Nathan the wise
by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, in a version by Edward Kemp
Directed by Birgit Schreyer Duarte
Studio Theatre, Stratford Festival
May 25 - Oct 19, 2019
EXTENDED!
CAST
Al-Hafi, a dervish Shelly Antony. Sittah, Saladin’s sister Miranda Calderon. A Knight Templar Jakob Ehman. Servant, Townsperson Deb Filler. Nathan, a rich Jew Diane Flacks. Saladin, the Sultan Danny Ghantous. Bonafides, a lay brother Ron Kennell. Soldier / Townsperson Hannah Miller. Patriarch of Jerusalem Harry Nelken. Daya, a Christian Sarah Orenstein. Rachel, Nathan’s daughter Oksana Sirju. Soldier / Townsperson Aladeen Tawfeek.
CREATIVE TEAM
Set Teresa Przybylski. Costumes Michelle Tracey. Lighting Steve Lucas. Sound Debashis Sinha. Assistant Director Jewels Krauss. Stage Manager Maxwell T. Wilson. Assistant Stage Manager Gregory McLaughlin. Photography David Hou.
Skilfully guided with ease and subtle confidence by director Birgit Schreyer Duarte and brought to life by an empowered acting company clearly enthused by the eye-opening material, the play demonstrates just how powerful live theatre can be in the right hands.
Geoff Dale, The Beacon Harald
It is easy to understand why this play is often lauded as a masterpiece and this production certainly does it justice.
Lauren Gienow, Broadway World
"(Stratford's Nathan has) a transcendent central performance by Flacks in her Stratford debut...Her luminous, feeling Nathan is as wily as he is wise, and she does a wonderful job of dramatizing the way he wields his “wisdom” in self-defence.
J. Kelly Nestruck, The Globe and Mail
The bold move of casting Diane Flacks as Nathan, still playing the character as a man, is a particularly gratifying aspect of the Stratford production that pays off on several levels.
Geoff Dale, The Beacon Herald
“I don’t believe we ever lose the superstitions of our race. We drink them in with our mother’s milk, and we may mock them but they are bred into our bones.”
Two other notable Stratford debuts: Miranda Calderon, who turns the somewhat sidelined character of Saladin’s sister into a fascinating figure even when she’s just observing; and Ehman as the short-tempered Knight Templar, feisty throughout."
J. Kelly Nestruck, The Globe and Mail
Applying her extensive knowledge to one of the staples of German literature, Duarte is right in her element brilliantly discerning and highlighting in an entertaining fashion the timelessness of Lessing’s universal message of tolerance and understanding that still holds true in 2019.
Geoff Dale, The Beacon Harold
Director Birgit Schreyer Duarte has mounted an intelligently conceived production that creates momentum in both its dramatic and comedic elements... Duarte keeps the sometimes tricky action and endlessly changing plot revelations moving fluidly (no small accomplishment) and the result is a strong and coherent production well worth seeing.
Barbara Gabriel, Capital Critics' Circle
[I]t’s especially helpful to return to this rarely produced piece as two and a half hours of respite from the endless stream of hot takes, breaking news and partisan think pieces that dominate our attention day to day. The Stratford Festival’s production, directed by Birgit Schreyer Duarte, goes even further to dig into the levity of such conversations.
Carly Maga, The Toronto Star