Director Simon Godwin Delivers “Much Ado About Nothing” with a Healthy Dose of Hilarity and High Jinks
Shakespeare Theatre Company Jordan Wright November 17, 2022
Rick Holmes and Kate Jennings Grant(Photo/Tony Powell)
I often hear complaints from lovers of Shakespeare’s works that they only want to see what they refer to as “classic Shakespeare” productions (familiar to some for bellowing actors in pantaloons). I try my darndest to convince them that the whole point of a modern interpretation is to show how wonderfully relevant Shakespeare’s works are to contemporary life. In Director Simon Godwin’s spin on the comedy classic Much Ado About Nothing he strips it to its very bones and shows us how Shakespeare squares up to modern life.
Plopping it down onto a live news set, convincingly named SNN for the Shakespeare News Network, Godwin’s vision mirrors the contemporary newscasts from the you-know-who cable news channel. His drop-dead irreverent sendup pokes cable newscasters and their ilk with a sharp stick in the eye. It yanks them off their self-important throne with vigor. And how refreshing is that?
Ryan Neely, Sarah Corey, Dina Thomas, Nicole King, Kate Jennings Grant, and Nehassaiu deGannes (Photo/Tony Powell)
Godwin inserts snippets from other Shakespeare plays into the “broadcasts”. They come at you so fast and so often you need to pay rapt attention to catch the delicious wordplay nuggets. All through the play I knew I wanted to see it again to catch some of the references I could have missed.
From their white leather and chrome swivel chairs at a large glass console table, co-anchors Benedick (Rick Holmes) and Beatrice (Kate Jennings Grant) spar relentlessly. Backgrounded by photo-murals depicting cherry blossoms and, of course, the Washington Monument, much mutual loathing ensues between the two rivals. A spiral staircase corkscrews to a second story control booth where it appears (falsely) that Hero’s reputation has been sullied by hot sex with another man. Ten TV screens flank the sides of the stage broadcasting Benedick’s arrest by a hapless security force who fits out the misogynist cad with an ankle tracker.
The Cast of Much Ado About Nothing (Photo/Tony Powell)
Godwin adds schtick, cribs lines from other Shakespeare plays and injects the choreography with fabulosity – a disco party with a conga line led by a Lizzo lookalike in a turquoise bustier? Why, yes! Scenes are reimagined and flipped on their heads. A revolving stage allows for a quick change of scenery. Look for Puck to deliver a weather broadcast, “Now is the winter of our discontent.”, along with news reports that spoof some of The Bard’s most dramatic battles. One report features Cleopatra, others murder and mayhem from Shakespeare’s classic dramas. By now we’re rolling in the aisles.
Props range from bags of Cheetos and golf balls to a madcap scene in which Benedict gets hosed by a fire hydrant and another where Beatrice escapes notice by leaping headfirst into a janitor’s cart. It’s crazy fun, topsy-turvy and so infectious you’ll find yourself laughing like the proverbial hyena.
Comedy at its finest. For God’s sake, go!!!
Rick Holmes and Kate Jennings Grant (Photo/Tony Powell)
An extraordinary cast includes Edward Gero as Leonato; Justin Adams as Don John; Carlo Albán as Don Pedro; David Bishins as Verges; Sarah Corey as Ursula; Michael Kevin Darnall as Borachio; Nehassaiu deGannes as Sister Francis; Paul Deo, Jr. as Claudio; Nicole King as Hero; Dina Thomas as Margaret; Quinn M. Johnson as Hugh Oatcake; Terrance Fleming as Cop; Dave Quay as Dogberry; Raven Lorraine as Belle Shazar/Georgina Seacoal.
Scenic Design by Alexander Dodge; Costume Design by Evie Gurney; Lighting Design by Donald Holder; Sound Design by Fan Zhang; Composer, Michael Bruce; Dramaturg, Emily Burns; Choreographer & Intimacy Consultant, Jesse Kovarsky; Fight Consultant, Lorraine Ressegger-Slone.
Through December 11th at Harman Hall, 610 F Street, NW, Washington DC. For tickets and information visit www.ShakespeareTheatre.org or call the box office at 202 547-1122.
