Shakespeare References in Season Of The Witch

David Talbot's book about San Francisco, Season Of The Witch: Enchantment, Terror, And Deliverance In The City Of Love, contains a few Shakespeare references. The first is a reference to A Midsummer Night's Dream. Talbot writes, "Coquettish in dark eyeliner, bare feet, and a white muslin caftan, he looked like a cross between Marlene Dietrich and Puck from A Midsummer Night's Dream" (p. 99). The second is a reference to Hamlet: "A lifetime later, Fayette Hauser could still see method in her friend Nancy's madness" (p. 117). That is a reference to Polonius's line "Though this be madness, yet there is method in 't." The book also contains a reference to Macbeth. Talbot writes, "But Moscone shrugged off the sound and fury" (p. 260). He is referring to my favorite speech from Macbeth (and perhaps all of Shakespeare), which ends with this line: "It is a tale/Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,/Signifying nothing." A little later there is a paragraph that mentions Shakespeare as well as a line from Julius Caesar: "The son of a dairy farmworker, Dean was raised to appreciate the rich language of the Bible and Shakespeare. 'My parents always read us stories,' he explained. 'Finding the true meaning of Shakespeare under all those flowery words was always a mind twister for me.' Dean was fond of quoting inspirational lines from Shakespeare in the 49ers locker room. One of his favorites was, 'Cowards die many times before their deaths. The valiant never taste of death but once'" (p. 369). That is a line that Caesar speaks to Calpurnia.

Season Of The Witch: Enchantment, Terror, And Deliverance In The City Of Love was published in 2012. The copy I read, from the library, was the First Free Press hardcover edition of May 2012.

Shakespeare References in The Amazing Adventures Of Kavalier & Clay

Michael Chabon's novel The Amazing Adventures Of Kavalier & Clay contains a few Shakespeare references. The first is a reference to Romeo And Juliet, with Chabon writing, "They got him doing Romeo Rabbit for thirty dollars a week" (p. 96). Next there is a reference to Macbeth, specifically to a famous production by Orson Welles: "In high school, she and a friend had gone uptown to see the booming, voodooistic Macbeth, and she had loved it" (p. 354). There is also mention of Shakespeare himself: "lying down with it under a fir tree, in a sun-slanting forest outside of Medford, Oregon, wholly absorbed into that primary-colored world of bad gags, heavy ink lines, Shakespearean farce, and the deep, almost Oriental mystery" (p. 575). This book was published in 2000.

