Tag Archives: William Shakespeare

Theatre Review: Much Ado About Nothing

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A Noise Within presents Much Ado About Nothing. Written by William Shakespeare. Directed by Guillermo Cienfuegos.

Much Ado About Nothing is an English Renaissance comedy by the Elizabethan playwright William Shakespeare. It was written in 1598, ten years after the defeat of the Spanish Armada and one year before the construction of the Globe Theatre.

This version of the play takes place in the same region mentioned in Shakespeare’s original play, the city of Messina in Sicily, but set during WWII after the island’s liberation from the fascists by the US troops. This is a brilliant detail to make this story more relatable. Director Guillermo Cienfuegos, The Beautiful People, even allowed the actors to keep the diversity of their Queens, Texas, and Appalachia accents to better connect with the American audience.

The play has two stories about two couples, Claudio (Stanley Andrew Jackson, Animal Farm) and Hero (Alexandra Hellquist, On The Other Hand, We’re Happy), and the story of Benedick (Joshua Bitton) and Beatrice (Erika Soto, Metamorphoses).

A victorious army commander, Don “The Prince” Pedro (Frederick Stuart) is received by Leonato (Tony Pasqualini, A Great Wilderness), Governor of Messina. Don Pedro brings along two of his soldier friends, Claudio and Benedick. Claudio immediately falls in love with Leonato’s daughter, Hero. Meanwhile, Benedick, a bit loud and a bit arrogant, is disliked by Beatrice, Leonato’s niece. In the background, we see John (Rafael Goldstein, Metamorphoses, Animal Farm), Don Pedro’s half-brother, with a disengaged look. With this scene alone, Cienfuegos shows most of the exposition and the character’s conflicts—the love, the tension, and the resentment.

As the story goes, Claudio is trying to marry Hero, while Benedick and Beatrice continue with their verbal jousts despite being deeply in love with each other. The roadblock for Claudio and Hero’s happiness is John’s jealousy and dark disposition. With help from Borachio (Michael Uribes, Detained, Three Tables), John will devise a ploy to stain Hero’s reputation. For Benedick and Beatrice, the impediment is their pride and their fear to vulnerability. However, Don Pedro, Claudio, and Leonato come up with a plan to make Benedick declare his love for Beatrice. Likewise, Hero and her two servants, Margaret (Jeanne Syquia, Hamlet) and Ursula (Nick Petroccione) prepare their own scheme to trick Beatrice into opening up her heart to Benedick.

This production is so impressive that even the secondary characters are delightfully comedic. Dogberry (Wesley Mann), Verges (Rafael Goldstein), and the other two watchmen (Alejandro Hernandez) and (Arely Vianet) contribute memorable dialogue and physical comedy.

A director worth his salt pays careful attention to all of the moving parts of a play. Cienfuegos does it like no other. He curated the elements of Shakespeare’s dramatic structure in a playful and entertaining way scene after scene. Claudio’s rejection of Hero, the transition from dislike to love between Benedick and Beatrice, and the resolution are all cleverly displayed with powerful acting and creative staging to generate an impressive production in only five weeks.

The selection of the technical aspects are worth noting. Lighting Designer Ken Booth, Metamorphoses, Animal Farm, paints the stage with amazing hues and intensities that are a pleasure to watch. The scene where Hero is posing as a sculpture surrounds the stage with a special mysticism, something of a religious experience. The WWII costumes (Christine Cover Ferro, Costume Designer), the beautiful set (Angela Balogh Calin, Scenic Designer, Animal Farm), and the amazing music by the very active and experienced Chris Moscatiello, Sound Designer, Salvage, This Wonderful Life, On The Other Hand, We’re Happy, Wakings!, The Beautiful People, A Great Wilderness, Fam And Yam and The Dumb Waiter) add an exquisite sensory experience to this production. The music includes a tarantella, swing, and 40s hits to give a nostalgic and innovative feel to this updated version.

Erika Soto is a tour de force, delivering a masterpiece of a performance to embody the witty and independent Beatrice. Soto’s convincing stage presence is ideal to portray a woman who has a mind of her own and defies the expectations placed upon women in Elizabethan society. In addition, Soto and Bitton’s chemistry create an irresistible romanticism that energizes the reinvention of a classic love story.

Endearing, playful, and romantic, Cienfuego’s take on Much Ado About Nothing is a gratifying theatre experience not to be missed.

