Pericles

"It was exciting to see what legendary director Trevor Nunn would do with 'Pericles,' but his production for Theater for a New Audience is just as scattered as the play. This is especially true of the acting, which is all over the map. Christian Camargo is broodingly soulful as Pericles but some of his co-stars are embarrassingly awful." Full Review

"The production, largely well acted and vividly staged, opens with a thunderclap, an apt harbinger of the stormy tale to unfold. Mr. Nunn has played fast and loose with the text...This is an action-driven yarn — the equivalent in the Shakespeare canon of a popcorn picture — and Mr. Nunn’s careful editing improves the tale’s sometimes haphazard momentum...Given the mildly disappointing performances in some key roles, I found myself, as always, entranced by the final scenes." Full Review

"Trevor Nunn's ravishing production of 'Pericles' may well be the best account of Shakespeare’s bad romance that you will ever have a chance to see...It is a testament to Nunn’s directorial mastery that he is able to fashion a coherent, often beautiful pageant from such weird materials...Against all odds, the play is finally quite moving; the famed 'recognition scene' between Pericles and his daughter, Marina, brought tears to my eyes." Full Review

"Taking his cue from the text, Nunn infuses the picaresque proceedings with generous amounts of song and dance, making an already long evening feel even longer...For all the furious activity onstage, the overall effect is curiously lifeless, due to both the diffuseness and unevenness of the material...Nunn is mightily straining for poeticism, when a light-hearted, winking approach might have produced more felicitous results." Full Review

"Nunn has thrown everything he knows how to do, circa 1975, at the text...This all looks and sounds grand, but a variety-show aroma seems to cling to the proceedings...Something has to be done with the weaker material in 'Pericles' in order to make way for the stronger, and it might as well be cheesy. The good news is that Nunn has cast actors who can serve the cheese but also the verse, so the beauty pops as much as the humor." Full Review

"Nunn probably could have cut a chunk of text without affecting the overall arc. But his physical production is rollicking…At times, though, the acting is more of a mixed bag. Few American actors speak the language of Shakespeare with as much finesse as Camargo does, and he is a mightily appealing Pericles…Lily Englert is oddly disconnected from her role...For completists, this is the chance to scratch another one off the list. And this production is a particularly handsome way to do so." Full Review

"Having assembled a highly skilled company and some imaginative designers, Nunn takes the script at face value, an absorbing and twisty narrative that builds to a genuinely moving climax...The production is filled with incisively conceived and lucid portrayals...Productions of 'Pericles' are rare enough; productions this confidently executed are as rare as unicorns. If you have ever had the slightest bit of interest in seeing this play, now is the time to pounce." Full Review

"This is a sumptuous and frequently spectacular production, enriched by setting, lighting, staging and music...If Nunn can’t make the plot less absurd, he does at least make the play all of a fanciful piece, with an atmosphere that borrows from the ancient and medieval, but mostly from the fairytale...Pericles should consider himself lucky to be embodied by Christian Camargo, an actor of precision and depth, thoroughly confident in the verse. He is backed by a mostly engaging supporting cast." Full Review

"Working with an American cast, [director] Nunn almost succeeds in making this combination shaggy-dog story and picaresque romance fun...Shaun Davey’s delightful music and Stephen Strawbridge’s poetic lighting almost overcome the Bard’s seemingly endless melodrama, but there’s too much silly storytelling and not enough dramatic meat on this 'Pericles’' bones." Full Review

"A gorgeous, swashbuckling pageant, featuring Constance Hoffman’s parade of fancy and fanciful character-revealing costumes; Shaun Davey’s tuneful, period-appropriate music; lighting designer Stephen Strawbridge’s dreamy hues of blue and vivid orange; and a sexy hero in Christian Camargo...There is also a large cast that is certainly game and largely (but not entirely) winning...I’ll confess that [Nunn's] slicing and splicing didn’t especially glad my ear...but the show did please my eyes." Full Review

"[Director Nunn] certainly makes no case here for the show's potential and indeed this production in particular gets worse as it goes along....Can one mess up a bad play? Nunn comes awfully close...It's as if Nunn were adapting 'The Scarlet Pimpernel' but treating it like 'Macbeth.' You don't necessarily want to make fun of the whole affair , but you certainly don't want to treat it as the stately epic Nunn clearly envisioned." Full Review

"‘Pericles’ is a story stringing numerous incidents together without a subplot. A lot of what happens is fanciful and requires a firm suspension of disbelief. Trouble is you have to remain suspended for nearly three hours before the emotional payoff arrives. There’s obviously plenty of action—too much, in fact—but Pericles, kind, wise, and brave as he may be, also grows flat, dull, and tiresome. So what happens when an A-list director meets a D-list Shakespeare play? I’d say the answer is a C+." Full Review

