The summer Shakespeare festival at San Diego’s iconic Old Globe Theatre kicks off its 2025 season with a vibrant blend of fun and frivolity, highlighted by the production of ‘All’s Well That Ends Well.’
As the festival embraces its 90-year legacy, there’s plenty to admire, although this particular offering diverges from traditional cross-dressing, jovial characters, and forest antics often associated with Shakespearean comedies.
Instead, this festival presents a different comedic energy, often focusing on love and relationships, as illustrated in the play’s lighthearted tones, which the playbill enhances with the lyrics to “Let me call you Sweetheart,” inviting audiences to join in a curtain-closing sing-along.
Directed by Peter Francis James, this rendition of ‘All’s Well That Ends Well’ is characterized as the least romantic of Shakespeare’s comedies, and while it promises a resolution that ends ‘well,’ it explores the complexities of love through a rather sour lens.
The production features a range of talented performers, including seasoned actors and University of San Diego students, collaborating with a strong technical team, yet the light-heartedness sometimes overshadows the play’s darker themes.
While comedy is a primary focus, the central love story is fraught with difficulties, as it involves a reluctant groom, Bertram, who is tricked into accepting a marriage he doesn’t desire.
Elements of humor emerge through exaggerated French accents, whimsical characters, and funny antics, such as soldiers on stick ponies and playful interactions among the ensemble.
Mary Lou Rosato shines as the Countess of Roussillion, bringing comedic energy to her performance, nearly rivaling the fool’s humor that underscored the evening.
At the heart of the narrative is Ismenia Mendes’s portrayal of Helena, whose emotional journey begins with an exaggerated sob, quickly shifting to nervous giggles and energetic antics across the play’s five acts.
Helena’s love interest, Count Bertram, played by Gabriel Brown, is depicted as handsome yet selfish, presenting a character who exudes charm but lacks depth.
Shakespeare’s original script lends itself to the limited interaction between Helena and Bertram, and despite Mendes and Brown’s dynamic energy, their chemistry falls flat, leaving the audience yearning for more connection between the two leads.
As the plot unfolds, Helena, in her pursuit to win Bertram’s heart, cunningly shadows his journey to the French court where she devises a strategy to save the ill King of France, played by Tim Nelis.
In doing so, she secures a deal that grants her the right to choose a husband from the eligible lords, ultimately settling on the unwilling Bertram, who expresses his disdain with his famous line, “I can not love her, nor will strive to do’t.”
The audience witnesses Bertram’s reluctant submission to the marriage, yet he resists consummating the union or recognizing Helena as his wife unless she meets his absurd demands.
In the meantime, Helena, with the aid of a widow and her daughter Diana, takes on the challenge of fulfilling those conditions while also grappling with Bertram’s flirtations with Diana.
This narrative of an underdog heroine triumphing against overwhelming odds lacks relatability, particularly as the emotional core of Helena’s unconditional devotion to a man who openly rejects her feels disjointed.
While Helena showcases admirable resilience, her character’s unyielding dedication contrasts sharply with a more compelling narrative rooted in mutual affection and respect.
The comedic success of surrounding characters brings levity to the production, notably through Arthur Hanket’s exaggerated performance as Lafew, and Madi Goff and Kevin Alicea-Minor enliven the stage with their portrayals of Lords Dee and Dum.
Conner Keef’s Duke of Florence adds a whimsical flair, embodying the role with playful fervor as he engages in make-believe war games across the stage’s oversized map.
Moreover, Erick Lindsey provides sharp wit and deadpan humor as Rinaldo, the Countess’s steward, ensuring that the comedic beats land even in roles crafted for different intentions.
Though the energy and laughter permeate the production, ‘All’s Well That Ends Well’ ultimately elicits more smiles than outright joyous appreciation.
Performances of ‘All’s Well That Ends Well’ continue through July 6 at Balboa Park in San Diego, offering audiences an opportunity to engage with Shakespeare’s timeless themes in a whimsical context.
Photo credit: Rich Soublet II.
image source from：broadwayworld