Much Ado About Nothing

A Noise Within
3352 E Foothill Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91107

Performances February 11–March 12
• Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.: March 9 ONLY
• Fridays at 8 p.m.: Feb. 17**; Feb. 24**; March 3**; March 10**
• Saturdays at 2 p.m.: Feb. 18; Feb. 25; March 4; March 11
• Saturdays at 8 p.m.: Feb. 11 (Opening Night); Feb. 18; Feb. 25; March 4; March 11
• Sundays at 2 p.m.: Feb. 19**; Feb. 26; March 5; March 12

Tickets: anoisewithin.org

Written by William Shakespeare. Directed by Guillermo Cienfuegos. Starring Joshua Bitton, Rafael Goldstein, Alexandra Hellquist, Alejandro Hernandez, Stanley Andrew Jackson III, Wes Mann, Tony Pasqualini, Nick Petroccione, Erika Soto, Fredrick Stuart, Jeanne Syquia, Randy Thompson, Michael Uribes, and Arely Vianet. Presented by A Noise Within, Geoff Elliot and Julia Rodriguez-Elliott, producing artistic directors.

The creative team includes scenic designer Angela Balogh Calin; lighting designer Ken Booth; composer and sound designer Christopher Moscatiello; costume designer Christine Cover Ferro; wig and make up designer Tony Valdés; properties designer Stephen Taylor; choreographer Joyce Guy; text coach Susan Wilder; and dramaturg Miranda Johnson-Haddad. The production stage manager is Chloe Willey.

Much Ado About Nothing poster
A scene from Much Ado About Nothing
A scene from Much Ado About Nothing
A scene from Much Ado About Nothing

Theatre Review: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Open Fist)

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William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is revisited by director/choreographer James Fowler. This time, Open Fist Theatre Company‘s production is set in Athens, Georgia, circa 1855.

It’s the eve of the Civil War in the Black Belt and the cotton plantation is bursting with activity. That’s the scenario where Fowler’s reinterpretation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream takes place. The Antebellum South becomes the mystic forest where a group of slaves are the fairies and mechanicals, able to love, bewitch, and dream.

It is in that context that a relationship between Shakespeare’s European folklore and the traditions of the African slaves from the South can be perceived. Shakespeare’s fairies are invisible to humans just as Black slaves are practically invisible to their White owners. Also, the Greek theourgia (benevolent magic in the form of Oberon) is very similar to the combination of religion, magic, and witchcraft practiced by the Isangoma (an African healer popular in the slave communities). Just like the mechanicals in Athens Greece were laborers putting up a show for the royals, the Black mechanicals in Athens Georgia are also laborers preparing a play for the White owners of the plantation. The distinction of classes is evident in both renditions of the play.

Shakespeare’s deep understanding of the human condition makes it possible to overlay his plays on different eras. In this case, the story set in the South matches the circumstances and gives a new meaning to the characters, plots, and symbols of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Fowler did an excellent job in keeping the original script intact but changing the traditional expectations of the racial composition of the characters.

The excellent cast makes this production a true gem in the theatre scene. Michael A. Shepperd shows his phenomenal comedic skills playing the attention-seeker Bottom. Ann Marie Wilding is delightful playing a hopelessly devoted Helena. Sandra Kate Burck with her voice and physical comedy makes the audience laugh left and right playing Hermia. The mischievous Puck is played by a versatile Monazia Smith (In the Next Room, or the vibrator play). Phillip C. Curry shows off his polished experience playing Oberon; he is one of those actors whose voice makes him an imposing figure on stage.

The lighting (Gavan Wyrick, Lighting Design,(God of Carnage) was a fascinating palette of purples, teals, greens, blues, and pinks. Mylette Nora (Costume Design, In the Next Room, or the vibrator play) created an accurate depiction of the period. Jan Munroe (Scenic Design) and Stephanie Crothers (Scenic Artist) also contributed to re-create a dreamy and pastoral stage with the murals, paintings, and use of natural elements.

Despite the comedic nature of the play, the history of slavery in America makes this story an opportunity to reflect on how much we have advanced in terms of equality and how much our perceptions on race have changed or remained the same. The abolition of slavery—referenced in this production as British Abolitionist Peter Quince (Debba Rofheart)—is a painful remainder of the sufferings many people had to endure to give birth to a new nation. Midsummer is a play of symbols and Fowler added one more that is powerful and still triggers many emotions. Puck turns her back and shows the flogging marks. Are those open wounds, or are they scars? Is America moving backwards, in rehab, or fully recovered?

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Written by William Shakespeare. Directed by James Fowler. An Open Fist Theatre Company production. Martha Demson, artistic director. Actors performing on opening night: Devon Armstrong, Malik Bailey, Bryan Bertone, Sandra Kate Burck, Phillip C. Curry, Erica Mae Mcneal, Heather Mitchell, Debba Rofheart, Ash Saunders, Michael A. Shepperd, Monazia Smith, Azeem Vecchio, Alexander Wells, Ann Marie Wilding, Dylan Wittrock, and Syanne Green.

Atwater Village Theatre
3269 Casitas Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90039
FREE parking in the ATX (Atwater Crossing) lot one block south of the theater.

