Seuss & Shakespeare? Quite Decent Bedfellows.
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
Lamplighter's Theatre 20 February, 2007
Do not worry. I have not gone off the deep end. I am not endorsing a
marriage of Seuss & Shakespeare - although now that I've started to think
about it, if a company decides to hitch the two I would probably come to the
wedding. But I digress. I am actually speaking here of the beauty of fancy
language and how simply it can be understood and even cherished when
delivered well.
This is my second review here in Nashville of Much Ado about Nothing, but,
as it is one of my personal favourites, I had no quandaries about watching
yet another theatre company open its arms to a Shakespearean endeavour.
In Lamplighter's production of this the Bard's most famous romantic
comedy, Nathan Owen steps into the lead character of Benedick, toying
with charm, wit and clever pretension. He captivates the audience in his
enactment of this much adored role. Many times I found myself holding my
nose as not to snort outright at the hilarity of his amusing antics on stage.
The role of Claudio, played by a delightful Wilhelm Peters, is not only natural
and believable, but also fine tuned in his brief moments of comedy, which he
so skilfully intertwines with dramatic flair, adding further depth to his
character. Greg Wilson plays the waggish Dogberry who leads his troupe of
moronic side-kicks up, down, all around and sideways across the stage,
and keeps the audience doubled over in laughter because of his jocular
facial expressions and impeccable comedic timing. An endearing Hero
(Elaina McKnight) and altruistic Leonato (Darrell Fulton) have a wonderful
father/daughter relationship and both succeed in developing believable
characters with whom the audience can identify. Steve Burkett should also
be noted as displaying finesse and charisma as the royal prince, Don
Pedro, and though he portrays a truthful regal, with a well-bred nobility of his
stature, he also possesses a flair for comedy, playing out his scenes true to
the intent of the playwright.
The cast of Much Ado is clearly dominated by talented male actors who
even somewhat overshadow their female counterparts, including the female
lead, Beatrice (Valerie Meek), who seems to have lost a considerable
amount of her speaking role due to the director’s cuts. Ms. Meek is a delight
to watch and a beautifully spirited actress, who contributes sincere passion
to the role, but seems to lack conviction in the understanding of her
dialogue, and is to some extent overdramatic in her performance.
The show much resembles the 1993 Kenneth Branagh film in setting,
costumes, general characterization, and overall tone. And, though the film
hits the mark, I would still like to see a bit more unique choices in a local
stage production. And, though truly my main protest is that he made far too
many cuts to the script, overall, director Ronnie Meek captures the essence
of this Shakespearean novelty. One thing he seems most determined to do
(as stated in his director's notes) is to send the audience out the door with a
solid understanding of what the characters were saying, and I must affirm
that he absolutely succeeds.
Trudy’s Truth in Theatre:
When we think of Shakespeare, what comes to mind is an ornamented
language that is heavily laden with metaphor and fanciful speech, decorated
with extravagant rhetoric. We can expect witty banter and beautiful
soliloquies, but do we understand what it means? The words are unusually
placed within the composition of the lines, and his works contain set rhythm
and sometimes rhyme. Some see it as a foreign language .If this is
something to which you can relate, let me inform you that the cast of
characters in Lamplighter’s Much Ado have made this show as
understandable as Dr. Seuss. Yes, that is a compliment. One may still have
the fancy speech and the oddly spoken lines, but when the stereotypical
pretension associated with Shakespeare is taken away and the show
focuses on delivery, the storyline surfaces quickly and the observer will be
much entreated to start seeking out more of the Bard’s work.
When I reviewed Guys & Dolls back in September at Lamplighter’s Theatre
in Smyrna, I was adamant that everyone do their best to get out there and
indulge themselves with the same performance I so thoroughly enjoyed.
Now I’m telling you, you have three performances left for their excellent
production of Much Ado about Nothing. Sit back and enjoy an evening of the
Bard’s beautiful poetry as it comes to life at Lamplighters.