Sometimes I feel like I could jump right out of my skin when I see a production as thrilling as The Amen Corner. Straight out of the gate, we find ourselves as guests in the electrifying spirit of an African American church service. Amens and hallelujahs fill the air in synchronized rhythm to a soulful choir while worshippers fall into singing, shouting, clapping, stomping and praising the Lord. Oh, the voices – rich, earthy tones, clear as a bell, filled with sanctifying praise and mellifluous harmonies. I can’t sit still. It’s a toe-tapping, arms-outstretched-to-heaven sensation.
Deidre LaWan Starnes as Sister Boxer and Mia Ellis as Margaret Alexander – Photo by Scott Suchman
Onstage a few of the gathered sit in chairs beside the pulpit in what is called “the amen corner”, but all are moved by the soaring rhetoric of Sister Margaret. “This here is a Holy Ghost station,” she calls out to the faithful as they sway and fan themselves, bonding through rituals rooted in ancient community.
Mia Ellis as Margaret Alexander and Antonio Michael Woodard as David – Photo by Scott Suchman.
Brilliantly directed by Whitney White, James Baldwin’s play focuses on Sister Margaret, a Black female pastor who falls from grace when her own fallibility is revealed. Forces within the church begin to undermine her. They challenge her decisions, gossip behind her back, and conspire to fight back against her rigid edicts. “You ain’t better than the rest of us,” one of the elders tells her while Sister Moore pits the congregation against her through rumor and innuendo.
Chiké Johnson as Luke and Mia Ellis as Margaret Alexander – Photo by Scott Suchman.
The play/musical draws directly from Baldwin’s own life as the son of a preacher. In the same way Baldwin’s art called to him in a louder voice than the word of God, young David rebels against the constrictive life his mother has laid out for him. “Mom, if a person don’t feel it, he don’t feel it,” he tells her. When Luke, his absent father, returns home to live out his last few months, David finds the strength to break the chains that bind him to home and church. Baldwin’s own experience as a child pastor lends power and insight to the hierarchy of the Black church universe.
Harriett D. Foy as Odessa – photo by Scott Suchman.
Each character is exquisitely defined by Baldwin, and it is easy to feel the depth of his frustration with the hypocrisy he experienced, all in the name of a higher power. Simon Godwin, STC’s new Artistic Director, sees the tragedies and hypocrisies as keenly as if Shakespeare had written them himself. “I was struck by the similarities to Shakespeare’s work – the domestic and spiritual tragedies and the play’s classical structure,” he writes.
Antonio Michael Woodard as David and Mia Ellis as Margaret Alexander – Photo by Scott Suchman.
Expect an outstanding cast with some of the best, and most soulful, choir-trained voices from DC’s musical theatre scene, and a large stage set that segues from intimate – Luke’s death bed and Margaret’s kitchen – to the power-and-glory atmosphere of a veritable come-to-Jesus house of praise.
Chiké Johnson as Luke – Photo by Scott Suchman.
People get ready. This is highly recommended!
With Mia Ellis as Sister Margaret Alexander; Harriett D. Foy as Odessa (Margaret’s older sister; Jasmine M. Rush as Ida Jackson; Antonio Michael Woodward as David; Chiké Johnson as Luke. Church Elders: E. Faye Butler as Sister Moore; Deidra LaWan Starnes as Sister Boxer; Phil McGlaston as Brother Boxer. Member of the Congregation: Lauryn Simone as Sister Sally; Nova Y. Payton as Sister Douglass; Jade Jones as Sister Rice; Marty Austin Lamar as Brother Davis and Choir Director; Tristan André Parks as Brother Washington.
The cast of The Amen Corner – Photo by Scott Suchman.
Directed by Whitney White; Assistant Director, Manna-Symone Middlebrooks; Victor Simonson, Music Director; Scenic Design by Daniel Soule; Costume Design by Andy Jean; Lighting Design by Adam Honoré; Sound Design by Broken Chord.
