Pericles – 29 August 2025

A Public Works project inside the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Pericles is the closest I’ve felt to having a religious experience in a church. This production would have been worth it for the majesty of the acoustics and incredible choir alone. Add to it the soaring gospel riffs, talented cast of characters, and maximization of church architecture in the blocking and design of the show, and Pericles becomes a force to be reckoned with. Enhanced by church traditions around witnessing and being moved by the spirit, this production consistently surprised and amazed its audience.

Pericles is beautiful, well thought out, easy to follow, and a good balance of Shakespearean language and modern inflection. The minimalist design elements allowed the voices to be elevated, and emphasized the strength in combining voices. Particularly in the protestor scene, the audiences hears the majesty and power of a large group raising their voices as one. The phenomenal singing reverberated in the cathedral, and the amplification was just enough to carry the voices to the back of the seating bank without making the voices feel unnatural in any way. It was truly amazing to go to a performance that was more about hearing the show than about seeing it— with no rake, sightlines were virtually impossible. This was remedied by television screens showing a live feed of what was happening on stage.

This production proudly invoked the talent of ages 11-81, in all professions and walks of life, right on up to Tony Award winner Alex Newell. Newell sang one song, and stood with the cast at the end. I was surprised to find myself underwhelmed by Newell. While the community members really espoused love for each other and the story, Newell belted out their song with a blank face, and, when zoomed in on for the screens, really seemed disconnected from the rest of the production. Perhaps this was part of their role as the goddess Diana. It really did feel like they were in a different world than the rest of the production.

I especially loved the energy and enthusiasm evoked by the community members. Even though many were not seen as individuals and were part of the impressively large choir, they all seemed very engaged and enthusiastic, remembering their choreography and enjoying the moment. Pericles was a production full of heart and soul— and I hope we will have a recording of some of the songs at some point. The music was the show’s biggest strength; the end felt rushed and somewhat forced in the book, which focused a lot of energy on the set up in the exposition. Despite this, the finale and brief encore left the audience smiling and dancing, reveling in a good time.

I attended this performance through special arrangement with The Public Theater Press Team.