SITV Brings the Funny with 'Comedy of Errors'

By Darcie Flansburg
The Real Critics Editor/Publisher

Shakespeare in the Vines’ “Comedy of Errors” offered an evening of pure comedy. From the 20th Century Fox opening to the rubber chicken sword fighting the production pulled out all the stops.
The show opens with Aegeon, played by Walter Savell, on trial in Ephesus. His monologue explains how his twin sons and their twin servants were separated by a storm years before. The rather lengthy monologue (the longest in the Shakespeare canon) was acted out by the ensemble. This began the slap-stick style as the ensemble yelled “yay” and “boo” in reaction to Aegeon’s story, holding up signs to encourage the audience to join in.
I have seen the opening monologue acted out in a few “Comedy of Errors” productions, but none were quite as energetic as SITV’s. And that was just the beginning of the show!
Director John Edward Clark also added an Arabian Nights theme that greatly catered to the slap-stick comedy. Clark should also be commended for his casting choices. Ninety percent of directing is casting and Clark did a fine job.
Every character had a quirk, and every scene was played out in well-timed comedic beats. What would have made the emphasis even better would be the use of sound effects or random instruments on stage. Someone could have used a kazoo or a slide whistle and only enhance the flavor of the show.
Though every actor brought great zeal to their characters, there are a few worth mentioning that truly went above and beyond.
David Caldwell, who played Antipholus of Syracuse, was in his element as the confused Antipholus who was continually taken to be his twin brother, that of Ephesus. Over the years Caldwell has truly grown as an actor and his comedic timing has gotten better and better. Add some rubber chicken sword fighting to the mix and you’ve got a gut buster.
Patrick Bailey, who played Dromio of Syracuse, had everyone rolling in the isles at Frangipani Winery as he told his master Antipholus of Luce, the kitchen wench that “assaulted” him. Having also seen SITV’s “Much Ado” earlier this season, it was refreshing to see the breath and depth of Bailey’s comedic stylings. His Dogberry had an entirley different flare than his Dromio, and both were very well executed. (Note: as a director I was saddened to see that Bailey would be leaving the area this fall, but happy to see that he would be pursuing a bachelor’s in English. Bailey, minor or double major in theatre, your chops shouldn’t be wasted.)
Christopher “Kit” Fugrad also appeared to be right at home as the other Dromio (of Ephesus). Fugrad egged on the audience to repeat after him, acted utterly confused by his master’s ever-changing mind and tried not be beaten by all who he offended. Like the aforementioned, Fugrad is another actor that embodies the comedic style as if it were second skin. It is always a joy to watch actors who do not appear to be “acting” on stage, but living in the moment. This is actor Zen, this is perfection.
Annalice Heinz played a sweet and silly Luciana, the love of Antipholus of Syracuse. Heinz was the perfect foil to Brittany Richardson’s hot-headed Adriana, who spent the majority of the play seeking out her husband, Antiphlus of Ephesus, played by Joe Arriaga.
But, I have to say, that Chelsea Pope was the topping on the cake of this production as the conjurer Pinch. Pope smiled wildly and cooed inappropriately at the confused Antipholi. Just her presence on stage made the entire audience giggle. The show was more of a spoof, but, as a fervent Shakespeare fan, it was a real treat.

Shakespeare in the Vines’ “Comedy of Errors” continues 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, August 28 and 29 at the Frangipani Winery in Temecula. Information/Tickets: www.shakespeareinthevines.org.