Through March 22nd the Shakespeare Theatre Company at the Sidney Harmon Hall at 610 F Street, NW, Washington, DC 20004. For tickets and information visit www.ShakespeareTheatre.org or call the box office at 202.547.1122.
Though Peter gets top billing in Lauren Gunderson’s world premiere, make no mistake about it, her interpretation of J. M. Barrie’s classic tale elevates the female roles to star status. As the most produced playwright in America, Gunderson’s imprimatur is writing plays about accomplished women in science and the arts who have become mere footnotes in history. First performed in 1904, Barrie’s play was a product of its time, insensitive to sexism, racism and Colonialism and decidedly not politically correct. In Gunderson’s adept hands we find the same level of excitement in Peter Pan’s fantasy world, but with a greater sensitivity to the female roles, an ethnically diverse cast, and a greater awareness in portraying indigenously correct characters.
Sinclair Daniel as Wendy, Chauncey Chestnut as Michael, Derek Smith as Mr. Darling. Bailey as Nana, Christopher Flaim as John, and Jenni Barber as Mrs. Darling Photo credit Teresa Castracane.
Here Wendy, Tinkerbell and Tiger Lily have been reframed to reflect stronger female identities. Wendy, inspired by Marie Curie’s recent notoriety, pooh-poohs her father’s suggestion that she attend a posh finishing school, instead pleading for a science academy where she can pursue her love of the stars and mathematics. Oh, yes! Our Wendy is still a compassionate girl and protector of brothers Michael and John, but she’s now portrayed as a serious-minded student of cosmology. Tinkerbell becomes a Valley Girl-voiced fireball, glammed to the max, and more in sync with the women of Wakanda. “I’d probably go less Colonial genocide,” she warns Hook. And Tiger Lily, performed by a member of the Dakota Nation, who becomes a heroine defending the peace and sanctity of her native lands. “I’m here to avenge my people,” she tells Peter who, before he gets woke, comes off as a self-centered, anti-hero eager to fight his nemesis on a daily basis.
Sinclair Daniel as Wendy and Justin Mark as Peter Pan. Photo credit Teresa Castracane.
Gunderson’s Peter Pan and Wendy is a fantasy-filled production directed by the legendary Alan Paul with costumes by Loren Shaw, and Scenic Design by Jason Sherwood. A perfect antidote to our times, it’s a technical marvel with a backstage crew of 66 designers, from animal trainers and animators to musicians and backstage crew. Together they keep on Tinkerbell’s lights in flight and five of the actors (out of a cast of 19 plus one adorable live dog) soaring high above the stage. I couldn’t keep track of how many pulse-quickening, pirate fights there were, nor the audience’s uncontrolled laughter watching the scenes between the vainglorious Captain Hook, his first mate the sycophantic Smee, and their batty crew of bungling pirates. My only critique is that I wanted to see more of the dazzling mermaid floating on clouds of bubbles.
Tendo Nsubuga and Darren Alford as Twins, Joriah Kwame as Slightly, Francisco Gonzalez as Tootles, and Ronen Lewis as Curly. Photo credit Scott Suchman.
So, look to the starry skies to find Neverland, the Lost Boys, and Peter assisted by a very large tick-tocking crocodile and buttressed by girl power – Wendy, as strategic governor, Tinkerbelle, as a fierce defender, and Tiger Lily, as mediator. And always remember who the land belongs to. “My people will always be here,” Tiger Lily reminds us.
Jenni Barber as Tinkerbell. Photo credit Scott Suchman.
Highly recommended.
Starring Derek Smith as John Darling/Captain Hook; Justin Mark as Peter Pan; Sinclair Daniel as Wendy; Jenni Barber or Megan Huynh as Mrs. Darling/Tinkerbell; Isabella Star LaBlanc as Tiger Lily; Tom Story as Smee; Christopher Flaim as John Darling; Chauncey Chestnut as Michael Darling; Bailey as Nana the dog. With Francisco González as Tootles; Ronen Lewis as Curly; Joriah Kwame as Slightly; Darren Alford as Twin; Tendo Nsubuga as Twin; Michael Glenn as Jukes, Calvin McCullough as Noodler; and Gregory Wooddell as Starkey.
