Pericles SF Examiner Review

Courtesy of The San Francisco Examiner

July 30, 2002

A 'Prince' of a story

BY LESLIE KATZ
Of The Examiner Staff

The rarely performed "Pericles, Prince of Tyre" doesn't rank among Shakespeare's most popular works. But after seeing Woman's Will's touching, entertaining production of the play, it's difficult to understand why.

The all-female, San Francisco-based troupe presenting its annual free shows in Bay Area parks again proves the adage "less is more" with its clever, compact, no-frills show. It tells the story of the trials and tribulations of a noble prince who travels the Mediterranean -- losing and reuniting with his family -- over a 15-year period.

Under thoughtful direction by Erin Merritt and Victoria Carter, the versatile actors -- all but the lead in multiple roles -- are the key to this production's strength.

A commanding, handsome Susan-Jane Harrison as the title character is the personification of integrity and toughness. As Pericles sails the seas, it's clear to us why he wows everyone he meets. Ditto for Jaxy Boyd, who plays two respected characters: Helicanus, an advisor to Pericles, and Cerimon, a healer.

Lizzy Calogero shows excellent range as Pericles' wife Thaisa, who doesn't quite drown at sea after giving birth to a baby girl, and later, as a marauder who kidnaps Marina, Pericles' and Thaisa's grown-up daughter and brings her to a brothel.

Robin Steeves gets the bad-guy honors, playing the evil Antiochus, a king who's guilty of incest with his daughter, and Cleon, a governor who does a stinky job of looking after the young Marina after Pericles leaves her in his care.

The sets and props are nothing more than a simple cloth backdrop with some decorations that suggest an aquatic scene, and a wooden skeleton of a boat. Still, the company, with seeming ease, brings to life Pericles' struggles and the people he meets on his long journey.

The costumes also are ingenious. The actors wear long tunics punctuated by scarves, whose placement indicates which character's in action. It's really clever.

In addition to the extraordinary acting and solid staging, a third element brings even greater depth to this production. It's the new translation of the play, performed in American Sign Language by interpreters Kendra Keller, JAC, Patty Lessat and Ann Smith.

And one of the show's characters, the narrator Gower, is played by Poh-Gaik Teh, a deaf actor who alternates in the role with Sage Catron. For the hearing audience, the ensemble, in chorus fashion, speaks the snippets of narration, which effectively link the pieces of the story. (Despite the distraction of routine noise in a public park, it's easy to follow the story.)

And this "Pericles" is a sure-fire fairy tale with an ending that'll bring a lump to your throat. Unlike some theater groups that are sidetracked by complicated trappings or convoluted reinterpretations of the Bard, Woman's Will has the smarts to stick with -- and enhance -- the heart of the story.