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
Lamplighter's Theatre 20 February, 2007
Do not worry. I have not gone off the deep end. I am not endorsing a
marriage of Seuss & Shakespeare - although now that I've started to think
about it, if a company decides to hitch the two I would probably come to the
wedding. But I digress. I am actually speaking here of the beauty of fancy
language and how simply it can be understood and even cherished when
delivered well.
This is my second review here in Nashville of Much Ado about Nothing, but,
as it is one of my personal favourites, I had no quandaries about watching
yet another theatre company open its arms to a Shakespearean endeavour.
In Lamplighter's production of this the Bard's most famous romantic
comedy, Nathan Owen steps into the lead character of Benedick, toying
with charm, wit and clever pretension. He captivates the audience in his
enactment of this much adored role. Many times I found myself holding my
nose as not to snort outright at the hilarity of his amusing antics on stage.
The role of Claudio, played by a delightful Wilhelm Peters, is not only natural
and believable, but also fine tuned in his brief moments of comedy, which he
so skilfully intertwines with dramatic flair, adding further depth to his
character. Greg Wilson plays the waggish Dogberry who leads his troupe of
moronic side-kicks up, down, all around and sideways across the stage,
and keeps the audience doubled over in laughter because of his jocular
facial expressions and impeccable comedic timing. An endearing Hero
(Elaina McKnight) and altruistic Leonato (Darrell Fulton) have a wonderful
father/daughter relationship and both succeed in developing believable
characters with whom the audience can identify. Steve Burkett should also
be noted as displaying finesse and charisma as the royal prince, Don
Pedro, and though he portrays a truthful regal, with a well-bred nobility of his
stature, he also possesses a flair for comedy, playing out his scenes true to
the intent of the playwright.
The cast of Much Ado is clearly dominated by talented male actors who
even somewhat overshadow their female counterparts, including the female
lead, Beatrice (Valerie Meek), who seems to have lost a considerable
amount of her speaking role due to the director’s cuts. Ms. Meek is a delight
to watch and a beautifully spirited actress, who contributes sincere passion
to the role, but seems to lack conviction in the understanding of her
dialogue, and is to some extent overdramatic in her performance.
The show much resembles the 1993 Kenneth Branagh film in setting,
costumes, general characterization, and overall tone. And, though the film
hits the mark, I would still like to see a bit more unique choices in a local
stage production. And, though truly my main protest is that he made far too
many cuts to the script, overall, director Ronnie Meek captures the essence
of this Shakespearean novelty. One thing he seems most determined to do
(as stated in his director's notes) is to send the audience out the door with a
solid understanding of what the characters were saying, and I must affirm
that he absolutely succeeds.
Trudy’s Truth in Theatre:
When we think of Shakespeare, what comes to mind is an ornamented
language that is heavily laden with metaphor and fanciful speech, decorated
with extravagant rhetoric. We can expect witty banter and beautiful
soliloquies, but do we understand what it means? The words are unusually
placed within the composition of the lines, and his works contain set rhythm
and sometimes rhyme. Some see it as a foreign language .If this is
something to which you can relate, let me inform you that the cast of
characters in Lamplighter’s Much Ado have made this show as
understandable as Dr. Seuss. Yes, that is a compliment. One may still have
the fancy speech and the oddly spoken lines, but when the stereotypical
pretension associated with Shakespeare is taken away and the show
focuses on delivery, the storyline surfaces quickly and the observer will be
much entreated to start seeking out more of the Bard’s work.
When I reviewed Guys & Dolls back in September at Lamplighter’s Theatre
in Smyrna, I was adamant that everyone do their best to get out there and
indulge themselves with the same performance I so thoroughly enjoyed.
Now I’m telling you, you have three performances left for their excellent
production of Much Ado about Nothing. Sit back and enjoy an evening of the
Bard’s beautiful poetry as it comes to life at Lamplighters.
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