Shakespeare References in NTC's Dictionary Of Word Origins

It should come as no surprise that a book on etymology would mention Shakespeare, and NTC's Dictionary Of Word Origins contains quite a few references. The first mention of Shakespeare comes in the book's introduction. Author Adrian Room writes: "Exceptions to this rule are for quotations from those familiar old English classics, the Bible and Shakespeare. For biblical quotations, the texts are those of the Authorized Version of 1611, which many people still regard as the 'real' English version of the Bible. For Shakespeare, the quotations have been taken from the Oxford Standard Authors edition edited by W. J. Craig, first published in 1905 and since reprinted several times in different formats" (p. 7). Then we get into the actual words themselves. In fact, the very first entry, the word "abominable," contains a Shakespeare reference. Room writes: "For many years from medieval times it was believed that the word derived  from Latin ab homine, 'from a man', in the sense 'inhuman', 'unnatural', and Shakespeare punned on the word with this supposed origin in Love's Labour's Lost where Holofernes, talking of Don Adriano's strange pronunciation, says: 'This is abhominable, which he would call abominable'. (See Act V, Scene i for some whimsical language play.) In fact the word comes from Latin abominari, 'to regard as an evil omen', from ab-, 'from' and omen, 'evil omen'" (p. 11). The next reference comes in the entry for "accomplice." "An accomplice is not so called as he is an 'accomplished' criminal, but because he is 'a complice', or simply an associate. This is now an obsolete word, but was still in use in the time of Shakespeare, where in Richard II Bolingbroke says that Bristol Castle is held by 'Bushy, Bagot, and their complices' (the 'caterpillars of the commonwealth')" (pages 11-12). Then in the entry for "aghast," Room writes: "The h was added, however, under the influence of 'ghastly', which means that the early spelling of the word was agast. This comes from the Old English verb gaestan, 'to frighten'. In Henry VI, Part I, Shakespeare makes a messenger, speaking of the overthrow of Talbot, say that 'All the whole army stood agaz'd on him', as if the origin was in gaze" (p. 12). In the entry for argosy, Room writes: "The word is a historic one, as is the concept. Only nine lines into Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, for example, there is a mention of 'argosies with portly sail'" (p. 16). In the entry for "baggage" Room writes, "Shakespeare was one of the first to use the word in its 'worthless woman' meaning, and at the very beginning of The Taming of the Shrew (the 'Induction'), Christopher Sly, when called a rogue by the Hostess, retorts, 'Y'are a baggage: the Slys are no rogues'" (p. 19). The entry for "bastard" of course contains a reference to King Lear, with Room writing: "The designation is often thought to derive from 'base'. Certainly Shakespeare seemed to think so, when in King Lear Edmund, the bastard son of the Earl of Gloucester, declaims: 'Why bastard? wherefore base?... Why brand they us With base? with baseness? bastardy? base, base?'" (p. 22). The very next entry, "bated," also contains a Shakespeare reference: "The verb 'abate', meaning 'diminish' (originally 'beat down', from Old French abatre), was formerly often shortened to 'bate', and occurs in this form several times in Shakespeare, for example" (p. 22). The entry for "coign" also contains a reference to Shakespeare: "This particular phrase became memorable when it was used by Shakespeare in Macbeth, and Banquo describes Macbeth's castle in Inverness as a building favoured by the 'temple-haunting martlet' (i.e. swift): no jutty, frieze,/Buttress, nor coign of vantage, but this bird/Hath made his pendant bed and procreant cradle" (p. 44). The next entry, for "coil," also refers to Shakespeare: "Because of Shakespeare's 'shuffle off this mortal coil' (in Hamlet's famous 'To be or not to be' speech), a mental picture emerges of some kind of encircling loop like a binding coil of rope. When you 'shuffle off the mortal coil' you die, of course, and this even more suggests an escape from some kind of mortal chains" (p. 44). The entry for "doll" also mentions Shakespeare: "The original meaning of 'doll' was 'mistress', hence Shakespeare's Doll Tearsheet in Henry IV, Part II" (p. 55). There is an entry for "fell," as in "at one fell swoop," which is all about Shakespeare. Room writes: "The word suggests 'fall', like the swoop of a pouncing bird of prey. In this Shakespearean phrase, however, 'fell' has the sense, now poetic in English, of 'evil', and the word is thus related to 'felon'. Probably the wrong association with a bird of prey is strengthened by the mention of particular birds in the extended quotation containing the phrase in the original, where in Macbeth the anguished Macbeth, learning of the murder of his wife and children, exclaims: 'All my pretty ones?/Did you say all? O hell-kite! All?