So... What to tell you about?...hmm... how about a show I saw at TRP. I went to Twelfth Night, which had been directed by David Mann.
Mr. Mann placed this production in the 1960s in Cape Cod. Now, updating a Shakespeare setting is done all the time, often unsuccessfully. Mann's director's notes gave a plausible reason for setting the play as he did, and that set me with hope. The incorporation of music with a 60s feel helped carry things along in this theme. I especially approved of the accoustic renderings of songs by the Ventures. Dan Sarka did a nice job with that. And another musical interlude that included two of the actors joining in on percussion captured a beautifully whimsical attitude. This is a whimsical play, so that's probably a good thing.
I really enjoyed two performances above all... those of Mo Perry (seen in 2005 Fringe on stage with a snake in "Talking With..." by In The Basement Productions), and Leigha Horton (Voice of the Fringe!!!). Perry's Olivia was believable and solid. She was by far the best developed character on the stage. Her changes in mood and thought were well motivated, and entirely convincing. She worked with the language to make it seem completely natural, not recited. Beautiful.
Horton set the tone of the play by playing a cross-dressed jester that seemed somewhat akin to some John Lovitz character from once upon a time. She was the singing minstral of this show, and it was nice to hear her intone the new songs by Donald Sweet.
Other parts that I thought were good: Craig Johnson as Malvolio was effective; not unlike most interpretations, but effective and funny. Two of the smaller parts were very effectively played by Grant Henderson and Brian O'Neal. They were their parts (Orsino's officers) every time they took the stage.
Now...my other thoughts... If one sets Shakespeare in a new, updated setting, then the justifications have to run through the show entirely. A clapboard wall and a few dated costumes do not a concept make. There was little indication through the action that we were in 1960s New England. Not one Yankee accent was to be heard. Nothing specifically was on stage to make it seem like New England at all. The music and some of the costumes were the tie-in. That's it.
Was Stephen Frethem's Orsino supposed to be a Kennedy-esque personage? Don't know. It would've been a bolder choice had that been the way it went. Malvolio was handled as he normally is in a traditional production of this show...what made it worth updating? One attempt to update that nearly worked was that of turning Maria into a Marilyn Monroe type character. It could've gone further, but it was clear what was going on with her, at any rate.
The characters that are often the comedic relief (Sir Toby Belch, Sir Andrew Aguecheek, and Fabian) were played adequately. On reflection, most of the show was just that...adequate.
I know there are limitations with the space, and that physicality isn't always as easy in the round, but this seemed to be a very static production, even when the characters were in motion. Most of the movement seemed to happen because the director said so... Perry, Johnson, and Horton are exempted from this statement.
Now...in case you've never seen Twelfth Night, I'll let you in on a little secret: The play hinges on having two characters that look somewhat similar. Now, that being said, I have seen productions in which the two look nothing alike and it is played as a joke throughout, and that can work. This production, however, cast a woman 6-8 inches shorter than her maile counterpart who played the part in a very high voice, as opposed to his much lower one. They walked in two completely different ways, and their one physically similar feature is short blond(e) hair. I was dissapointed that more wasn't done to make them similar, or make them different. It was a shot straight down the middle. The situation did cause me to laugh out loud at one point when it was mentioned that the two could not be more alike. I feelt bad about laughing, but it had to be done.
If you want to see a stellar Olivia, Feste, and Curio & Valentine, go to this production. I will remember these folks in those roles for a long time. For now, I still think of Karen Wiess-Thompson as Toby Belch (from Pigs Eye's production a few years back) and John Smoot (American Players Theatre) as Malvolio. I'm still searching for the quintessential experience of most of the other characters...for now.
Okay...time for the random stuff:
I also took pictures at the photo call for In The Basement Productions' Scapin...there are only two shows left of this show...go see it. Frogs are my friends! If you spell my full name backward, it looks like this: Reddik Revilo Rehpotsirhc Trivia time thanks to Hooked on Facts: "TIME Magazines Man of the Year in 1938 was Adolf Hitler.." -- Whoops! "Don't pay the ferryman. Don't even fix a price. Don't pay the ferryman, 'til he gets you to the other side." -- Chris DeBurg
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