Shakes by the Lake: Part 1 - Henry the 8th I AM

Henry VIII
Cleveland Shakespeare Festival - Cleveland, Ohio
July 14, 2012

Brad - A
Chelsea - C

Did you know that Cleveland, Ohio, is only five and a half hours from Washington, DC? I didn't, but I do now.  How do I know, you ask? Well, Chelsea and I (and her ever-present wedding task folder) drove to Cleveland to see two Shakespeare shows.  Unfortunately, Taggart had other plans that weekend, so he stayed in DC and held down the fort.

Yes, Tag is judging you for reading this.

So, after our brief commute to Cleveland on Saturday morning, we arrived at the Shaker Heights Community Collonade for a production of Henry VIII.

In honor of being in Ohio, we decided to get a delicious Donato's pizza for our picnic and play in the park.  Chelsea got to sit in the one chair we brought; I sat on the ground, the hard, hard ground. 

So, Henry VIII:  At the outset, no one but Henry VIII likes Cardinal Wolsey.  He lies, cheats, and holds power over the king.  The first example is Lord Buckingham.  LB tells some of the Lords that he distrusts Wolsey.  Next thing you know, Wolsey is arrested for treason, and then he is sentenced to die.  Wolsey 1; LB 0.  Then Wolsey has a party at his house.  The King attends in masquerade, but Wolsey knows its him.  The King also meets a beautiful young Anne Bullen and becomes smitten.  The King then looks to divorce his current wife, Kate, and Wolsey sees this as his opportunity to get back at Kate.  There is an epic divorce trial, but Kate refuses to consent to the court's jurisdiction.  Trial ends. Because Wolsey was essentially prosecuting Kate at this trial, he garners even more favor with the King.  But then the chickens come home to roost.  The Lords arrange to have Wolsey's message to the Pope redirected to the King.  The King learns that Wolsey is playing him by prosecuting the divorce for the king, but urging the Pope to deny the divorce.  Wolsey is ousted, a new churchman proves his loyalty to the King, and Anne Bullen becomes queen.  She has a baby girl -- HA! -- and the play ends as the baby is baptized. 

The play is much better than that description, but this play strikes me as a time-period, political thriller so there is a lot of court/church intrigue that is not easily summarized.

So, the director of our production was very ambitious.  First, a choice that worked, the director set this as a political thriller by putting all of the lords and the king in business suits and having them all obsess over their blackberrys.  This actually worked very well.  When the Lords "redirected" Wolsey's message, it was implied that those messages were an email or text.  A not so good choice, however, was when the director chose to have Henry VIII masquerade as a break dancer at Wolsey's party early in the play.

This was just out of place and awkward.  Similarly, at one point, when Queen Kate was hallucinating about Anne Bullen being Henry's new bride, there was a bride-laden dance scene.

Also, at random points, the cast sang modern songs, but the cast did not have very strong voices.  The actual performance was fine.  What was strange, however, was that the director had the actors/singers stand dead still and sing with absolutely no emotion whatsoever.  Very strange.

Beyond the director's ambitions, the cast did great.  Cardinal Wolsey was very creepy.  The Lords were actually very strong, and Anne Bullen was great.  For a cast without a single professional actor, the play was pretty good!

After the play we went back to our hotel and went to the hotel restaurant for dessert and drinks.  Long story short, we asked the manager a question about the menu, and she responded by insulting us.  Ahhh Cleveland.  

All in all a good day.  We made it to Cleveland easily, the play was entertaining --- for right and wrong reasons --- and a random restaurant manager called us low class.  After such a lovely day, we had the promise of spending yet another blessed day in Cleveland the following day! Gotta love it.

Brad VIII

The Tempest

Pennsylvania Shakespeare Company - Centerville, PA
June 30, 2012


Brad - A
Chelsea - C+

So, after a really busy week at work, Brad and I headed out of work early to spend the weekend in Philadelphia to see Radio Lab Live and Shakespeare. Unfortunately, 4 hours into our trip we were only in Baltimore (it is 45 miles away). If anyone knows about the DC area traffic, this is not that crazy. Traffic is horrible! Needless to say, we missed Radio Lab, but the exceptionally nice people of the Kimbrell Center allowed us to use our ticket as a gift certificates for another show and Radio Lab is coming to DC, so as frustrating as traffic was it was not all bad. So, instead we drove straight to Centerville, PA to see some Shakespeare. The next morning we headed to the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Center for The Tempest. Below are some shots of the play:

They started the play with a big sheet and a little boat. It was actually pretty neat. They had big waves in the sheets while actors said the "on boat" dialogue from off stage.