/What! all my chickens and their dam/At one fell swoop?'" (p. 62). And yes, that entry contains a mistake. What Room meant to write was "the anguished Macduff," not "the anguished Macbeth," for it was Macbeth who ordered those murders. Macbeth is also mentioned in the entry for "fitful": "The word is said to exist in English simply because of its single occurrence in Shakespeare's Macbeth, where Macbeth, speaking of the dead Duncan, says that 'After life's fitful fever he sleeps well'" (p. 63). The entry for "halt" mentions Shakespeare: "This old-fashioned word, found in the Bible and (as a verb) in Shakespeare, is not related to the 'halt' that means 'stop', as if a halt person were one who constantly had to halt" (p. 78). The entry for "harebell" contains a Shakespeare reference: "In Shakespeare's Cymbeline, the 'azur'd harebell like thy veins' mentioned is actually a bluebell" (p. 80). The entry for the word "leave," as in "permission; holiday," refers to Shakespeare: "This is because it originally meant 'obtain permission to depart', and it occurs in this sense in Shakespeare's Richard II, where Bolingbroke says to the Lord Marshal, in the presence of the king: Then let us take a ceremonious leave/And loving farewell of our several friends" (p. 99). The word "manner," as in "to the manner born," refers to Shakespeare too: "But the phrase, which comes from Shakespeare, did not originally mean this, but 'destined to be subject to (whatever it is)', which is not quite the same thing. Here is the original, in which Hamlet refers to the king's habit of revelling at midnight: But to my mind - though I am native here/And to the manner born, - it is a custom/More honour'd in the breach than the observance. He means 'Although I was born here, and so have been obliged to accept the native way of doing things'" (pages 106-107). The entry for "marry," the exclamation, unsurprisingly mentions Shakespeare: "This famous Shakespearean word is nothing to do with the word that means 'get married'. It was used mainly for emphasis, and also to express agreement" (p. 107). The entry for "pansy" has contains a reference to Shakespeare. Room writes: "This tradition is referred to in poor, deranged Ophelia's words in Hamlet, when she says: 'There's rosemary, that's for remembrance; pray, love, remember: and there is pansies, that's for thoughts" (p. 124). Another flower word, "pink," contains a Shakespeare reference: "Such phrases as 'in the pink' and 'pink of condition' and even 'tickled pink' all derive indirectly from the plant, which was seen as a sort of 'flower of perfection'. The first recorded use of its name in this metaphorical sense comes in Shakespeare, where in Romeo and Juliet there is a nice little interchange:
     Mercutio. Nay I am the very pink of courtesy.
     Romeo. Pink for flower.
     Mercutio. Right." (p. 132)
The entry for "pregnant," meaning "meaningful," contains a Shakespeare reference: "This was frequently used of an argument, and meant 'compelling', 'well-reasoned', even simply 'obvious'. Shakespeare used it in this sense in Othello, when Iago, seeking to discredit Cassio, Othello's lieutenant, says to Roderigo: 'Now, sir, this granted, as it is a most pregnant and unforced position, who stands so eminently in the degree of this fortune as Cassio does?'" (p. 138). In the entry for "rest" (in the phrase "God rest you merry, gentlemen"), there is a Shakespeare reference: "The greeting or wish expressed in the line was a standard one in Shakespeare's day, and in fact occurs in As You Like It, for example, where the 'country fellow' William takes his leave of Touchstone with the words, 'God rest you merry, sir'" (p. 148). The entry for "roam" also contains a Shakespeare reference: "Shakespeare, too, puns on the two words, as in Henry VI, Part I, where the following exchange occurs:
     Bishop of Winchester. Rome shall remedy this.
     Earl of Warwick. Roam thither then." (p. 149).
The entry for "shock-headed" contains a reference. Room writes: "One possibility is in the obsolete 'shough', 'shock' or 'shock-dog' that is mentioned in Macbeth, where Macbeth lists a variety of dog breeds and types: As hounds and greyhounds, mongrels, spaniels, curs,/Shoughs, water-rugs and demi-wolves, are clept [i/e/ called]/All by the name of dogs" (p. 158). The entry for "trump card" contains a reference as well: "Shakespeare uses the word in this sense, although metaphorically, in Anthony and Cleopatra, where Anthony says to his friend Eros, talking of Cleopatra: 'she, Eros, has/Packed cards with Caesar, and false-play'd my glory/Unto an enemy's triumph" (p. 176). And yes, Room writes "Anthony" rather than "Antony." The entry for "utterance" (as in the phrase 'to the utterance") contains a reference to Macbeth: "The now archaic phrase means 'to the bitter end', 'to the utmost limit', with one of its best known occurrences in Shakespeare's Macbeth, where Macbeth, defying Banquo, says: Rather than so, come fate into the list,/And champion me to the utterance!'" (p. 178). The entry for "while away" also contains a Shakespeare reference: "This variant spelling seems to have been additionally influenced, in former times, by association with such phrases as Shakespeare's 'beguile the day', 'beguile the time' (as in Twelfth Night, where Antonio recommends that Sebastian should 'beguile the time' by 'viewing the town' while he arranges food and board), as well as with similar phrases in other languages" (p. 185). The next entry, for "whippet," also contains a Shakespeare reference: "thus appearing rather incongruously, to modern eyes, in Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, where Borachio says: 'I whipt me behind the arras'" (p. 185). 

