Cymbeline
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Cititour.com Review
An opulent production to be sure, but Lincoln Center's Cymbeline suffers from the same problems which always plague Shakespeare's oft-disparaged work. It's a romance surrounded by tragedy with the comic ending of All's Well That Ends Well. No matter how director Mark Lamos clears up the plot-points, Cymbeline is a clunky vehicle.
Two lovers, Imogen (the King's daughter) and Posthumus (the King's ward), secretly marry. Upon learning of this, the King banishes the young bridegroom for this treachery. When in Italy he is taunted by Iachimo, a lothario who sets out unsuccessfully to bed Imogen. In addition, the Roman army is at the door, and the King's sons, absent from the court since birth, are rediscovered in the woods.
The cast, led by the compelling John Cullum in the title role as the King of Britain, is singularly earnest. With varying degrees of shading, they range from Michael Cerveris' Posthumus as wistful and brokenhearted to Jonathan Cake's Iachimo as flippant and disturbingly cruel. And while Martha Plimpton is the dutiful wife, her lines are delivered in a redundant fashion — a playing style which also grips Phylicia Rashad as the evil Queen. Offering more in the way of texture is John Pankow as the loyal servant.
The sets, costumes and lighting created by Michael Yeargan, Jess Goldstein and Brian MacDevitt, respectively, are visually stunning and
even the deus ex machina is glorious to see. However, no amount of tinkering can make Cymbeline more than Shakespeare-lite.
By Lesley Alexander
Visit the Site
http://www.lct.org
Cast
Jonathan Cake, Michael Cerveris, John Cullum, John Pankow, Martha Plimpton, Phylicia Rashad
Open/Close Dates
Opening 11/1/2007
Closing 1/6/2008
Box Office
(212) 239-6200
Theatre Info
Vivian Beaumont Theater
150 West 65th Street
New York, NY 10023
Map
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