Love's Labour Lost in Edmonton

As the clouds were looming overhead, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the amphitheatre at Hawrelak Park was a real theatre (i.e. with seats and roof) and could be described as semi-outdoor. I was expecting something along the lines of the amphitheatre in High Park (Toronto) where you sat on steps/sloping grass under the open sky.

The production was modern, fun and entertaining. However, at times the cast seemed to speak to each other more than they did to the audience, almost as if they were staging for television instead of theatre. Perhaps this had something to do with the fact that they were miked up, as opposed to using a traditional low-tech set where you had to project your voice. Nevertheless, this highly musical presentation of "Love's Labour Lost" kept the action up and the audience captivated. Though true to the original, the production took lots of liberty in interpretation, which is something I enjoyed. Given their highly energetic and physical style, I was regretting not being able to catch their performance of "Romeo and Juliet" (they switch plays on alternate evenings), which could have been quite an experience.

All in all, really worth watching, but not as good as the perfomances I've seen in Toronto of "a Midsummer Night's Dream" and "As You Like It" by CanStage. www.rivercityshakespeare.com www.canstage.com