The bibliography lists a book whose title is a Shakespeare reference: "Owen, Denis, What's in a Name: A Look at the Origins of Plant and Animal Names, BBC Publications, London, 1985" (p. 193).

NTC's Dictionary Of Word Origins was published in 1991. My copy is a first edition hardcover.

Doctor Faustus (Independent Shakespeare Company's 2025 Production) Theatre Review

The Independent Shakespeare Company, as the group's name suggests, focuses on the works of William Shakespeare. But these folks do not limit themselves to those thirty-seven plays (thirty-eight, if you count The Two Noble Kinsmen), and last night held the official opening of Doctor Faustus, a play written by Shakespeare's contemporary Christopher Marlowe. It is the classic story of a man who sells his soul to the devil for power and knowledge. This company delivers an absolutely fantastic and fun production, with plenty of humor and a bit of horror, and a completely delightful original musical number (actually, there are two good songs). The production is directed by Melissa Chalsma, and stars David Melville in the title role and Kalean Ung as Mephistopheles.

While construction continues on the company's permanent Griffith Park stage, performances are located just a bit farther up the hill (which actually means more shade for the audience). The set-up for this production is similar to that of Love's Labour's Lost, which closed a couple of weeks ago, done in the round, with the main platform spanning the dry creek, and a secondary, curtained platform to the side. While the main platform was painted green for the Shakespeare play, this time it features a circle with the zodiac signs at its outer edge and other symbols within. Much of the performance happens on that main stage, but the actors make great use of the surrounding space, sometimes moving through the audience (before the performance began, Melissa Chalsma warned us that spirits would be roaming the park). When we first meet Doctor Faustus, he is seated in his study, dressed in black. On "And live and die in Aristotle's works," he gets up, indicating a book at one corner of the stage, which he then retrieves. On "farewell," he tosses the book off the stage, and takes up another. One by one, he tosses the books, giving the sense that he has gotten all the knowledge he can from these tomes and requires something else for his desired growth in knowledge. David Melville, known for his comedic talent, is quite funny right from this first scene, particularly in his delivery of a line like "The reward of sin is death: that's hard." And when he is visited by both a good angel (Natalia Echeverria) and a bad angel (Daniel DeYoung), from his reaction we have no doubt to which one he will listen. And it is not long before he, ready with a staff, begins to conjure the spirits. David adds delightful touches to the performance. When he first steps into the center of the circle, there is some uncertainty, perhaps even fear, and then relief when nothing bad has happened. And then, now with certainty of purpose, he begins his work. It's a wonderful moment. 

When Mephistopheles enters, she is sexy (or should I say hot?), in a red dress (not presenting herself as a Franciscan Friar, as in the text). Yes, we get a female Mephistopheles here, and that works quite well. For a moment, perhaps, we are reminded of Elizabeth Hurley as the devil in the remake of Bedazzled, itself an adaptation of the Faustus story. Faustus has met his match here, for Kalean Ung is magnificent in the role. That will come as no surprise to those who saw the company's 2022 production of Macbeth, for she was phenomenal as Lady Macbeth. Mephistopheles holds out the knife to Faustus so that he can draw blood, and she kneels before him in that moment; that is until he takes the blade, a nice touch. Doctor Faustus understandably hesitates in cutting himself, and when he does do it, this production does not shy away from the use of blood. And when Faustus states that one of his stipulations is that Mephistopheles come to him in whatever form or shape he pleases, Mephistopheles smiles, seeming both intrigued and pleased, another wonderful touch. On her "when all the world dissolves," the turns around, taking in the world around her. And on her "take this book," the book she hands him is red, matching her dress, which is perfect. Later, when Doctor Faustus requests knowledge of the celestial bodies, other characters appear in the audience bearing glowing globes representing those bodies.

While David Melville and Kalean Ung turn in remarkable performances, the entire cast is strong. Patrick Batiste and Natalia Echeverria and wonderful together as Wagner and Robin respectively, especially as Wagner tries to convince Robin to be his disciple for seven years. The two devils poking Robin with their pitchforks are funny too, and even funnier when Wagner dismisses them, one of them delivering a disappointed "Oh" before exiting. And one of the production's most delightful and thrilling moments involves the entire cast. The scene with Lucifer (Brent Charles) and the Seven Deadly Sins is done as an incredible musical number, with each Sin receiving an introduction and taking a verse. Carene Rose Mekertichyan is especially good as both Pride and Sloth. Isaac Ybarra is Wrath, Daniel DeYoung is Envy, Erick Valenzuela de Campos is Gluttony, Patrick Batiste is Greed, and Natalia Echeverria is Lust. They and Lucifer are clearly having a great time. And some of the song's original lyrics refer to the audience. Was there ever a better sales pitch for sin? 