Composer Jenny Giering; Lighting Design by Isabella Byrd; Sound Design by John Gromada; Projection Design by Jared Mezzocchi; Puppet Design by James Ortiz; Flying Scenes choreographed by Paul Rubin; Choreographer Katie Spellman; Speical Effects by Jeremy Chernick.
Through January 12, 2020 from the Shakespeare Theatre Company at the Sidney Harmon Hall in the Michael R. Klein Theatre at 610 F Street, NW, Washington, DC 20004. For tickets and information visit www.ShakespeareTheatre.org or call the box office at 202.547.1122.
Richard, bloody Richard the Third. Thirteen murders for a single crown. The Grim Reaper visits this drama so frequently it’s hard to keep count. Staged in what appears to be a prison somewhere in, oh well, pick somewhere obscure, let’s say Alabama circa 1920’s, where concrete walls and hidden rooms pop out to reveal spotlighted men hanging by chains. Pile on the poisonings, force feedings, hot cauldrons and decapitation and you’ve got no more than you might see in an R-rated flick. Let’s say The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, shall we?Oh, right, there is a chainsaw here too. Is that how we want to see Shakespeare’s prose come to life? That it is well-acted, is not in question. That it is maximumly dark and catering to extreme tastes, is manifestly certain. Is it really necessary to reenact each one of Richard’s gruesome crimes?
Matthew Rauch as Richard, Duke of Gloucester in Shakespeare Theatre Company’s production of ‘Richard the Third.’ Photo by Scott Suchman.
“I am determined to prove a villain,” Richard claims in his opening line, and wow! is he spot on. His threats, killings and demands of loyalty are that of a Mafia kingpin. Director David Muse gives us a chorus of leather strap-snapping executioners and jailers who slick-sharpen their knives while taunting their next victim. And, though they lurk in shadow, his henchmen are always ready to provide their murderous services. Plus, they do an especially good job of mopping up the stage after each bloodbath.
In the Director’s Notes, Muse refers to the play as “…a pantry of tasty ingredients rather than a perfectly put-together recipe.” I can’t say food came to mind when I slogged through these ritualistic killings interspersed with Richard’s nefarious manipulations of his subjects. Maybe I have too delicate a constitution. Couldn’t we leave something to the imagination? In this production, Muse has admittedly condensed acts, changed words and altered characters to adapt to a two-hour time frame for what he refers to as the “modern audience”, but what is left is jam-packed with fratricidal murder and mayhem from beginning to end. As this homicidal maniac admits, “I am in so far in blood that sin will pluck on sin.” These days we might refer to him as a serial killer.
The cast of Shakespeare Theatre Company’s ‘Richard the Third.’ Photo by Scott Suchman.
Notwithstanding all the blood and gore, I was particularly taken by certain performances. Most especially the extraordinary Lizan Mitchell as Queen Margaret of Anjou, the prophetess; Sofia Cheyenne as the Mayor of London; and I have to hand it to Matthew Rauch as Richard III. He has to do this for the entire run of the play.
With David Bishins as King Edward IV and Sir Richard Ratcliffe; Cody Nickell as George, Duke of Clarence and James Tyrrel; Sandra Shipley as Duchess of York; Charlie Niccolini as Prince Edward; Logan Matthew Baker as Young Duke of York; Lizan Mitchell as Margaret of Anjou; Cara Ricketts as Lady Anne of Neville; Robynn Rodriguez as Queen Elizabeth; Todd Scofield as Earl of Rivers; Jonathan Feuer as Lord Gray; Christopher Michael McFarland as Duke of Buckingham; Derrick Lee Weeden as Lord Hastings; Michael Rudko as Lord Stanley; Evelyn Spahr as Earl of Richmond; John Keabler as Sir William Catesby; Sam Midwood as Lord Lovel; Harry A. Winter as Archbishop of Canterbury; Ahmad Kamal as Brakenbury; David Ryan Smith as Murderer 1; and Matthew Aldwin McGee as Murderer 2.
