a strange little character as depicted in this volume. When Edgar first appears as Poor Tom before Lear, he reminds me of Gollum from Lord Of The Rings. Not all asides are presented in thought bubbles, for Edgar’s line “My tears begin to take his part so much, they mar my counterfeiting” is spoken aloud. The book’s final page has an image of the Fool, hanged, so apparently taking Lear’s line literally to mean the Fool was hanged, and not Cordelia. This book was published in 1984.