During the speech about Doctor Faustus being flown by a dragon, both he and Mephistopheles wear aviator goggles, a humorous touch. Other characters manipulate the dragon's wings, which is actually kind of beautiful. Scenes of great comedy are always handled well by this company especially when David Melville is at the center of the action. And so the scene where Faustus torments the Pope (Brent Charles) and other religious figures is a delight. Plus, and maybe especially these days, it is enjoyable to watch those in positions of power being brought down a few pegs. Doctor Faustus, made invisible by Mephistopheles, teases the Pope by repeatedly sitting on the Pope's chair, before then taking his food and drink. It's wonderful how much fun Faustus is having here, and the audience is completely on his side, enjoying the Pope's discomfort and fear. There is also a lot of fun in the scene with the Emperor (Erick Valenzuela de Campo, who is wonderful in the role). Faustus' line "These are but shadows, not substantial" reminds me of Prospero's speech in The Tempest. And there is more delightful physical comedy in the scene with Robin, Dick (Daniel DeYoung) and the cup, the cup at one point being handed to someone in the audience.

And as I mentioned earlier, there are elements of horror as well, including, in addition to the drawing of blood by Faustus, a beheading scene. Of course there is comedy to this too, as characters toss the head around. It is so wonderfully creepy as Doctor Faustus holds his own head. As the play moves toward its conclusion, it becomes more serious, and there is a nice moment when Wagner expresses concern for Faustus (Patrick Batiste is excellent there). Doctor Faustus is on his knees for the play's most famous lines ("Was this the face that launched a thousand ships..."), as Helen (Carene Rose Mekertichyan) circles him. And he again falls to his knees a little later when trying to wipe away the symbols from the circle. David, again known for his comedic skills, truly excels in that final scene. It is a side of him we don't see quite as often, and he delivers some impressive work. Kalean Ung is also excellent in this scene, the two of them engaged in a delicious dance of the damned. What a fantastic ending!

Doctor Faustus runs through August 31, 2025. Visit the Independent Shakespeare Company's website for the complete schedule. There is one intermission. The performances are free, but donations are encouraged, especially in this difficult time when the arts are under attack and government funding is dubious at best. There are also T-shirts, sweatshirts, tote bags and other items for sale at the merchandise table, so there are plenty of ways to support the company.

As You Like It (Shakespeare By The Sea's 2025 Production) Theatre Review

If you want to add a great deal of joy to your summer evening, check out Shakespeare By The Sea's current production of As You Like It. But don't wait long, because the company's summer season is coming to a close soon. This production, directed by Suzanne Dean, is an absolute delight from start to finish, and it features an incredibly strong cast. At the heart of the production are two of its best performances, those by Savannah Moffat as Rosalind and Brendan Robert Kane as Orlando. If you want to experience the wonder and joy and excitement of love at first sight, watch these two become immersed in that magic. You can't help but become immersed too.

The production begins with the company delivering the first few lines of Jaques' famous speech from Act II Scene vii: "All the world's a stage,/And all the men and women merely players./They have their exits and their entrances,/And one man in his time plays many parts." It's interesting, because the actors are basically announcing that they are actors, but the lines also encompass everyone in the audience as well, so it's a way of pulling everyone together in a common bond right at the start. And then they quickly get into the first scene, with Orlando and Adam, the latter played by Megan Ruble. Yes, a young woman playing an old man, and doing a delightful job. When Oliver (Will Mueller) enters, the state of the relationship between the two brothers is made immediately apparent. When Orlando says, "Nothing. I am not taught to make anything," he avoids making eye contact with Oliver, a nice touch and a great delivery. And his "He was my father" is spoken with pride. And though Oliver is the villain here, there is a wonderful moment when he admits that he doesn't know why he hates his brother, and Will Mueller does an especially good job with that line. It's important, because later in the play we have to believe that he's changed and become a better person, and Mueller does a great job of showing us the possibility of such transformation in that early moment.