So, here's the story: The king of Milan and his daughter, Miranda, are exiled on an island for 12 years by the kings evil brother. In that time Miranda grows into a hormone driven teenager and the king, Prospero, grows magical powers from all of his "book learning" (seriously, his great intellect gave him power, he is basically Hermione Granger). He also gains an ally in a fairy, Ariel, that he saved from imprisonment in a tree and a monstrous servant named Caliban. He finds out that his brother, the man who helped his brother overthrow him, Alonso, and Alonso's son, Ferdinand - as well as some unimportant side characters are on a boat nearby. So, he has Ariel create a huge storm - some might say a Tempest - to shipwreck them on the island. He also separates them into 3 groups; Prospero's brother and Alonso in one, Alonso's son Ferdinand alone in one, and Alonso's brother, Sebastian with one of his drunken friend. The plots revolve around these 3 groups. The son, Ferdinand, stumbles upon Prospero's camp and falls in love with Miranda, Alonso's group wanders through all sorts of misadventures trying to find Ferdinand, and Sebastian group just gets drunk and acts annoying. The monster, Caliban, finds Sebastian's group and becomes quite the alcoholic. The story ends with Miranda and Ferndinand getting married, Alonso finding his son as well as Prospero, and Prospero choosing to forgive his brother and Alonso for overthrowing him. The drunks eventually show up ad they all sail home together.

Before the play Brad and I wandered around and Brad tried to put on a play to no one. What a showboat!

So, here are my thoughts. I have had a continuous struggle with Shakespeare's comic relief. In almost every play there is that one character that gets the laughs. In this play it was Sebastian and Caliban. Basically, they acted like drunken southerns. Complete with bad out of place accents and fart jokes. They seriously ruin plays for me. I know this is how Shakespeare wrote and I shouldn't blame the actors but man it is distracting and cheap. So much good writing and they still need to make a fart joke! The quality of the show was great though. The Miranda, Prospero, and Ariel were very good! It was very fairy tale but still a good story. Only 2 things got me....1. girls back then would marry anything! Miranda was 15 and married the first man she had ever met 2. sometimes you just need to wrap up a story. Prospero was exiled on an island for 12 years - 12 YEARS! - and he forgave his enemy's with basically no second thought. Maybe I am hard-hearted but I'm pretty sure there would be a major lecture involved.

After the play, we headed back to DC but first enjoyed some of Centerville's finest ice cream!

Minus the sink hole of DC traffic it was a fun trip! We listened to some Radio Lab on the way home to make up for our loss and also talked wedding, which is all I make Brad do these days.

Chelsea

The Merry Wives of Windsor: Forsooth!

Shakespeare Theatre - Washington DC
June 27, 2012

Brad - A
Chelsea - B

So, on a random weeknight, Chelsea and I ventured to the Shakespeare theatre (on young prose night) to catch this play.  After all, you know what they say, Wednesday nights were made for Shakespeare.

So, this play is about Falstaff --- the very same fatty, fat Falstaff from Henry IV Part 1 and Henry IV Part 2--- trying to hook up with two wealthy, married women in Windsor to get to their money.  The two wives quickly learn that Falstaff is attempting to woo both of them, and so they mess with him.  The first time Falstaff escapes Mistress Ford's husband by hiding in a laundry basket.  The second time he escapes by dressing as Mistress Ford's obese aunt.  Finally, the wives tell their husbands about Falstaff's seduction, and they plot to humiliate him a third time.  After much plotting, Falstaff gets caught, dressed as a deer (complete with a large set of horns --- a not so subtle cuckold reference), in the middle of the woods.  There are a couple of sub-plot love stories too, but Falstaff's three-peat humiliation is the main event.

Honestly, this production was good, but a bit underwhelming.  This play plays very modern.  The director set it in post-war England.  Stylistically, it was very vaudeville, which worked.  The actors were, in contrast, GREAT! Shakespeare Theatre Company gets the creme de la creme.  And it shows. So great play.

