Timon of Athens
Whenever I see Shakespeare performed live, I am wary. It is
difficult to produce effectively, and finding classically trained talent is
hard to do in a town filled with Film/TV based actors. Even more, Shakespeare
is a hard sell to a modern audience, since the language takes time and focus
from both the listeners’ and speakers’ end to really understand it. In the past
couple years, I have seen multiple Shakespeare productions, and I would say
only one was truly compelling or good. Even still, the allure of the poetry and
melody of Shakespeare’s writing, and the well-known, beloved stories, draws
theater companies to his plays. (I must admit here that my own theater company
is in pre-production of one of the Bard’s more familiar works, “Hamlet.”)
One of Shakespeare’s most under-produced plays is “Timon of
Athens,” the show I recently saw produced by The Porters of Hellsgate, a
classical theater company based in Los Angeles. It is their goal to do
Shakespeare’s entire canon, and I was happy to see that this troupe of artists
are doing the Bard’s work justice by understanding his writing and conveying
his story effectively. These actors seemed trained in the classics, and they
told the story of Timon very effectively.
The main plot goes like this: A very generous, wealthy man
dotes on his friends with baubles and good food, and does so to the point of
excess: he is unable to pay his creditors. When he asks his friends for money
to help him pay off his debts, they all turn a blind eye to him, admonishing
him for his spending habits. Timon realizes he doesn’t have any friends. He
moves to the woods, to escape the cruelty of mankind and prays to the Gods,
searches for meaning in his existence. Ironically, he finds a cache of gold and
word of his small fortune reverberates through the community. Soon various
people visit him, asking for gold. When Senators from Athens visit Timon in his
cave in the woods, hoping he will return to Athens and save them from a
forthcoming siege on the city (by a recently banished military general) Timon
refuses, saying they should all be massacred due to their selfish ways. Timon
then dies in the woods, and the play ends as the banished general and his army
attack the city.
The weaknesses of the show come from the play itself. There
are 38 plays in Shakespeare’s canon, and there is much deliberation that this
one was partially written by another author of the time, Thomas Middleton.
“Timon of Athens” could’ve benefited with some editing and retooling, since
much of the show feels undone and the subplot of the military general seems
very underwritten. Not much happens plot wise (which subsequently means its
less interesting than other plays), and it is very heavy handed and moralistic.
Some speculate that Shakespeare wrote this as a reaction to
the money mismanagement by the King at the time, James I. The King was known
for his great debt, brought about by lavish spending on friends and
aristocrats. The Royal Bank suffered from huge deficits due to James I spending
habits. And the wealthy, aristocratic class at the time was also accruing much
debt, each trying to “keep up with the Jones.” Shakespeare was very critical of
this behavior, and made it known with “Timon of Athens.” Many believe this is
why the show was rarely, if at all produced, during Shakespeare’s time.
Overall, the cast is good, especially the title character,
Timon (played by Thomas Bigley). His downfall from a wealthy gentleman to a
sorrowful misanthrope was compelling to watch, and he had a deft handling of
the text. Bigley’s charisma and likeability propelled the story forward,
especially during moments where Shakespeare’s writing is weakest (which
happened to be the majority of the second half).
The best moments of the show are between Timon and the philosopher
Apemantus (played by the wonderful Cynthis Beckert). The two argue aspects of
life, giving money to friends, trust, etc, at various stages during Timon’s
downfall. Near the end of the show, Apemantus finds Timon in the woods, and the
two cynics discuss their opinions on mankind. This scene was the best of the
night: simple and honest scene work between two very great actors. The melody
and poetry of the writing is strong, and I was reminded many times at the
beautiful imagery built into Shakespeare’s words. His wit is built into these
scenes, as Timon and Apemantus attempt to outsmart each other with clever
criticisms of the other’s life. Bigley and Beckert play well together, both
obviously well trained in this classical language.
I am struck by some of the themes of the show, especially
the sadness around a man who essentially loses all hope in mankind. Nothing
will change his mind, and he has given himself over to the negativity of life.
After he dies, the epitaph on his tomb (which Timon himself wrote) reads “Here
lies a / wretched corse, of wretched soul bereft: / Seek not my name: a plague
consume you wicked / caitiffs left! / Here lie I, Timon; who, alive, all living
men did hate: / Pass by and curse thy fill, but pass and stay / not here thy
gait.” He is a man who died because he had nothing to live for.
Despite the issues with some with the story, Director
Charles Pasternak creates a wonderful world for the actors to play in. He
adheres to some of the traditional forms of Shakespearean story telling:
minimal costume changes and minimal set pieces. The set, designed by Taylor
Fisher, effectively creates the idea of various locales, without the use of
flats or cumbersome amounts of furniture. I won’t give too many details about
the scene change effect from Timon’s mansion to the forest, but I will say the
theatricality and beauty of the moment was fascinating. It will be exciting to
follow The Poters of Hellsgate through the rest of the canon.
The Porters of Hellsgate's
Timon of Athens by William Shakespeare
runs Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 pm
and Sundays at 2:00 pm through June 2nd at
The Actors Forum Theatre
10655 Magnolia Blvd., North Hollywood, CA 91601.
Call (818) 325 - 2055 for more info or visit
The Porters of Hellsgate online at
No comments:
Post a Comment