A Midsummer Night’s Dream

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This is the first live theater I have documented in more than a year in my sketchbook. When I first moved to Orlando over 20 years ago, I went to a performance by the Shakes at the Lake Eola Bandshell. Because the the pandemic they have returned to bring live theater to the bandshell.

Across thee street a bar was blasting it music since it was Friday night but thankfully when the show began they turned the music down.

The crowd around the box office was a bit unnerving, but then I was shown that there were markers on the pavement to allow 6 feet of distance while waiting in line. Every other row of the seating was blocked off with yellow ribbons and seating blocks were separated by ribbons as well to maintaining social distancing.

A woman with purple hair had a band aid on her shoulder indicating she had just gotten her vaccine shot. Several other woman wore flower garlands in their hair and bright spring dresses. There was hope in the air. I was exited to finally experience live theater again.

William Shakespeare‘s, A Midsummer Night’s Dream is well suited for an outdoor performance. The columns on stage opened up to showcase forest greenery illumined by strings of lights. Unrequited love was turned on it’s head with love potions which resulted in one woman falling in love with an ass. By ass, I don’t mean a Florida Man, but a donkey. The central moon remained illuminated throughout and the forest was at times mysterious and at others joyous thanks to the lighting design. I had considered a tablet to capture the lighting but decided screen glow might be a distraction. I needn’t have worried since there was no one nearby.

Overall it was a fun evening with laughter and caricatured socially distanced acting. When characters were meant to hug, they did it from at least six feet apart. Actors always wore their masks except when they were on stage and they all were tested for COVID-19 three times a week. In return the audience wore masks as well. I admired how well the Shakes promoted social distancing. It was an absolute joy to be in an audience again. The evening signified that there is indeed light at the end of the tunnel.

In NYC pop up performances have started outdoors as well. In NYC, The Shakespeare in the Park Stage will feature a free production of Merry Wives, which will run for 8-weeks, starting on July 5, 2021. Adapted from The Merry Wives of Windsor. Tickets for Broadway shows are available for performances in the fall.

These arts revivals will help pull people together, connect people to themselves, and to each other. With vaccines in arms, the arts are also helping the community heal. I felt my lines and washes were documenting a monumental return to a new normal. This too shall pass.

Henry IV

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Henry IV Part 1 by William Shakespeare is at the Orlando Shakes through March 21, 2020. Some back story is needed to set the stage. Henry IV (Jim Ireland) took the throne from his corrupt and indecisive eldest brother Richard II. King Henry IV’s eldest son was Prince Hal (Benjamin Bonefant). Though he should be destined to one day take his father’s throne, he instead spent his time hanging out with very fat and disorderly Falstaff (Philip Nolan). Hal spends his time drinking and womanizing and the occasional highway theft, much to his fathers annoyance.

Meanwhile Edmund Mortimer (Cameron Grey) the leader of Henry IV’s army is captured in Wales by the Welsh rebel fighter Glendower (Brandon Roberts). Hotspur (Walter Kmiec) of the Percy family helped King Henry IV overthrow Richard II. But the new king never paid his debt and for this reason, Edmund was held ransom. The king refused since he found out Edmund had turned traitor and married the rebel’s daughter. Edmund’s daughter was married to Hotspur who was a hot blooded and very angry cousin to King Henry IV.  He formed an alliance with is uncle and the rebels to overthrow king Henry IV.

On the battlefield the alliance fell apart in that the rebels and Hotspur’s own father (Rodney Lizcano) never showed up for battle, leaving them hopelessly outnumbered by King Henry IV’s forces. Hotspur’s uncle went to the king for a parley and the king offers a pardon to Hotspur. This messages was never relayed and so battle ensues. It seems like dozens of sword fight broke out on stage all at once.

The wayward son Hal joined his father and in the end saved the day. Falstaff on the other hand stayed true to his debauchery ways, hiding to avoid fighting and then taking credit for Hals handiwork. His monologues about how useless Honor is on the battlefield are for me some of the most memorable and moving accounts of what it means to be human and alive. Just keeping track of the family tree is a feat unto itself but the action and drama are universal.

The bottom line is that this was a fun evening of theater.