The set includes a banner that reads, "East Of Arden: Everyone Welcome." But after that first scene a different sign is displayed: "Duke Frederick's Land: Dissenters Will Be Banished." There is clearly a great humor to that sign, but part of the humor comes from the all-too-real fear of the current fascist state of our country. A carnival atmosphere is established leading to the wrestling bout. Celia (Amanda Godoy) is especially excited about the wrestling. Godoy does a tremendous job of getting close to the top without ever going over in her performance, not an easy thing to do, and there is a great deal of humor in her facial expressions, her reactions to others (especially when Rosalind, dressed as Ganymede, speaks to Orlando), as well as to the delivery of her lines. When Orlando wrestles, he wears a mask, both keeping his identity a secret and making us think of those classic wrestlers, only taking it off on his "Orlando, my liege" line to Duke Frederick (Alec Yamartino). It is Le Beau (Phoebe Alva) who rings a bell to start the match. Charles (Christian Skinner) runs off when he loses, a funny and believable reaction.

When Rosalind is banished by Duke Frederick, her line "your mistrust cannot make me a traitor" stands out, again in part because of the perilous state of our nation. Celia takes Rosalind's hand, which is both a comforting act and a defiant one. It's a wonderful moment. Celia is so good as she comes up with her plan to visit her uncle in the forest, and Rosalind's joy at coming up with the idea of dressing as a man is delightful. Celia enters the forest on the back of Touchstone (Jonathan Fisher). On Rosalind's "comfort the weaker vessel," she indicates Celia with her hand.  And Celia is hilarious as Touchstone speaks. She is on the ground, looking out of place and unhappy. She also makes Touchstone carry her out at the end of the scene. A little later Orlando carries Adam on, making Adam's "I can go no further" particularly funny.

Orlando is adorable as he tries to speak to Rosalind but finds he can't. Brendan Robert Kane does a fantastic job at showing the very moment when he realizes he's in love. It is really that moment when we fall in love with both of them. And later when he affixes his verse to various trees, he really throws himself into the action with great joy, even running through the audience. This production contains several references to modern music, as when Orlando enters singing a bit of "L-O-V-E" ("L is for the way you look at me"), or when Silvius sings a bit of The Beatles' "I Will" to Phoebe. There are also bits of "Here Comes The Sun" and "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" near the end. Music is an important element to this play, and these nods to modern music actually seem to fit perfectly. Much of the music in this production is performed by Amiens (Christopher Diem) on vocals and guitar. And isn't music an important part of our own love stories? Don't you associate certain songs with certain loves from your life? Orlando and Rosalind are not the only couple in this wonderful play. By the end, there are multiple marriages, and the audience is cheering for all of them (that's how good this cast is). When we meet Silvius (Christian Skinner), he is lovesick for Phoebe (Megan Ruble), running through the audience repeating her name. And when we first meet Audrey (Phoebe Alva), she is eating an apple, and Touchstone, in his own version of wooing, bites her apple. Later when he describes Audrey as "a poor virgin" to Duke Senior, he winks at Audrey on the word "virgin." For, hey, it's not all innocence in the forest.

Jaques (Alec Yamartino) is so happy when he tells the others how he met a fool in the forest. And during his famous speech (the one we got a taste of at the very beginning of the performance), he goes to different characters for each age, at least at first, using them as perhaps unwilling players in his own little play, another nice touch. And on his "sans teeth," Adam is led in by Orlando, and Jaques looks toward him as an example of that final act of man, a wonderful touch. Touchstone and Corin (Caleb Towns) are both excellent in that scene where they talk about court life versus country living. Particularly funny are Touchstone's expressions when describing a shepherd's life. Then, as Celia reads from one of Orlando's verses, Touchstone joins her in reading it, which is quite funny. On Rosalind's "one that knew courtship too well," she gently touches one of Orlando's verses on the tree, which is perfect. This production is full of wonderful moments like that. I love that Orlando takes a brief moment to consider Rosalind's offer before accepting it. Another wonderful bit comes when Rosalind is describing Phoebe. We hear a hint of attraction in her delivery of "cheek of cream," which is both surprising and funny. And later, we see hints of attraction from Phoebe to Silvius as Silvius describes love, a really nice touch, particularly because we want those two to be together.

Rosalind puts great emphasis on the word "now" in "how now, Orlando" when Orlando enters, a nice way of showing her irritation at his being late. And that irritation is in wonderful contrast to Orlando's excitement at being there. But Rosalind's irritation disappears quickly, and she is delighted and delightful as she tells him, "Come, woo me." In that scene, there is a nice moment when Orlando and Rosalind sit together at the edge of the stage, this being on the "men have died...but not for love" speech. It reminded me of a moment from this company's other current production, Julius Caesar, when Brutus and Cassius likewise sit at the edge of the stage. In both productions, these are intimate moments of friendship. And what I love about that is that it shows that Orlando and Rosalind can be close friends as well as lovers (when it inevitably comes to that), this moment giving the audience the sense that their relationship is based on more than just physical attraction. And it is perhaps then that we believe that love at first sight can also be everlasting love. What could bring us more joy than that?