Dramaturg, Drew Lichtenberg; Scenic Designer, Debra Booth; Costume Designer, Murell Horton; and Lighting Designer Lap Chi Chu.
Warning: This production includes graphic depictions of violence, including violence against women and children, which may not be suitable for all audiences.
Through March 10th at Sidney Harman Hall 610 F Street, NW, Washington, DC 20004. For tickets and information call 202 547-1122 or visit www.ShakespeareTheatre.org.
Let me start by saying, if Alan Paul is directing anything… anything! Go! His imaginative interpretations of the classics are both fabulous and stylishly modernistic. In this send-up version of A Comedy of Errors, Paul sets the action in 1950’s mid-century modern Greece though it seems more like La Dolce Vita meets Saturday Night Fever meets SNL meets… oh, never mind. It’s an indescribable mash-up of frothy, farcical slapstick as two sets of identical twins muddle through moments of mistaken identity at breakneck speed. Opa!
Following the plots of Shakespeare’s plays that start off with voyagers lost in a storm at sea, here twins come together as grown men, unaware of each other’s fate… or identity. One is married to Adriana (the slinky, foxy, Veanne Cox). The other is in love with her sister Luciana (Folami Williams). Separately they frequent the local hangout, Zorba’s Seafood café, where the fishmongers look like Super Mario and where you are just as likely to dine on a seafood tower as get in a food fight with octopi. Opa!
Twin brothers, Antipholus of Syracuse (Gregory Wooddell) and Antipholus of Ephesus (Christian Conn), who coincidentally inherited a silver spoon life, tool around on a Vespa in GQ threads while insulting their twin servants and lusting for women at the Porcupine Club – a flashy nightclub where leather boys fan their feathers for a lusty mama played deliciously by Eleasha Gamble as the Courtesan. “I’m glad I’ve got these quills. They bring in dollar bills,” she croons.
With a plethora of entrances and exits that prevent chance meetings, the action is non-stop certifiably crazy, including ongoing chase scenes between Luce (J. Bernard Calloway in Madea drag) and Dromio. Great job on the casting Carter C. Woodell. Confusion reigns. I don’t know which Dromio is which. Opa!
There is tap-dancing by the local constabulary and singing with music composed by Michael Dansicker, a Twyla Tharp alum. Bet you didn’t expect that! Gabriel Berry’s costumes run the period gamut from Dior’s ‘New Look’ for Adriana to court jester garb for the twin servants, Dromio of Ephesus (Carter Gill) and Dromio of Syracuse (Carson Elrod). The queenly Angelo (All hail, Tom Story!) reminds us of the disco looks of the 70’s with gold chains and open-to-the-waist, multi-colored polyester shirt. Dr. Pinch (Sarah Marshall with an over-the-top, scene-stealing performance), a bible-toting revivalist preacher, arrives on scene in a white suit ready to horseback ride Dromio to his death before being interrupted by the Abbess Emilia (Nancy Robinette) and her nuns.
Highly recommended. A crack cast plus talking parrot keeps audiences in hysterics. Opa!
With Ted van Griethuysen as Egeon, Merchant of Syracuse; Matt Zambrano as Tailor/Second Merchant; Matt Bauman as Officer; and Matt Bauman, John Cardenas and Justin G. Nelson as Proteans.
Scenic Design by James Noone, Lighting by Mary Ellen Stebbins; Sound Design by Christopher Baine; Choreography by Karma Camp; Fight Choreography by David Leong; and Musical Direction by Victor Simonson.
Through November 4th at the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Lansburgh Theatre 450 7th Street NW, Washington, DC 20004. For tickets and information contact the box office at 202 547.1122 or visit www.ShakespeareTheatre.org.
The days of light-hearted versions of Camelotmay have gone the way of 50¢ bus rides. The whole frothy, castle keep shtick flies out the window in director Alan Paul’s modern interpretation of Lerner & Loewe’s Broadway hit musical of the early 60’s. And I must admit, I wasn’t ready for such a sea change. For those of you who remember the 60’s (you’re excused if you don’t), the original cast starred the magnificent-voiced Robert Goulet, Julie Andrews (‘nuff said) and sex symbol at the time, Richard Burton, before he was actually knighted. Paul delves deeper into the sociological and psychological implications of the 12th century Knights of the Round Table and comes up with a view edgier, darker, and a lot more Shakespearean. We should have expected it.