Tickets are $32 to 57

The remaining show times…

Wednesday, March 4, 2020 – 2:00 PM – Senior Matinee

Wednesday, March 4, 2020 – 7:30 PM

Saturday, March 7, 2020 – 7:30 PM

Sunday, March 8, 2020 – 2:00 PM – Talk back Performance

Wednesday, March 11, 2020 – 2:00 PM – Senior Matinee

Sunday, March 15, 2020 – 2:00 PM

Friday, March 20, 2020 – 7:30 PM

Saturday, March 21, 2020 – 2:00 PM

Saturday, March 21, 2020 – 7:30 PM

Richard II

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Richard II is a historical play written by William Shakespeare in 1597. It is being presented at the Orlando Shakes through April 28, 2019. Richard II (Ryan Farley) was an arrogant, narcissistic and bumbling king. He surrounded himself with sycophants who fed off his good fortune and did his bidding. By brashly putting his own vanity before the needs of his kingdom, he
created the perfect opening for Bolingbroke (Amy Hutchins) to seize the throne.

His true self was stripped bare when he had to surrender the crown. When he took the crown off his head and handed it to his foe, he couldn’t bring himself to let go. He cried and ranted like a spoiled child extending his monologue as long as possible to avoid his ultimate surrender. At one point he stood in a spotlight high above his throne, with the crown above his head. As he lowered his arms, Bolingbroke stepped in front of him to allow him to place the crown on her head. Richard turned, hopped down and continued his monologue.

The Shakes production his set in modern times with a gender equal cast. To help the audience with the casting, they would often announce their name and title as they walked onto the stage. The set by Ruthmarie Tenorio, resembled a royal garden and the golden rings floating above stage of course represented the crown. At one point one giant ring floated down to surround the jailed King Richard further confining him. “I wasted time, and now doth time waste me.” Mirrored boxes were repositioned in each scene to break up the space and to remind the audience of the kings vanity.

I have to give a shout out to the costume designer (Denise R. Warner) who made Bolingboke look regal and refined in every scene. In equal measure she made the royal court look like spoiled dandies and the common folk like mid-western farmers.

The language in the play was delicious. It is some of the most engaging prose I have heard from Shakespeare and the modern twist made it clear that out modern rulers are not that different from the rulers of the past, though they might be less eloquent. For the final act I put the sketch away and just let the prose wash over me. Every character had clear motivation and the story flowed unhindered to its inevitable conclusion. I absolutely adored this production.

These are the remaining show dates. Don’t miss Richard II!

Saturday, April 20, 2019- 7:30 PM

Sunday, April 21, 2019 – 2:00 PM

Wednesday, April 24, 2019 – 2:00 PM

Wednesday, April 24, 2019 – 7:30 PM

Thursday, April 25, 2019 – 7:30 PM

Friday, April 26, 2019 – 7:30 PM

Saturday, April 27, 2019 – 2:00 PM

Saturday, April 27, 2019 – 7:30 PM

Sunday, April 28, 2019 – 2:00 PM

Striking the Set

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After Man of La Mancha closed at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater, I went in to sketch as the set was struck to make way for the next show. La Mancha was a theater in the round so bleachers had been set up where the back of the stage usually would have been. Subtlety isn’t needed when striking a set, things get hammered banged and kicked in any way to break things down. As I sketched, the set disappeared. The set had a circular central platform that turned and a trap door.

A drill would remove screws and a hammer might bang out nails, but safety was always the first concern. Stage hands looked out for each other assisting each other as needed. I enjoyed sketching the progress. According to Ivan Klima, “To destroy is easier than to create.” Yet these folks seemed to be working mighty hard while I was sitting and just scratching the page with a pen.

Now through April 28, Richard the II by William Shakespeare is at the Shakes. Tickets are $25 to $32. Convinced of his divine right to rule, King Richard II never expected
to be undone by his own maladroit mortal wrongs. By brashly putting his
own vanity before the needs of his kingdom, he creates the perfect
opening for Henry Bolingbroke to seize the throne. Shakespeare’s deeply
moving and insightful retelling reveals how one man’s bumbling mistakes
can shape a nation’s political landscape and change the course of
history.

Hamlet

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I went to the opening night performance of Hamlet by William Shakespeare at The  Orlando Shakes, (812 E Rollins St, Orlando, FL 32803). My memory of the play was limited to the notion that at some point, Hamlet talks to a skull. The plot is rather simple. The ghost of Hamlet’s father appears to Hamlet and demands revenge against the uncle who killed him. Hamlet talks endlessly about revenging his father’s death, and then follows through. His every monologue conveys how unhinged he is about the need to avenge his father’s death. I was a bit frustrated that Hamlet had a perfect chance to revenge his father and decided it was too easy so he waited. So many passages have become a part of popular culture.

This play was one of Shakespeare’s most popular works during his lifetime, and still ranks among his most performed. It is also Shakespeare’s longest play with this production running three hours with a 15 minute intermission. I completed most of the sketch in the first act and did most of the watercolor washes during the intermission. This production had actors rushing off and on the stage in quick succession. The cast was on the large side with 17 actors. A huge puff of stage smoke engulfed the audience where I sat when Hamlets ghost appeared.