As You Like It runs through July 25, 2025. There is one intermission, which comes at the end of Act III Scene ii. Last night's performance was at Garfield Park in South Pasadena, but the company performs in various parks all over Los Angeles County and Orange County. Visit the Shakespeare By The Sea website for the full schedule. Performances are free, but there is plenty of merchandise available to help support the company.

Julius Caesar (Shakespeare By The Sea's 2025 Production) Theatre Review

Julius Caesar set

Each summer, Shakespeare By The Sea takes two of Shakespeare's plays on the road, performing them in various parks all over Los Angeles County and Orange County. Currently, this talented company is putting on Julius Caesar and As You Like It, and yesterday brought its magic to a place that certainly needs it: Altadena. This was the company's first time performing at Loma Alta Park, a rather pretty location that itself seemed untouched by the fire, though the road to the park took us through devastated areas. The play these guys performed at that spot was Julius Caesar, a play that feels particularly timely. It is not that the current occupant of the White House is really much like Caesar as a person (Caesar had military prowess, and also a wife who cared for him), but that his being in power seems to be signalling the fall of our republic. This production uses the Play On Shakespeare text, with updated verse by Shishir Kurup. This was something that worried me, but, truly, apart from one jarring line that has no business in a Shakespeare performance, the text was fine, and most of it was Shakespeare's original text anyway. I should have known to trust this company and director Stephanie Coltrin to do right by Shakespeare. The production features some outstanding performances, particularly by Brendan Robert Kane as Brutus (if you saw his Hamlet in 2023, you know just what this actor is capable of), Jonathan Fisher as Cassius, Caleb Towns as Antony, and Gregory Mason Dodds as Julius Caesar.

The first scene with Cassius and Brutus is done beautifully. Cassius is downstage, while Brutus remains upstage at first, a meaningful separation. Brutus is clearly alarmed by what he hears happening. And Jonathan Fisher does a phenomenal job with that famous speech in which he begins to win over Brutus. On "Another thunderous shout" (a change from Shakespeare's "Another general shout"), Brutus moves downstage and looks out at the audience. This has the effect of making us question ourselves and our neighbors. Who among us didn't know at least one person who was eager for the monster in the White House to take over? On Cassius' "There was a Brutus once," Brutus then looks away, and we see the impact the words have on him. Even an innocent line like Cassius' "I will do so" is packed with meaning the way it is delivered, and in that line we hear his being pleased that Brutus has asked him to come to his home. This production does a good job of establishing relationships, and treats us to a nice moment where Brutus kisses Portia's hand during Caesar's first entrance. There is also an excellent moment as Caesar interprets the looks of Brutus and Cassius, and we see in his face what he suspects. Caesar is no fool.

The actors do not have a lot of entrances and exits through the audience this time, but the ones that occur are well-chosen, such as the entrance of Soothsayer (Nada Jawad), who is female in this production. It makes her feel like one of us, perhaps placing her outside of time, and of course any of us could have likewise warned Caesar of the Ides of March. Regarding the text, the early line "Set on; and leave no ceremony out" here becomes "Play on; and leave no ceremony out," both reminding me of the first line of Twelfth Night and making me wonder if it was a deliberate self-reference by the Play On Shakespeare team. Most of the changes are like that, of little consequence and not all that noticeable, and certainly not detriments to the production. The one line that Shishir Kurup should be whipped for is "Monkeys fly out of my ass." Yikes! The line is spoken by Casca (Will Mueller) and is so jarring that the audience is pulled right out of the story for a moment, instead thinking of that awful Wayne's World movie, where, if I recall correctly, the phrase originated (though there it was "butt," not "ass"). That comes in the speech where Casca talks about Caesar refusing the crown three times, so it is fairly early in the performance.