After the play, we stopped in next to the theatre and got some chicken wings and gluten free pizza. We ate outside and it was a very pleasant night. Towards the end of the meal an older woman approached us and asked for money. Neither of us had any so we politely said no. Two minutes later she walked back by counting a giant wad of cash. Gotta love DC...

But after dinner, it was late but we had one last task to accomplish: the great wedding invite send-off!

It's on! FORSOOTH!

Brads-Staff

All's Well That Ends Well: Gabe Dixon's Best

Shakespeare Theatre Company's -Washington, DC
Academy for Classical Acting
June 22, 2012


Brad: A
Chelsea: B





This was play number 20! Only 17 more to go! We are over half way, but just barely.

So, we didn't really know what to expect with this play.  I originally thought it was at reasonably large theatre one-block from my work.  Unsurprisingly, I was wrong.  Turns out, it was in a black-box theatre across town.

When we realized this was a student production, we started to have flashbacks to Twelfth Night and King Lear, but this production was GREAT!

Quick Synopsis:  Helen loves Bertram, but Bertram is noble and Helen is not.  The King of France is sick, and there is no hope for recovery.  But Helen has a special medicine and she is sure it can cure the
King.  So she goes to him and offers it to him.  She and the King make a deal:  If the medicine works, the King will give her any husband she wants; if the medicine doesn't work, she dies.  Good news, the medicine works, and Helen picks Bertram to marry.  The King makes it happen, but Bertram is not too excited.  And he runs away, refusing to consummate the marriage.  Long story short, Helen fakes her death and goes to Italy where Bertram is stationed.  Helen befriends a woman the Bertram is obsessed with and plots.  The plan is this:  the young Italian woman agrees to invite Bertram to her bedchamber at night and promise him her purity, but when Bertram shows Helen will switch places with the Italian woman and consummate her marriage.  The plan works, and the play ends with Helen pregnant and in possession of Bertram's family's famous ring.  Apparently, through all of this Bertram sees what he has been missing and they leave together.

I should note there is a lot more to this play than this brief synopsis.  In fact, our favorite part involved a fake interrogation of Parolles, Bertram's friend.  Just hilarious.

This production was awesome.  The director chose to make it pretty dark, though at moments, it was hilarious.  Just before the play, Lavatch, the clown in the play, played dark versions of jazz-standard love songs.  Parolles was our favorite character.  He was a great actor, and he played his quasi-goofy role just straight enough to hit a good balance between silly and heady.  All of the actors were in fact great.  It turns out this production, playing in repertory with another classical play, is the culmination of a year long graduate study program in classical acting at George Washington University.  And these actors should all be hitting the Shakespeare circuit with a vengeance because all were excellent.  They were also very friendly.

After the play, we ate outside at a restaurant directly next to the theatre.

Note the banner above in the background of the picture below:

So, as we were eating, the cast walked out.  I gave the first couple of folks an all-American thumbs-up to indicate my patriotic, red-blooded congratulations on a show well done:

A couple of actors stopped and talked for a moment.  One was very excited about our little project and introduced us to the director.  They were all very nice, which makes us appreciate this production that much more. 

After a busy week of creating wedding invitations, drafting multiple motions to dismiss, and enduring the first HOT week of the summer, this was a perfect Friday night:  good play, good food, and good company.  As Gabe Dixon says:

All will be well

Even after all the promises you've broken to yourself
All will be well
You can ask me how but only time will tell

- Gabe Dixon, All Will Be Well

A good Friday night quickly melts away the stress of a tough week.  And this Friday night did just the trick.


Brads Well

Romeo & Juliet - Why Leonardo DiCaprio has ruined theatre

Chesapeake Shakespeare Company -The Ruins in Ellicott City, MD
June 17, 2012

Brad - A
Chelsea - C-

Did you know Shakespeare wrote this really obscure play about a love story called Romeo and Juliet? No, Taylor Swift did not originate Juliet's role, although if you think about it that would be some type casting. All of this to say, Brad and I drive up to Ellicott City (one of our local hangs) and saw an outdoor production of Romeo and Juliet at the Ruins at PFI Historic Park. It was actually a pretty neat venue. We decided to do this on a whim (like many of our plays), hopped in the car and booked it about an hour away. With my only requirement being that we get Starbucks.

