author: Erin Tarpley

“Love’s a reason without reason”

What is the first trope you think of when you think of Shakespeare?  Star-crossed lovers?  Mistaken identities?  Cross-dressing? Tragic flaws?  Dramatic irony?  Do you tend to prefer his tragedies? Comedies? Romances?? Well, when it comes to The Tale of Cymbeline, this show feels like it is competing for a “Shakespeare-Trope” bingo game; and all the audience is a winner with this production!

As implied, there is a lot going on in The Tale of Cymbeline and the fantastic members of the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company not only acknowledge this, but lean into it! Throughout the production, there are several instances of the cast breaking away from the traditional Shakespearean prose to make a rather tongue-in-cheek remark to let the audience in on the whole “Yeah, we know, this premise is kinda bonkers.  But what a ride, huh?!”

To attempt to summarize the plot of this play briefly would be a fool’s errand, and honestly, it is way more fun to experience it first hand as every single plot point rolls out and plays out before you.  All you really need to know about the plot is that The Tale of Cymbeline is treated like a fairytale: beginning with “once upon a time” and then rolling through the outlandish tale of a princess and her banished husband, would-be usurping evil stepmother and her clod of a son, long-lost princes, and the invading armies of Rome (thrown in for good measure). 

Though only a cast of nine, each member takes up the mantle of multiple characters.  Each creates phenomenal presence and space on stage to make it feel like there were at least a dozen more characters present at times.  Entertainingly, the only cast member who did not play multiple “characters” was the one character that disguised themselves as a different person all together.  Playing King Cymbeline’s daughter, Imogen, and then her disguised persona of “Fidele”, is the wonderfully fantastic Fabiolla de Silva.  De Silva plays all the facets of a Shakespearean heroine from young woman in love, to innocent woman scorned, to cross dressing woman making her way in the world, back to devoted princess and wife. And along the way, de Silva glides through this complicated existence as easily as the fireflies that light up the stage around her.

Playing her banished, wagering, cynical, distraught, and joyous husband, Posthumus (all in that order), as well as her conniving, clouttish, popinjay step-brother, Cloten (all in every order), is the terrific Joshua Williams.  Playing these mirror image characters allows Williams to really show his outstanding range as he covers both the light and dramatic mood swings of the hero, Posthumus, ebbing and flowing from happily confident in love, to distraughtly cynical in his falsely believed cuckoldry, to the absolutely comedic and over-the-top foolish Cloten.

Heel to our hero, Posthumus, and the reason for our lovers to feel false betrayal, is the vile Iachimo, played by Lizzi Albert.  Albert has an ease and grace to her character’s smarmy charm that plays with an effortlessness as she fails to seduce the chaste and true heroine, and then lie as easily as breathing about a non-existent night of passion with said heroine. 

Meanwhile, the valiant and loyal servant of Pisanio, played by Abel Haddish, is stalwart and empathetic to his master and lady’s plight, heightened by Haddish’s skill in conveying a level of thought and feeling that is not only vulnerable, but oozes both dedication and a sense of wise understanding that there is more than meets the eye to the plight of the troubled lovers.

Stolen as babes and raised in the wilds of the Welsh country-side, true-born princes Guiderius and Arviragus (played by Lloyd Marcus and Luke Douglas, respectively),  do a marvelous job of balancing the brute simplicity of two young men raised in a cave with the regal air of nobility stemming from their unknown paternal origin.  Marcus flawlessly encapsulates the natural confident aura of a man born to be the very embodiment of a fairytale-prince, while Douglas builds on Marcus’ physical strength and adds a complimentary tenderness and open heart when presented with the stranger “Fidele.”  The two are absolutely fantastic in complimenting each other’s strengths while also making it easy for the audience to see why their abductor, and adoptive parent, Belaria (played by Ali Haas), would so easily love them so, despite being the true sons of the King who banished her. 

Said King Cymbeline, played by Samuel Richie, is a superb presence as king, worried father, and benevolent pardoner.  Able to command the air around him, as well as to dote on those he loves well, Richie allows his fatherly side to lead his performance and never let the audience forget that while he is a leader, he is also a man that loves his children and relishes in their well-being. 

Billed as playing the most multiple roles, Elana Michelle dons the essence of a theatrical chameleon as she effortlessly  transitions from Roman General to lady’s maid to scheming (but only in a way that thwarts the Queen!) court doctor, and back again.  Michelle blends into her roles with ease and aplomb as she transitions characters across a spectrum of wit and cunning, to stoicism and practicality, and everywhere in-between.

Meanwhile, Ali Haas also masters a spectrum of comedic and tragic parental love as she takes on the dual roles of our story’s evil Queen and the loving exiled guardian.  As the evil stepmother to Imogen, Haas leans into a more comedic approach as she projects the overbearing confidence of a cunning schemer in an effort to secure her own power over the kingdom.  But as Belaria: the abductor and rearer of Cymbeline’s two sons who she also just happened to kidnap as babes, Haas truly shines as a powerhouse of conflicted love and duty to her stolen wild-princes as she weighs the guilt of her actions against the feeling of being blessed to raise two such dear and wonderful young men.

So while I may have given a bit more of the plot points away in the praise of these nine fantastic actors, nothing will truly compare to the experience of seeing this show for yourself!  Taking place in the ruins of the historic Patapsco Female Institute (PFI), the open-air always adds to the magic of the production.  But one thing that I found interesting in this year’s production was the use of building a full proscenium arch for the stage.  Designed by Dan O’Brien, the stage constructed conveys the idea of an olde-time traveling stage wagon.  (To be clear, that means a stage that travels on a wagon with wheels; not a “stage wagon” carriage that one might find in the American Wild West.)  This use of the stage wagon model harkens a feeling of seeing a traveling show as one might have centuries ago.  And with the beautifully textile-focused and complementary style used in the costumes, designed by Hannah Brill, the overall feeling evokes the audience seeing a troupe of traveling performers rather than an established brick and mortar company.  Having seen several shows performed at the PFI ruins, this was the first time I felt the set overtook the location in such a way that the ruins did not feel like part of the production.  Rather, the feeling was that this was a production that could have taken place anywhere in the great-outdoors.  This was not necessarily a bad thing, because goodness knows there is a magic sensation in the elevated air of the grounds to the PFI; just an interesting choice.  But that being said, I felt there was an absolutely lovely elegance to the overall feeling of the set that allowed the performers to live and breathe on its stage while the set only served to blend into the background and create an effortless atmosphere for the actors to bring the various locations to life through their words and actions. 

The juxtaposition of the more simplified (but beautiful) set and costumes against the complexity of the overall story works in beautiful harmony to breathe life into an absolutely charming, engaging, and all-in-all fantastically entertaining production masterfully directed by Ben Lambert.  Playing now through July 19th, The Tale of Cymbeline is truly a special production that no one should miss.  And don’t forget: Sundays are “Family Fun Days” with additional summer experiences for young audiences providing arts and crafts, live music, pre-show storytelling, and other activities. 

Be sure to get your tickets soon!  For just as any fairytale starts with “once upon a time,” all too soon, the tale will be over and only those that see it will be able to feel the sensation this show gives as a “happily ever after!”

Running time: Approximately 2 and a half hours with one  fifteen minute intermission

The Tale of Cymbeline plays through Sunday July 19th with Chesapeake Shakespeare Company at the PFI Historic Park, Ellicott City MD.  Tickets can be purchased by calling the box office at 410-244-8570 (Tues-Fri 10:00am -4:00pm EST) or in advance online