The play was produced in the round with extra bleachers added to the Margeson Theater. I sat in the added bleachers and unfortunately that meant most of the actors faced away from me directing their performance the audience opposite my position. Junior Nyong’O from Nairobi  performed the title role. He brought a frenetic energy to the production focusing on Hamlet’s more twisted, disturbed and sinister motives. Ophelia (Susan Maris) also became completely unhinged when experiencing grief. A pestle with poison, sword play and misfortune plague everyone in the final act. Tragedy wiped the stage clean.

12th Night at the Shakes.

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At the opening night performance of 12th Night by William Shakespeare, the director, Carolyn Howarth and the costume designer Jack Smith sat on stage for a pre-show chat. Carolyn explained that what we were about to see was an effort to present as historically accurate a production of the play as is possible. In Shakespeare’s day there was no stage lighting, so the house lights never went dark. As an artist this was a real blessing. Electric candles hung from the ceiling to illuminate the space. They seemed to float magically as if in Harry Potter’s Wizarding School.

In the day, a play could be seen for a penning which was also enough to buy an ale and some bread. For that price they would be a groundling, standing in front of the stage. More expensive cushioned seats were of course more. The church did not allow women to perform on stage, so this production is as well performed by all male actors.

The costumes by Jack smith were absolutely gorgeous. He spent time hand embroidering things right until the curtain opened. He did however praise the entire costume shop staff. Pink was a popular color for men in Shakespeare’s day and the women preferred blues and teals. All of the costumes were lush, with highly researched detail. This has to be the most well crafted production I have seen in Orlando for a long time. In Shakespeare’s day there were no sets, just a few benches and the expanses of the wooden stage. Most of the architectural elements of the previous production “Shakespeare in Love” like the arching ceiling joists, were left in place. At the end of Shakespeare in Love, Queen Elizabeth asked the young author to come up with something new “for 12th Night”. It is believed that this play was first performed for Queen Elizabeth in 1602.

The play began with a foppish Shakespearean actor pounding his walking stick to the floor. The buzz of the audience silenced and the magic began. Shakespearean accents were a melting pot of Irish, Scottish, West Country and American and the actors were carefully coached to recreate the sound and flavor. The director joked that we might catch a flash of pirate in the accents as well. The acting was over the top and comical which seemed odd at first but then I grew to love each character.

The plot involves two shipwrecked twins who both believe the other to be dead. Viola (Thomas Leverton) dressed as her brother Sebastian (Austin Larkin). As a man, Viola is caught in a rather awkward love triangle. To avoid any spoiler alert, I’ll just say that love finds a way in the end. Olivia (John P. Keller) who is mourning the death of her brother becomes infatuated with Viola who was sent by Orsino (Timothy Williams) with a message of love. Olivia’s steward Malvolio (Jim Helsinger) had a hilarious performance. He was tricked into thinking that his Olivia was in love with him and his attempts at appearing happy were endearing and over the top hilarious. Sword fights were foppish and comical. honor being served by who surrendered first in terror. Throughout the show I was laughing out loud.

This show highly deserved the standing ovation. This is one of the most polished productions I have had the honor to enjoy and sketch. We left the theater glowing. Shakespeare’s genius still shines bright 416 years later. For several hours we were magically transported back in time.

12th Night runs through March 23, 2018.

Twelfth Night runs approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes with one 15-minute intermission.

William Shakespeare’s King Lear at Osceola Arts.

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The set design by Nate Krebs, for King Lear established the multiple platforms as checkerboards as if in a game of chess. Directed by Beau Mahurin, the show is definitely dark and brooding. In the first act King Lear (J. Michael Werner) the aging king of Britain, decides to step down
from the throne and divide his kingdom evenly among his three
daughters. First, however, he puts his daughters through a test, asking
each to tell him how much she loves him. Goneril (Samantha Behr) and Regan (Katy Polimeno) , Lear’s older daughters, give their father flattering answers.asks his daughters to praise him and Cordelia (Monica Mulder) refuses, simply acknowledging that she loves him as a daughter should., He is furious and essentially disowns her. She is cast to the ground. The other two sisters play his game, but they plot to overthrow his in secret.

Cordelia returns disguised as a jester and helps her father to overcome the endless espionage. There is some serious sword play and sitting in the front row, I at times got nervous that I might be a little too close to the action. Edmund (Barry Wright) sat at the chess board as he plotted his next move against the king. Selfish princesses were pawns in the battle for power. Some of the Shakespearean dialect was lost on me since I was concentrating of the sketch.