 We ended up at the wrong place -thank you Google! - and when we finally found it were about 5 minutes into the show. We told the ticket woman about our frustration and she gave Brad a free beer ticket! I mean that is kindness! Here is the venue and Brad with his beer!

During intermission they had little kids do a ribbon pole. I suppose this is a kids activity from Shakespearean times but it does not look fun at all. It is like kid architecture.

But, it was fun. I am not going to give a synopsis of the play because if you haven't heard of this you really shouldn't be reading this blog. But in all, I would say it was a bit weak. First of all, I feel for anyone walking in Leo DiCaprio's beautiful, square jaw, footsteps. I mean, no Romeo compares to him. Also, it is the most ridiculous story. Juliet is THIRTEEN!!! And Romeo broke up with his lady friend the day before, meets and marries Juliet in like 2 days, and then is dead. It really is hard to just gush over this story because it is so absurd. I found this and think it sums it up perfectly:

But, it was a nice night and a fun venue. So, Shakespeare you get a pass this time and Brad hasn't seen the Leo movie version so I am excited that I now have a reason to force lady movies on him!

Chelsea

Taming of the Shrew - Best play to see post engagement

Folger Shakespeare Theatre Washington DC 
June 3rd, 2012


Brad - A
Chelsea - A

So, we have been HORRIBLE at posting. I blame planning a wedding in 3 and a half months and sheer Shakespeare overkill. But, we are back and man oh man do we have plays to talk about! We saw Taming of the Shrew about a month ago and in classy fashion, we took no pictures. So, here is what I snagged from the interweb:

*Courtesy of MD Theatre Guide

It was a wild west theme and truly funny! Because I have no pic's of the play I am going intersperse this post with pictures from our trip to Puerto Rico. 2 birds 1 post, I'm a pro. It also helps that we didn't take that many pictures in Puerto Rico either. So, let's start this post with a rainbow!

Ok! So, Taming of the Shrew. Shakespeare straight up stole this from Julia Stiles best work, Ten Things I Hate about You. If you have seen 10 Things then you get Taming plot. Pretty younger sister (Bianca) can't get married until her Shrew of an older sister (Katherine) is married off. One of Bianca's suiters have a friend who is willing to take on the challenge of Kate. He arranges her marriage with her mother, shows up drunk and ridiculous looking at their wedding, sweeps her away to his home, and continues to break her spirit. He doesn't feed her, yells at everyone who works for him, and won't allow her clothing, claiming nothing is good enough for her. At one point in time he turns to the audience and says "if anyone knows a better way to tame a woman, speak now" (that is a non-Shakespeare paraphrase). But, in the most unrealistic twist he wins her over. On a trip home to see her sister Bianca marry Kate gives in to her husband and you see them lovingly embrace.

So, while we were in PR, we did a lot of this:

 EAT!

Back to the show: There was a subplot of Bianca falling in love. One of her suiters pretended to be her teacher, duh, they fall in love and get married. But, that plot was boring. Unless you have Joseph Gordon-Levitt being adorable, this was just mushy. The play ends with Kate returning home for the wedding and her husband betting with his friends that his wife is the most loyal of all of their wives. They all call their wives down and Kate is the only one who comes obediently running.

One of the restaurants we ate in had this guy:

He was placed so that he just stared at us! Brad was terrified, I think it was just rude.

Thoughts: I REALLY liked this one! It was wild west, which was perfect for this play. Kate's character  so perfectly fit the gun toting Annie Oakley type and her husband was the perfect cowboy. The story was really funny and also heartfelt. It is a bit of a controversial play because it definitely has a misogynistic overtone. I mean he "tames" a girl by not feeding her and forcing her into marriage...and it works! She ends up loyal, obedient, and happy. But, if you get past that silliness it is still a story about a girl that falls in love with a guy (even if it may have taken her some time), a guy who really loves her (even though he shows it in crazy ways), and how they learned to give and take. Basically, for a couple engaged for 2 weeks it was an interesting take on marriage. Although, I will never have food taken away, I have my limits!

Lastly, on our PR trip we accidentally wandered into a drag queen show:

It was my first and it was fascinating! They were amazing dancer and they have a way with eye makeup! We took a picture with their....manager?

But, mostly we spend the entire time here:

It was a wonderful vacation and a great play!

Chelsea