This year is particularly exciting at Maynardville Open Air
Theatre, because there will be two plays running concurrently throughout the summer
season. Cardenio opened 12 January 2013 to an almost packed audience and a
perfect summer evening.
Recently the Cape
Times published a review by Tracey Saunders (15 January 2013) that described
Dorotea’s rape scene as an “almost throw-away treatment” and that it “made the
production very disturbing”.
While the rape of Dorotea may read to Saunders as callous
and thoughtless, my interpretation of that scene differs vastly.
The ambiguity between the violent, yet consenting nature of
that scene resonates with the themes within the play.
Roy Sargeant has also almost brilliantly juxtaposed the revelry
of the festivities within the court with the intimacy of that sexual act. If
anything, I would argue that the revelry could have been more raucous and festive.
While Saunders also argues that the socio-political themes
within the production could have been explored more, I appreciated the straightforward
portrayal of the story-line (being unfamiliar with it myself).
In many instances themes are forced, almost stuck onto a
production, like a child with a bottle of wood glue and paper, and consequently
the essence and wonderful Shakespearean subtleties of the production get lost.
Sandra Young mentioned that “Roy Sargeant offered us little
to help us reflect on the deeply disturbing undercurrent of violence inflicted
on those in positions of disempowerment”.
Melanie Judge (Cape
Times 17 January 2013), who had not yet seen the production, also commented
that the scenes were “hugely problematic”.
I would argue that in this case, Sargeant dealt with the
intricate nature of the themes in a thought provoking way. As an audience
member I left the theatre contemplating those controversial scenes as well as
the way that many women return to their abusers.
So then the question at the heart of the production remains:
Was it really rape?
The interpretation should be left up to the audience.
