All’s Well That Ends Well is one of Shakespeare’s most problematical problem plays. With all due respect to the Bard, it has a tendency to be lacklustre with a weak plot.
Director Scott Wentworth has chosen to relocate the drama, which largely takes place in Florence and France, to the Great War period, with a minimalist set and colourful costumes designed by Michelle Bohn, each shown to impressive effect for those with 4K TVs.
On the plus side, the play offers one of the strongest female characters in the canon. Jessica B Hill fully embraces the opportunity, portraying Helena sympathetically but also with great humour and wit. The young woman risks all for unrequited love, having been brought up as the ward of Seana McKenna’s calm Countess of Rossillion and fallen for that lady’s son, the remarkably bland Bertram, played by Jordin Hall.
The first in a series of unlikely twists occurs when Helena uses her inherited knowledge to cure Ben Carlson as the ailing King of France. He offers her the earth but instead the young woman simply asks for her choice of any man at court as a husband. Her choice, Bertram, is not only unwilling to settle into marital bliss but, incongruous as it may sound, cowardly heads off to war, leaving wronged Helena distraught.
Using many techniques borrowed from other Shakespearean plots including a ring exchanged in bad faith, an unbearably proud man humiliated and a bedroom scene that somehow brings to mind Donald Trump, the 2¾-hour evening advances to an inevitable conclusion.
In the early scenes, Wentworth pushes hard for every laugh available, which proves surprisingly effective. In achieving his goal, the director is assisted by Rylan Wilkie as pompous Parolles, constantly jousting with Wayne Best’s Lafew and especially the glorious André Sills taking on the role of Lavatch and turning him into an archetypal Shakespearean clown.
While this piece may not be Shakespeare’s best, Stratford Festival has turned out an enjoyable performance that not only maximises the comedy but also gets to the heart of a good deal of the pathos, especially after the interval. Adding to the appeal, viewers are encouraged to watch this production alongside 1939, a new play specifically written for this season as a response.
All’s Well That Ends Well is available via the StratFest@Home web site as part of the Festival’s 70th anniversary celebrations. Subscriptions cost $10 a month and allow access to a wide back catalogue as well as six productions from the recent season, appearing gradually through the early part of 2023.