Performances: July 2 – August 13
Fridays at 8 p.m.:  July 8, July 15, July 22, July 29, Aug. 5, Aug. 12
Saturdays at 8 p.m.: July 2 (Opening Night), July 9, July 16, July 23, July 30, Aug. 6, Aug. 13
Sundays at 7 p.m.: July 3, July 10, July 17, July 24, July 31, Aug. 7

Tickets: www.openfist.org

Theatre Review: A Midsummer Night’s Dream

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Theatricum Botanicum presents William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, directed by Melora Marshall.

This is one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays. It’s magical, it’s full of symbols, and involves one of the most enigmatic aspects of the human experience: Dreams. The fact that the story is set around Athens and the characters interact in the woods, allows the audience to take their imagination to fascinating places. Emotions, reality, and fantasy intertwine in a mythological world of kings, queens, fairies, and humans.

Marshall’s adaptation keeps the magical world alive with a great choice of cast, costumes (Beth Eslick, Costumer), and music (Marshall McDaniel, Musical Director, Musical Compositions).

The switching of genders plays very well with the intrinsic ambiguity of some of the characters. Oberon, is played by Tiffany Coty, who delivers a powerful rendering of the King of the Fairies. Fiona Dorn plays Lysander, who is in love with Hermia (Anais Morgan).

The following actors deliver extraordinary performances. Bottom is played by the fantastic Jonathan Blandino (The Merry Wives of Windsor). Helena is played by Olivia Michael, an actress to watch. Emoria Weidner playing Quince is excellent in every scene. Christopher Glenn Gilstrap is a natural playing the mythical Puck.

The Theatricum Botanicum is an idyllic place for this story. Much like in the photographic lingo of frame within a frame, the play and stage become a forest within a forest. The many isles both in the seating section as well as in the sides and background of the proscenium, enlarge the stage to make it almost like a 360-degree scenario, a real treat for the audience. Add the makeup, the costumes, the music, the phenomenal performances, and the excellent direction and you get a memorable theatre experience.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Written by William Shakespeare. Directed by Melora Marshall. Presented by Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum.

Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum
1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd.
Topanga CA 90290
(midway between Pacific Coast Highway and the Ventura Freeway)

Performances: June 12–October 1

For tickets and schedule: https://theatricum.com/

Theatre Review: The Merry Wives of Windsor

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Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum starts its 2022 season with William Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor, directed by Theatricum artistic director Ellen Geer.

This adaptation takes the story to the 1950s in Small-Town America. Falstaff (Jeff Wiesen) devises a plan to seduce Mrs. Ford (Emily Bridges) and Mrs. Page (Willow Geer), the wives of two important Windsor’s merchants, to extract money out of them. When the wives find out that Falstaff sent them identical love letters, they now devise a plan to take revenge and teach him a lesson.

The other story line in the play is the situation of Anne Page (Alexandra Kunin), a girl whose father, Mr. Page (Bill Haller), wants her to marry Slender (Ethan Haslam). Her mother wants her to marry Dr. Caius (Cavin (CR) Mohrhardt), a French doctor with a short fuse. Anne, however, wants to marry Fenton (Charles Lin).

Depending on the director and actors, this play can be a fertile ground for comedic scenes. Director Ellen Greer makes great use of the stage, allowing actors to come and go in all directions. These kinetics create a more engaged audience throughout the play.

The actors that draw much of the attention are Jeff Wiesen as the opportunistic Falstaff, Jonathan Blandino as jealous Ford, Melora Marshall as witty Quickly, Willow Geer as Mrs. Page, and Emily Bridges as Mrs. Ford. Their vibrant performances and comedic timing keep the story entertaining and add dynamism to this old tale written more than 400 years ago.

The picture depicted in this adaptation is that of a classic white picket fence, a nostalgic scene where everything looks perfect in America. However, as in Shakespeare’s times, there’s also an issue of division of classes, a subject subtly described in the script. Falstaff’s followers Bardolph (Kenneth Montley), Pistol (Aleksander Ristic), and Nym (Joseph Darby) can be a representation of the working class with not much aspirations in life. The Fords and the Pages can be seen as the upper class, living a comfortable life. Also, Anne Page is a character that represents the condition of women of the time, she has no voice on who she really loves. Despite this reality, Shakespeare gives them the power to take control and make sure things go their way. Mrs. Ford and Mrs. Page don’t get fooled and give Falstaff a lesson. Anne Page gets Fenton, the man she wants.

The music (Marshall McDaniel, Music Director) (Peter Alsop, New Lyrics) and the costumes (Tracy Wahl, Costume Designer) create the perfect match to the 1950s setting.

The Merry Wives of Windsor is a perfect occasion to enjoy William Shakespeare in the magical grounds of Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum.

The Merry Wives of Windsor

Written by William Shakespeare. Directed by Ellen Greer.

Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum
1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd.
Topanga CA 90290
(midway between Pacific Coast Highway and the Ventura Freeway)

Tickets and dates: https://theatricum.com/