This is a truly tragic play. The evil sisters kill each other since they are both in love with Edmund. Cordelia returns with an army to battle her sisters army but she is defeated. The death of all three princesses leaves Lear distraught and overcome. Lear appears, carrying the body of Cordelia in his arms. Mad with grief,
he bends over Cordelia’s body, looking for a sign of life. The strain
overcomes Lear and he falls dead on top of his daughter.

A year ago 49 people were murdered at Pulse Nightclub here in Orlando, so the entire city had had to come to terms with loss and grief. This made the end of this play most timely and difficult to watch. The human struggle never changes and tragedy is the same in the past as it is in the present. senseless violence greed and corruption will always remain but if the cast of King Lear all had assault riffle instead of swards, s then the carnage would have been much worse.

The Taming of the Shrew

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Having sketched the early stages of the set build, I decided to sit in the same Loge seat to sketch “The Taming of the Shrew” on September 25th. Actress Melissa Mason addressed the audience before the play began. This production would be staged in the 1880’swild west because Shakespeare’s play has much violence and a headstrong woman would make perfect sense in an early settlement where anything goes. The play was written in 1594.

The production was a comedic romp that employed some of Shakespeare’s favorite gags such as switched identities. Melissa played the beautiful Biance in  blonde curls and a pink dress who had many suitors. Lucertio (Chris Ryan), wealthy landowner Germino (Brandon Roberts), and local Hortensio (Chris Metz) are all trying to win her hand. Bianca’s father Baptista Minola (John Ahlin) however insisted that Bianca could not marry until her sister Kate (Deanna Gibson) was married. Kate was a bartender who preferred a foul mouthed brawl to any kindness.

At the center of the show is a high stakes battle of the sexes. Rancher Petruchio (Geoffrey Kent) is persuaded to pursue Kate. Bianca’s suitors covered all costs and if he succeeded he would profit from Kate’s rich dowry. The courtship was close to witnessing a WWF wrestling match. Endless impassioned fights were played for great comedic effect. Eventually the rancher wins Kate’s hand. Having married her, he begins to try and break her, just as he would a wild stallion. He denied his new bride food, sleep and fresh clothing while still singing her praises. This resulted in his getting a black eye but over time Kate was coaxed to admit gratitude. I grew more annoyed as Kate softened. I preferred seeing her fiery western independence.

When Lucentio won Bianca’s hand, the men at the reception make a wager about who has the most obedient wife. Surprisingly Kate is the only wife who comes when summoned. Petruchio wins the bet, his cowboy hat full of money. But the couple have also won each other, discovering mutual respect on the tale of conflict.

I must admit that there were moments in the play where Shakespeare’s words were lost on me. With so many characters changing their identities, I at times lost track of who was who. Kate’s final speech however was beautifully worded and inspired. Mark Your Calendar! The Taming of the Shrew is running through October 6th in the Margison Theater in the Lowndes Shakespeare Center (812 E Rollins St  Orlando, FL). Tickets are between $20 and $40.  

Dracula: The Journal of Jonathan Harker, a one man show, will open October 9th and run through November 10, 2013. This should be a perfect play for the Halloween season.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

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I went to an open rehearsal for William Shakespeare‘s Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Center on April 26th. The only performance would be the next day and it was completely sold out. I was surprised at how crowded it was getting into the theater. It turned out $10 tickets were sold to see the rehearsal. I usually sit right up front but the front rows were blocked with yellow caution tape.

I did this sketch with a fountain pen Larry Lauria had lent me. It wasn’t until I started adding watercolor washes, that I realized that the ink wasn’t waterproof. Every wash that touched a line would explode black as the ink spread. I wanted to abandon the sketch and start another, but there wasn’t enough time. I pushed forward hoping the whole page wouldn’t turn black by the end of the show.

The orchestra performed music by Felix Mendelsohn which perfectly complimented the play. There were love potions that caused mortals to fall helplessly in love with the wrong person. All the lovers were bewildered and lost. The wost case was when Titania fell in love with an actor who had been transformed into an ass. My favorite moment was the play staged within the play. Brandon Roberts as a carpenter announced the play while standing on a column. The actors staged a farcical tragedy of Pyramus and Thisby. The female Thisby  was played by a man and there must have been basketballs on his chest swinging under the Greek toga. Philip Nolan as Pyramus had a hilarious death scene in which he kept poking his sword at his impenetrable chest plate. He apologized to the assembled audience on stage and said “Well, this is actually more of a dress rehearsal.” He finally shoved the sword inside the armor and had a long winded agonizing death scene that he milked at least three times. Even members of the orchestra couldn’t stop laughing.

It was a delightful evening and I hope the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra and the John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center continue to collaborate.