Tonight I went with Sally, Marenka, Natalie and Ben to Delaware Park for Shakespeare in the Park (the longest running
free version of that institution in the country, as we were informed in the introduction). The play performed was
Much Ado About Nothing, and though it was a chilly night, the cast managed to hold the attention of a substantial crowd for well over two hours. It certainly helped that they had some great material to work with, of course.
Director Saul Elkin (who I took Intro to Theater from some thirty years ago as an undergraduate at the University of Buffalo) added a bit of a twist: a number of Tin Pan Alley standards from the thirties and forties (and one rock classic) were mixed into the proceedings (costuming also reflected that era), mostly performed by a four person chorus (seen above) as transitions between scenes. I have to admit, I was a little dubious about whether they could pull that off, but I needn't have worried as the use of the songs was pretty seamlessly integrated into the proceedings (including a few solo turns by the main actors).
Everyone in the cast did a great job, but I have to give special kudos to Norm Sham as Dogberry the Constable (seen above), who pretty much steals the show in the second act with a great comic performance, highlighted by a rendition of Otis Redding's "Respect" that managed to effectively mix the words of the Bard with those of Rodney Dangerfield (amongst others). As the evening grew chillier, he really warmed up the audience with his performance.
Every year I intend to go to see one of these performances, but I generally let it slide. I'm really glad I didn't this year, and now look forward to catching the next performance as well (they are doing an all-female version of MacBeth starting in a couple of weeks).
Tonight I went with Sally, Marenka, Natalie and Ben to Delaware Park for Shakespeare in the Park (the longest running free version of that institution in the country, as we were informed in the introduction). The play performed was Much Ado About Nothing, and though it was a chilly night, the cast managed to hold the attention of a substantial crowd for well over two hours. It certainly helped that they had some great material to work with, of course.
Director Saul Elkin (who I took Intro to Theater from some thirty years ago as an undergraduate at the University of Buffalo) added a bit of a twist: a number of Tin Pan Alley standards from the thirties and forties (and one rock classic) were mixed into the proceedings (costuming also reflected that era), mostly performed by a four person chorus (seen above) as transitions between scenes. I have to admit, I was a little dubious about whether they could pull that off, but I needn't have worried as the use of the songs was pretty seamlessly integrated into the proceedings (including a few solo turns by the main actors).
Everyone in the cast did a great job, but I have to give special kudos to Norm Sham as Dogberry the Constable (seen above), who pretty much steals the show in the second act with a great comic performance, highlighted by a rendition of Otis Redding's "Respect" that managed to effectively mix the words of the Bard with those of Rodney Dangerfield (amongst others). As the evening grew chillier, he really warmed up the audience with his performance.
Every year I intend to go to see one of these performances, but I generally let it slide. I'm really glad I didn't this year, and now look forward to catching the next performance as well (they are doing an all-female version of MacBeth starting in a couple of weeks).
2 comments:
I thought you didn't like live theater, John...
It's not that I dislike live theater, it's just that I have never been blown away by a play (as I have by a book, a movie, or a record). I can't explain it-- I just find it much harder to give in to the inherent "phoniness" (probably not the best word, but it's late as I write this) of a play, even though it may entertain me on some level (as this one did). I'm willing to concede this is my problem, and not one in the medium itself.
Dr. John
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