Word: redford
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...name is Sonny Steele. He is played by Robert Redford. He is the ultimate Rhinestone Cowboy, a five-time world's champion rodeo rider now reduced morally, if not economically, by having to hustle Ranch Breakfast, a conglomerate's cereal. He is frequently obliged to ride out into darkened stadiums wearing a suitful of colored lights while carrying a snootful of whisky in order to dull the pain of exploitation...
Anyone can guess what happens to the film's three principals once Redford galvanizes himself. Boy gets horse. Girl gets story (and also ceases to be merely a pesky observer and becomes an impassioned participant in Sonny's adventure). The populace learns the truth about the evil capitalists and rallies to the side of the beleaguered rebels. Why, boy and girl even get each other, if briefly. It's a story as old as talkies-dating back to Frank Capra's populist comedies...
...falls would be great for "The Three Stooges," and Bonnie Zimering's choerography perfect for Guys and Dolls, but what are they doing in Shakespeare? The fourth act ought to be a romance, but Redford's tidal wave of gimmickry floods any romantic element...
Finally, however, Redford the musical comedy director goes home and Redford the Shakespearian director returns. The last scene is as difficult to present as the eye-gouging scene in King Lear. Redford stages it identically to the courtroom scene, with Hermione on a pedestal above the rest of the players. It is a beautiful idea, uniting the play--allowing the virtue of Hermione to conquer all this time around. Clemenson once again masters the complexity of his role, as he wondrously discovers that the statue is in fact his living wife...
PERHAPS WHEN THE ACTION switched to Bohemia in the fourth act, Redford stayed behind in Sicilia. In another production an act as terrible as this would destroy the entire show. But Redford's exceptional talents shine nonetheless in the other four acts--which are gilded by the exceptional performances of Shohet and Clemenson. Shohet's performance is of a calibre rare for the Harvard stage. Clemenson's performance is a of a calibre rare for any stage...