A Vivacious Affair by Ryan LaPointe

On Wednesday, March 11, we went to see Kneehigh's Tristan and Yseult, performed at ArtsEmerson's Cutler Majestic Theater in Boston.  The Cutler Majestic is a very ornate, large theater with two balcony levels.  I noticed that the theater has unusually comfortable seats that did not become uncomfortable by the end of the performance as I have grown to expect.

Tristan and Yseult is a comedic love story.  After defeating his enemy Morholt, King Mark of Cornwall vows to take everything that belonged to Morholt, including his sister Yseult.  Tristan is tasked with fetching Yseult so that the king may marry her.  Tristan is successful in finding Yseult, and the pair fall in love at first sight.  After much fun on the voyage back to Cornwall, Yseult is wed to King Mark, but that does not put an end to her amour with Tristan.

The show was incredibly well choreographed.  There were realistic knife fights and elaborate, quick-paced dances.  Everything was performed with great precision and specificity, which in my opinion was the outstanding aspect of this performance.

I was also impressed with the intricacy of the show's technical aspects.  The performance contained a huge number of complex light and sound cues that were often very timing-sensitive.  One moment which I found particularly effective was when Frocin took a photo of Tristan and Yseult.  At this moment, there was an intense white flash of light throughout the stage, bright enough that I was blinded for an instant, accompanied by a loud sound effect.  This combination startled me even though I knew that Frocin was about to snap a photo.  Startling the audience seems to be the intended effect of this cue, conveying the startlement of Tristan and Yseult, who had been unaware of Frocin's presence.

The acting was very good, although I could pick out a few less-than-perfect moments during the course of the performance.  The comedy of the show was well done, and I felt gratified when any of the principally comical characters came on stage, including Frocin, Brangian, and the “Club of the Unloved” ensemble.  At a few points during the performance, the audience was asked to actively engage themselves in ways such as toasting the king and the queen, and inflating and releasing balloons found in some of the programs.

I found this performance of Tristan and Yseult to be the most entertaining of all of the shows we attended during the two weeks of Winterim.  The well-executed comedy and occasional breaking of the fourth wall kept the show engaging and amusing.  I highly recommend this production.