The
      Cadre
      -
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      MELISSA
      DOUCETTE
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Saturday
      night
      marked
     
     
      the
      final
      showing
      of
      the
      UPEI
     
     
      Theatre
      Society
      production
     
     
      of
      Goodnight
      Desdemona
     
     
      (Good
      Morning
      Juliet),
      a
     
     
      play
      directed
      by
      Richard
     
     
      Thomas
      Haines.
      The
      play,
     
     
      written
      by
      Ann-Marie
     
     
      MacDonald,
      won
      the
      Gover-
     
     
      nor
      General’s
      award,
      and
      the
     
     
      combined
      efforts
      of
      the
      Thea-
     
     
      tre
      Society
      did
      it
      justice.
     
    

    
     
      The
      main
      character
     
     
      was
      Constance
      Ledbelly,
     
     
      played
      by
      Jill
      McRae.
      At
     
    
   
   
    
     
      23
      March
      1999
     
    
   
   
    
     
      first,
      McRae’s
      acting
      was
     
     
      somewhat
      stiff,
      but
      as
      the
     
     
      night
      wore
      on,
      her
      perform-
     
     
      ance
      improved.
      Her
      acting
     
     
      was
      complemented
      by
      her
     
     
      fellow
      performers,
      including
     
     
      Steven
      Forbes
      as
      a
      boasting
     
     
      Othello.
      Michael
      Farrell
      also
     
     
      turned
      out
      a
      strong
      perform-
     
     
      ance
      as
      the
      egotistical
      Profes-
     
     
      sor
      Claude
      Night,
      maintain-
     
     
      ing
      a
      perfect
      level
      of
      preten-
     
     
      sion.
      Andrea
      MacDonald
      was
     
     
      a
      bloodthirsty
      Desdemona,
     
     
      and
      Lindsay
      Kyte
      played
      a
     
     
      well-executed
      Tybalt.
      Peter
     
     
      Forbes
      as
      lago
      and
      Nicholas
     
    
   
   
    
     
      f
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Sees
      >
      ie
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ARTS
      AND
      ENTERTAINMENT
      11
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Goodnight
      Desdemona
     
     
      (Good
      Morning
      Juilet)
     
     
      Goodbye
      UPEI
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Kenny
      as
      the
      chorus
      both
      had
     
     
      perfect
      timing,
      and
      perform-
     
     
      ances
      by
      Lana
      Mill,
      Kim
     
     
      Yaciuk,
      Erin
      Fagan,
      and
     
     
      Brenton
      Driscoll
      helped
      to
     
     
      complete
      the
      strong
      perform-
     
     
      ances
      by
      the
      cast
     
    

    
     
      Noteworthy
      perform-
     
     
      ances
      by
      Todd
      MacLean
      as
     
     
      Romeo/Romiet,
      Lisa
     
     
      Carmody
      as
      Juliet,
      and
     
     
      Mickey
      Acorn
      as
      the
      Ghost
     
     
      further
      enhanced
      the
      play.
     
     
      MacLean
      and
      Carmody
     
     
      played
      Romeo
      and
      Juliet
      as
     
     
      petulant
      and
      spoiled
      teenag-
     
     
      ers,
      and
      both
      displayed
      won-
     
     
      derful
      chemistry
      with
      the
     
     
      other
      players.
      A
      particularly
     
     
      memorable
      scene
      they
      had
     
     
      together
      was
      the
      two
      lovers’
     
     
      fight
      over
      Hector,
      Romeo's
     
     
      beloved
      turtle,
      The
      star-
     
     
      crossed
      lovers
      pulled
      the
      un-
     
     
      fortunate
      pet
      in
      two,
      to
      the
     
     
      (sick?)
      delight
      of
      the
      audi-
     
     
      ence.
      Acorn’s
      presence,
      al-
     
     
      though
      brief,
      stole
      the
      show
     
     
      almost
      every
      time
      he
      came
      on
     
     
      stage
     
    
   
   
    
     
         
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      9
     
    
   
   
    
     
      see
     
    
   
   
    
     
      1
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Of
      course,
      actors
      can’t
     
     
      perform
      without
      a
      set.
      The
     
     
      columns
      of
      Verona
      were
      par-
     
     
      ticularly
      well
      done,
      and
      the
     
     
      sets
      in
      general
      were
      appropri-
     
     
      ately
      stark.
      James
      Cameron
     
     
      uses
      lavish
      sets
      to
      thump
      his
     
     
      audience
      away
      from
      dismal
     
     
      plots,
      but
      Goodnight
     
     
      Desdemona
      (Good
      Morning
     
     
      Juliet)
      is
      too
      good
      a
      play
      to
     
     
      resort
      to
      such
      distractions,
     
     
      and
      the
      sets
      were
      designed
     
     
      accordingly.
      The
      stagehands
     
     
      never
      missed
      a
      beat
      in
      chang-
     
     
      ing
      scenes,
      and
      even
      man-
     
     
      aged
      to
      get
      involved
      in
      the
     
     
      play
      now
      and
      then.
     
    

    
     
      Naturally,
      the
      actors
     
     
      weren't
      naked
      on
      stage,
      and
     
     
      their
      costumes
      were
      one
      of
     
     
      the
      high
      points
      of
      the
      play
     
     
      All
      costumes
      were
      sewn
      by
     
     
      UPEI
      students
      Heather
     
     
      Ludlow,
      Kristen
      Patterson
     
     
      and
      Carolyn
      Knox.
      Each
      one
     
     
      was
      of
      a
      professional
      quality,
     
     
      had
      beautiful
      colours
      and
      de-
     
     
      signs,
      and
      fitted
      well.
      Also
     
     
      adding
      to
      the
      play's
      aesthet-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      **
     
     
      ae
      a
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ics
      was
      the
      lighting,
      espe-
     
     
      cially
      the
      garden
      atmosphere
     
     
      which
      was
      solely
      created
      by
     
     
      the
      lighting.
      The
      sound
      also
     
     
      came
      off
      without
      a
      glitch.
     
    

    
     
      Generally
      speaking,
     
     
      Richard
      Haines’
      direction
     
     
      brought
      the
      play
      together
     
     
      into
      a
      coherent
      whole.
      The
     
     
      three
      different
      periods
      were
     
     
      well-represented,
      yet
      flexible
     
     
      when
      they
      interacted.
      The
     
     
      only
      dim
      point
      of
      Saturday
     
     
      night's
      performance
      was
      the
     
     
      first
      act,
      where
      the
      comedic
     
     
      elements
      seemed
      slightly
      off.
     
     
      However,
      the
      comedy
      came
     
     
      together
      better
      in
      later
      acts,
     
     
      particularly
      in
      Act
      Ill,
      which
     
     
      shone
     
    

    
     
      At
      the
      end
      of
      the
     
     
      evening,
      the
      audience
      ex-
     
     
      pressed
      their
      pleasure
      with
     
     
      the
      play
      with
      enthusiastic
     
     
      applause,
      resulting
      in
      two
     
     
      curtain
      calls.
      All
      in
      all,
     
     
      Goodnight
      Desdemona
     
     
      (Good
      Morning
      Juliet)
      was
     
     
      a
      strong
      note
      for
      the
      end
      of
     
     
      the
      Theatre
      Society's
      year.