Ken Clark as King Arthur ~ Photo credit Scott Suchman
Paul has assembled a fine cast to see his vision through. DC-based actor Ted van Griethuysen plays Merlyn the Magician. Van Griethuysen, an eight-time Helen Hayes Award winner was awarded the Robert Prosky Award for “Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play” at the Helen Hayes Awards this May. Merlyn is the defining influence on the young King’s life, at least until wise King Pellinore (skillfully played by Floyd King) steps up to the plate as his confidante after Merlyn loses his powers. Pelli has been around the block. The sympatico King Arthur (Ken Clark) wants peace and justice to flourish in Camelot in a new social order rejecting violence and bloodshed and stripping the powers of the landed gentry. Proposition: The feisty knights would be dumped into the dustbin.
Queen Guenevere (Alexandra Silber) and Ken Clark as King Arthur ~ Photo credit Scott Suchman
Meanwhile, the beautiful and spirited Queen Guenevere (Alexandra Silber), and his closest comrade, Lancelot du Lac, the handsomest and most vaunted knight in the land (played by the dashing Nick Fitzer), become lovers and their treasonous romance becomes the talk of the court. Enter Mordred (Patrick Vaill), the King’s illegitimate son. Plotting to seize the throne through blood and terror, he threatens to reveal the Queen’s secret love affair. Nevertheless, the lovers cannot bear to part. “If Ever I Would Leave You”, sung by Lancelot, is one of the songs everyone remembers. I could have sworn I heard humming from the audience.
Nick Fitzer as Lancelot Du Lac and Alexandra Silber as Quenn Guenevere ~ Photo by Scott Suchman
Vaill, a Bard College alum, uses his Mick Jagger looks and indelible charm to give us a gutsy-cool, bad boy Mordred – a character who declares “Fie on goodness!” and whose wicked, leather-clad street-thugs prove to be King Arthur’s undoing. “The table is not round,” Mordred insinuates. “It is a triangle.” And as we all know, three’s a crowd.
Nick Fitzer as Lancelot Du Lac and Alexandra Silber as Quenn Guenevere ~ Photo by Scott Suchman
The cast is wonderful most especially Clark, Vaill and Fitzer whose musical numbers and fiery soliloquies bring the house down. Led by designer Ana Kuzmanic, STC’s masterful costume department has outdone themselves with yards of heavily embroidered silk, chiffon and velvet for the women, and leather outfits, voluminous capes and gleaming suits of armor for the knights.
Patrick Vail as Mordred, Alexandra Silber as Guenevere and Michael Bingham as Ensemble ~ Photo by Scott Suchman
Alas and alack, I found the unimaginative, wood-paneled backdrops by Walt Spengler to be lackluster, but his use of disappearing platforms for set changes and descending-from-the-rafters bevy of shiny knights to be eye-popping. Fight choreographer David Leong handles the flashy sword fights and choreographer Michele Lynch delights with the lovers’ waltz among rose petals and the lusty courtiers a-Maying.
Cast of Lerner & Loewe’s Camelot ~ Photo by Scott Suchman
With Music Direction by James Cunningham, Lighting Design by Robert Wierzel, and Sound Design by Ken Travis.
With Melissa Wimbish as Nimbue, Mark Banik as Sir Dinadan, Brandon Bieber as Sir Sagamore, Paul Victor as Sir Lionel, Ben Gunderson as Squire Dap and the adorable Trinity Sky Deabreu as Child. Knights and Ladies of the Court include Michael Bingham, Veronica Burt, Julio Catano-Yee, Chadaé, Jennifer Cordiner, Bridget Riley, Frankie Shin, and Casey Wenger-Schulman.
Through July 8st at Sidney Harman Hall 610 F Street, NW, Washington, DC 20004. For tickets and information call 202 547-1122 or visit www.ShakespeareTheatre.org.