Riverside Youth Theatre Equals Quality Youth Theatre

By Darcie Flansburg
The Real Critics Editor/Publisher

Broadway reviews are great for youth theatre because it gives many young thespians a chance to shine and grow rather than just a few leads. Riverside Youth Theatre’s “On Broadway Now!” production was not only an obvious thrill for the performers, but also for the audience.
The show featured various musical numbers from productions that were on Broadway in 2009. Shows included “Jersey Boys,” “Hair,” “Legally Blonde,” “Grease,” “Spamalot,” “Mary Poppins,” “Next to Normal,” “Shrek the Musical,” “The Little Mermaid,” and “Young Frankenstein.” But the shows that I was really thrilled to see on the docket were “13” and “Spring Awakening.”
I was privileged to see the world premiere of “13” at the Mark Taper Forum in 2007 and the RYT “tween” cast looked to be having as much fun as that Broadway bound cast. This is important; the “fun” element really drives most musical theatre numbers, especially when they are about adolescents. And right from the start of “On Broadway Now!” the ensemble was loving every minute of their time on stage and the audience could feel it.
The show made me excited not only for the fabulous musical choices, but also the quantity of truly talented teens. It is companies like this that keep theatre alive by putting on quality shows that interest the youth and showcase their talent.
A few future stars to note include Anyssa Navarro, Melissa Smith, Hannah Wolgemuth, Eryn Moore and Maddison Rickard.
Navarro has a fabulous voice, and a clear passion for musical theatre. Her performance of “Hopelessly Devoted to You” was right on key and on emotion.
Smith has potential in both dance and leading lady work. She was precise in her movement and emotion even when she was merely part of the ensemble. But her performance of “Whispering” from Spring Awakening was truly moving.
Wolgemuth performed with great heart and verve. Every move that she made was done to the fullest. Moore was spunky and perfectly timed as the ditsy, yet somewhat witty El Woods. And Rickard is a small girl with a huge voice that was sadly undermined by bad head mics. I wish that I could have heard more of her song because what I did hear was so right on and full of so much soul.
But just because I am pointing out these individuals does not mean that no one else from the production deserves recognition. Actually, there are just far too many to point out. To quote one of my favorite shows, Nigel Lithgow on So You Think You Can Dance has often said that if a dancer doesn’t stick out in a bad way, it’s a good thing. I may point out a few, in my mind, stars, in the hopes that they recognize their own star quality and never give up on their art, but this is not to say that anyone else should give up because I did not mention them. As a young actress, I was not mentionable. In fact, I stuck out in a bad way. But that never stopped me from doing what I love.
On a slightly negative note, I wish that the “tween” ensemble had done “The Age of Aquarius” rather than just “Let the Sun Shine In” because they had the talent to do so. I also wish that the show had gone on longer. The ensemble could have sung “Summer Lovin’” from Grease and some more songs from “Next to Normal.”
But hey, you know it’s a great show when the critic wants more. I truly look forward to seeing more work from this company and all of these young stars.