"Nunn’s 'Pericles' is an unusually lavish affair, with a 22-person cast, live music and rich, exotic-looking costumes. Alas, 'Pericles' is not worthy of such large-scale production values. The three-hour show, though visually sleek and persuasively acted, comes off as bloated and tiresome, and Nunn’s edits to the text do not add much clarity." Full Review

"The biggest problem with this production is the casting is so uneven. Mr. Camargo is a bore, we do not care about him. He looks nice, but is so bland that it is hard to stay with him for the required 2 hours and 45 minutes...As much as the music broke up the long speeches, it doesn’t a cohesive piece make...The visuals were glorious including the costumes by Constance Hoffman, and seeing this rarely produced piece was satisfying." Full Review

"This is one overstuffed play, one that Shakespeare apparently didn’t write alone. The notion of multiple authors may account for the chockablock story and schizophrenic tone. The drama is all over the map...There’s so much going on that Gower, the narrator, makes an even bigger impression than the hero. Trevor Nunn, the veteran British director, has added music to make the three-hour work feel dynamic. To counteract the story bloat, his production is sleek and spare — less can be more." Full Review

"While Trevor Nunn’s concept for this 'Pericles' is at times tame as though he was consciously creating family entertainment, it is always accessible and lucid, a plus for a rarely staged Shakespeare play. The large cast acquit themselves well and the long running time proves no obstacle to enjoyment. Ultimately, the final recognition scene is quite moving. This is a good introduction to Shakespeare’s late plays for those who are unfamiliar with the so-called romances." Full Review

"Having seen this 'Pericles,' all I can do is take some comfort in the fact that even geniuses like Shakespeare and near-ones like Nunn can turn out a flop...Trying to do his part to keep the audience's attention, Nunn adds music and spectacle and extravagant costumes. None of it worked for me but there were occasional murmurs of delight from other audience members...I suspect that only other completists will enjoy seeing what he's done with this one." Full Review

"You’d be hard-pressed to find a Shakespeare devotee who lists 'Pericles' anywhere near their top ten favorites list, but Trevor Nunn and company have taken an ostentatious play that features hints of Shakespeare’s notoriously beautiful speeches and turned it into a lovely and entertaining production that’s as worth seeing as any great play. It’s beautiful to look at, easy to follow and helps check off one of the remaining holdouts on a Complete Works scorecard in a very satisfactory fashion." Full Review

"The production at Theatre for a New Audience is so engaging and visually sumptuous that one can only wonder it’s not a staple of the canon...For the most part, the actors handle the language with skill...This rarely staged romance is a feast for the eyes and the ears, a gem from a master Shakespearean director that you won’t want to miss." Full Review

"Even if you usually shrug at Shakespeare's early romance, go see this new staging by Trevor Nunn, with Christian Camargo in the titular role...Nunn revamps this play by adapting some flatly-written scenes and adding vibrant music and songs by Shaun Davey...Camargo disappears into his role and lets the larger play come into focus. The entire ensemble performs in much the same vein...Those who see this production will be part of something very special." Full Review

"There is enough depth to lower an anchor and contemplate the sudden twists and turns of our own fragile fate...Trevor Nunn has a cast with talent in spades. Under the surface of this vibrant carousel is evidence of a highly skilled technique master. He has wrought the perfect amount of meaning and melancholia out of the text to buffet the showy antics of the piece. There are so many layers at play at any given moment that the production is rich with the complexity of human fallout." Full Review

"In the hands of one of the most renowned theatre directors, this production is far from typical...It’s the acting that grounds the show. All the actors demonstrate great skill with the language, emoting Shakespeare’s lines beautifully. Nunn is extremely masterful at producing a show that feeds all the senses, employing bright and colorful visuals and a rich sound tapestry. 'Pericles' may be more than 400 years old, but Nunn and company make it come alive again." Full Review

"Camargo breathes new and vigorous life into a timeless character...Pericles’ every adventure, whether as lovelorn prince or ruined old man, captivates. There’s something for everyone in Nunn’s production…Despite the seeming inevitability of the happy ending, you’ll find yourself tearing up – or at least suppressing a grin – as the cast takes their bow. 'Pericles' is a colorful, visually rich and heartwarming adventure of a play that you won’t want to miss." Full Review

"Raucous, delicious, and ultimately very moving...Compelling characterizations by all the principal players and eye-poppingly gorgeous design make everything not only clear but kind of addictive...The play takes on the feeling of an adventure series, each episode ending as a cliffhanger. And it’s a stunningly realized adventure....It’s impossible for me to imagine any playgoer not taking delight in this utterly charming and 100% fun production." Full Review