Cymbeline

Long Pond Iron Works State Park, West Milford, NJ

August 7, 2004

An audience perspective of the opening scene.

Imogen (Laura Malone) tries to convince her estranged father, King Cymbeline (Tim Baird) not to banish her new husband Posthumous.  A man who her father raised in the court.

The ever watchful wicked queen (Tammy Dalton-Brown), Imogen's stepmother intervenes in a conversation between Imogen and her trusted servant Pisanio (Chance Parker).

The attendants (Tiffany Clementi and Hannah Wolfe) to the foolish prince Cloten discuss the goings on at court and having to serve such an idiotic prince.

Banished from Rome, Posthumous (John Trigonis, right) arrives at the house of his friend Philario (L. Robert Johnson, seated center) and is greeted by Philario's guests, the slimey con man Iachimo (Freeman Borden) and the effete Frenchman (Clark Williams).  In an attempt to win Posthumous' very expensive ring, Iahcimo wagers Posthumous that he can bed Imogen.  Posthumous confident in his wife agrees to this easy and silly bet.

Dividing and conquering.  In an attempt to get rid of the last of Posthumous allies, the queen (Tammy Dalton-Brown) gives Pisanio (Chance Parker) a box of supposed medicines but that the queen suspects are actually poisons that she procured from the court doctor.  The doctor however, fearing the queen substitutes sleeping potions instead.

Imogen (Laura Malone) laments the loss of her husband, her unforgiving father, and being under the boot of her spiteful stepmother. 

Upon arriving in Britain, Iachimo (Freeman Borden) attempts to seduce Imogen (Laura Malone) as he would any courtesan but finds her a more formidable prey.

Instead Iachimo attempts to gain her trust.

and access to her sleeping quarters.  Iachimo sneaks in via a trunk and steals a bracelet of Imogen's to "prove" that he slept with her and won the bet.

Foolish prince Cloten (Cedric Hill) attempts to woo an uninterested Imogen by degrading her husband.

Falsely believing that Imogen has been unfaithful, Posthumous instructs his servant Pisanio to kill her in revenge.  Here Pisanio (Chance Parker) reflects on how to kill her best friend.

At the court, the Roman ambassador Lucius (L. Robert Johnson) arrives to collect a tribute that Cymbeline has not paid to the Roman emperor.  Along with his royal "advisors", Cymbeline refuses and Rome declares war.

In the forest of Milford Haven in Wales, the wrongfully banished Lord Belarius (Clark Williams) has lived with the king's two other children Arviragus (Hannah Wolfe, left) and Guiderius (Tiffany Clementi).  Belarius has raised them as his own but stole the children in infancy to get revenge on the king.

The fiery Guiderius (Tiffany Clementi) expresses her displeasure at the quiet life in the forest and longs for adventure.

Having lead Imgoen away to the woods of Milford Haven to kill her at Posthumous' order, Pisanio (Chance Parker) instead tell Imogen of the plot.  Imogen (Laura Malone), crazed at being called unfaithful, dares Pisanio to carry out the deed.

The queen (Tammy Dalton-Brown) relishes that Imogen has fled the court and that she is closer to putting Cloten on the throne.

Imogen is convinced by Pisanio that she must travel to Rome to confront Posthumous.  She advises that Imogen disguise herself as a boy and meet up wit the Roman ambassador.  Getting lost, Imogen finds the Belarius and his family instead.

Cloten (Cedric Hill), having learned of the Imogen's whereabouts goes after her but runs into Belarius' family instead.  Here he is challenged to a fight by Guiderius (Tiffany Clementi), but must posture and inform his unworthy opponent of the grand sir that they are about to fight

Having easily dispatched Cloten, Guiderius returns to her family only to find that their new found friend, the disguised Imogen, has "died".  Having actually taken one of the queen's sleeping potions, Imogen later wakes.  Here the sisters say goodbye to a "boy" to which they feel a strange connection to.

Cloten's headless body is laid beside Imogen.  When she wakes she finds the body dressed in Posthumous apparel and thinks that it is her lord Posthumous.

After the Roman army invades, Cymbeline is victorious with a little help from Belarius and company.  In the play's final wrap up scene all identities are revealed and quarrels mended.  Above, the Roman Soothsayer (Tammy Dalton-Brown) translates the meaning of tablet from  a divine encounter with Posthumous and the god Jupiter.  In the encounter, Jupiter blesses the marriage of Posthumous and Imgoen and pronounces good fortune on Cymbeline.

To view other venue pages

Shipyard Park    Pier A Park    Sinatra Park   Kenilworth Borough Hall    Staib Park  

Hackensack Arts Center   Hamilton Park Van Vorst Park   Stratford Library   Meadowland Park   

Long Pond Iron Works State Park   Secaucus Amphitheater

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