For more information on RYT check out www.riversideyouththeatre.org

Operation Shakespearean Adaptation

By Yvonne Flack
For the Real Critics Blog

As a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, “Much Ado About Nothing” director Kit Fugrad had the perfect inspiration for his adaptation of the Bard’s classic comedy—a personal, but equally universal, experience in an ongoing military conflict.
It is 2009 and Don Pedro, played by Christopher Vienna, and his troops have returned home from tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. The scene is a common one—a barbeque with friends and family, beer, jests and budding love between Don Pedro’s right-hand man Claudio, aptly played by David Caldwell, and the young and beautiful Hero, played by Shanti Ryle.
Doing a concept piece with Shakespeare is a tricky balancing act between fidelity to the Bard’s original and the need to fully carry out the adaptation and produce a coherent piece of theatre. This balancing act becomes even more crucial when adapting comedies, as they always center around one or more marriages—a tricky thing to do post-women’s lib, as Shakespeare’s heroines are often jostled around by the men who control their lives.
Fugrad’s adaptation of the script was an honorable one, though it sometimes did not go far enough or failed to overcome some of the play’s inherent ties to the period in which it was written.
Most of the possessor-like control over Hero was removed from the character of Leonato, and Todd Meyer portrayed a convincing concerned contemporary father in the role. This contemporary concern crumbled into the 17th century, however, in his harsh reaction to Hero’s denouncement in the second half of the play where, as mandated by Shakespeare’s original, he laments that he would rather see Hero die than have her live as a sullied and impure woman—an unrealistic reaction in the 21st century.
Not only were the traditional Shakespearean male/female hierarchies removed, but, for the most part, the class and royalty hierarchies were removed as well. Don Pedro, a prince in Shakespeare’s original, became a captain in Fugrad’s adaptation, though the adaptation was inconsistent in that he was also referred to as “the Prince” on occasion. Don John was, however, still referred to as “the bastard” in a way that evoked the Early Modern belief that children born out of wedlock were somehow less than their legitimate siblings. This conundrum could have easily been avoided through the inflection of the actors and the simple replacement of the word “the” in describing him to “a” or “that.” In the 21st century, the difference between the brothers should not have been one of legitimacy, but rather one of character.
Other contemporizations helped round out the adaptation and bring about the reality of the world that the actors, director, and technicians were creating. The incorporation of live contemporary music, and the utilization of Caldwell’s musical skills, both vocally and as a guitarist, were a welcome addition to the show, though one of the song choices left me a bit perplexed. America’s “Horse With No Name” opened the second half of the play, and despite the references to a desert, here presumed to be the deserts of the Middle East, I could not help thinking about the long-held belief that the song is about the experience of being on heroine. Either way, it seemed to be an odd thing to be thinking about the night before one is going to get married; perhaps a love song would have been a more appropriate choice.
But the best musical numbers and references were yet to come. In Caldwell’s best musical performance of the night, Claudio lamented at Hero’s tomb with “The Other Side,” a song that seems as if it could have been written specifically for Much Ado. And as Benedick tries to compose a sonnet to his new-found love, Beatrice, played by Laurel Mueller, he inadvertently comes up with the lyrics for “L.O.V.E” beginning with, “L is for the way you look at me,” to the obvious enjoyment of the crowd.
Benedick’s turnaround from sworn bachelor to pining poet is often the comedic highlight of the play. As bachelor, Benedick, played by Justin Girard, was a slightly inebriated, man’s man, swearing off love to any woman. This swaggering Benedick was a clever character choice, offering a level of excuse for his many misogynistic monologues and anti-love ramblings. But as soon as Don Pedro, Claudio, Hero, Leonato and Ursula contrive to bring him together with the sworn bachelorette, and his mental equal, Beatrice, he crumbles into a man hopelessly in love.
By speaking of Beatrice’s fictitious love within earshot of the sworn bachelor, the men engineer the entrapment of Benedick. This scene is generally the peak of Shakespeare’s comedic genius, as the audience can visibly see Benedick crumble from his bachelor ways into stubborn, but undeniable love. But this audience could not see the majority of Benedick’s reactions as he hid behind a chair in the audience for nearly the entire scene. While the plotting of Don Pedro, Claudio and Leonato is funny, the real humor in the scene lies in Benedick’s reactions to what they are saying and their obvious enjoyment as they see him fall into their trap. This scene simply focused on the conspirators and missed the potential for rolling laughter that can be found through Benedick’s part in the scene.
Likewise, the Beatrice entrapment scene fell flat compared to its great potential to entice uproarious laughter in the audience. Beatrice was blocked peeking around a pole and, again, what was being said about the supposed love that Benedick bore her took the foreground of the scene. The source of the humor in this scene should, as in the scene with Benedick, build off of Beatrice's reaction to her newfound knowledge and budding love for Benedick.
While Mueller had an obvious understanding of what she was saying, and delivered her lines in a clear and appropriately contemporary way, her reactions in this scene were, like much of her character throughout the play, so casual, that they failed to entice a large enough reaction from the audience to make the scene memorable.
The real side-splitting comedy of this production came, surprisingly, amidst the tragedy of the second half with the well-meaning, but slightly dangerous, bumbling of Dogberry and his band of not-so-merry men (and woman). Recent high school graduate, Patrick Bailey, emerged as a star of this production in the narcoleptic, red-plastic-bat-toting role of Dogberry. In his battle to fight the crime and corruption of Borachio and his cohorts, Dogberry’s men frequently fell victim to the wild flailing of his plastic bat and Dogberry’s right-hand woman Verges, played by Chelsea Cohen, was seen with more and more bandages from the many injuries she sustained in his service. From the ridiculously official use of his childish prop, to the narcoleptic fits that left him falling to the floor as dead weight, this Dogberry was a character to remember.
The delicious wines of the Frangipani Winery, the starry summer evening sky, the quaint sound of coyotes in the distance, and, of course, the production itself, made Shakespeare in the Vines’ “Much Ado About Nothing” an enjoyable experience, despite some of the pitfalls in the adaptation.

Up next Shakespeare in the Vines presents "The Comedy of Errors," Aug. 13 through 29 at Frangipani Estate Winery. Check out www.shakespeareinthevines.org for details.