Brendan Robert Kane is especially excellent in the scene leading up to the entrance of the conspirators. He delivers the line "It must be by his death" to the audience, but he is also speaking to himself, clearly working out what must be done, and how he feels about it. He is captivating as he fashions his argument, while still being troubled by it. By the way, this production's Lucius is quite good. It's not generally a role that stands out, but Noah Allen does a great job. He is funny in the later scene when asking Portia what he should do. When the conspirators enter, they are hooded, and remove their hoods one by one as each is named. Their dark clothes are a nice contrast with Brutus' white night clothes. One thing that is fascinating about this play is how wrong Brutus is, and how right Cassius is. As an audience, we are led to believe that Brutus will be the voice of reason, of good, but it is that very voice, that very goodness, that leads to more trouble. For example, he puts a quick stop to Cassius' plan that Antony should die along with Caesar. And while we naturally support Brutus' approach, it shockingly turns out to be the wrong approach. I sometimes wonder just what Shakespeare is telling us there. And later Cassius cautions Brutus to not let Antony address the crowd after Caesar's murder, and again Brutus' choice leads to trouble for them. During the conspirators scene, Portia (Savannah Moffat) enters, remaining behind the stage, and so overhearing some of the planning, without Brutus knowing. When the others exit, she then joins Brutus. She, like Brutus, is dressed in white, a nice way of showing the two of them aligned. Even if we hadn't seen her lurking in the background earlier, we'd know that she's aware that something's up from her delivery of that big speech to Brutus. And after she lifts her shift slightly to show a bandaged thigh, Brutus kneels before her briefly, a nice touch. These two are so good in this scene, and we see clearly what Brutus is risking, by going through with the plan or not going through with the plan. And later when Brutus addresses the crowd, only Portia is on the stage with him. And she exits with him, showing they are united.

It is also interesting the similarities and differences in the way Calpurnia (Katie Herling) confronts Caesar with her worries, compared with the way Portia approached Brutus. And again, this production excels at showing the relationships. There are wonderful little touches, such as how Caesar looks to Calpurnia after the Soothsayer delivers her line and before he answers her. And there is a great intimacy in the moment when Caesar agrees with Calpurnia. He looks at Calpurnia when saying "And on her knee hath begged," holding her hand. He then lets go of her hand when the dream is interpreted in another way, a nice way of signifying that he has changed his mind. This production also does a great job in building the tension before the conspirators act. Brutus faces Caesar, and we can see the shock and disappointment in Caesar's expression. Caesar's "Then fall, Caesar" follows Brutus' cut. Antony is extraordinary in this scene. He enters carrying a war axe, and on "fit to die" he casts it down, and it seems he really believes he'll be killed. He even flinches, a wonderful touch, as he is knelt over Caesar's body. When he is left alone with Caesar's body, he immediately and furiously wipes the blood from his hand, another wonderful touch. And on "deadly objects so familiar" (a change from Shakespeare's "dreadful objects"), he retrieves his axe. And from that motion, we know things are going to get worse for the conspirators.

Antony does a remarkable job with this play's most well-known speech, making the familiar feel fresh, and swaying us all. Something that Shakespeare does with such skill, and joy, is show how easily manipulated a mob can be, how fickle a crowd is, how easily led and misled, something we know a bit about in this country, for sure. He does it in several plays, and there is a moment here that I love, when Antony has to remind the people to ask him to read Caesar's will, something that he was guiding them to do in the first place. Perhaps the most frightening and chilling moment in relation to the mob is when the people come upon Cinna the Poet, believing him to be Cinna the conspirator. There is the question of whether or not they really believe they have the right Cinna, and it seems to me they don't even care whether they have the right person or not. At that point, they are looking for any excuse to do violence. Interestingly, in this production Cinna the Poet and Cinna the conspirator are played by the same person (Megan Ruble), which might give some credence to the idea that they think they have the right person. They carry Cinna off, and the murder occurs behind the stage. 

One of the most touching scenes of the production is not between Brutus and Portia, or between Caesar and Calpurnia, but between Brutus and Cassius. The scene starts with them angry with each other, and after Brutus' "You have done what you should be sorry for," they are silent for a moment, another nice touch. And after Cassius tosses his dagger to the ground, Brutus retrieves and holds it under Cassius' chin threateningly for a moment before saying, "Sheathe your dagger." They then sit together at the edge of the stage, like two close friends, and it seems that nothing of the world can reach them or harm them. And it is then that Brutus reveals Portia's fate. Not much is made of it in the text, which makes it all the more heart-rending here, for we've seen how Brutus and Portia cared for each other. Brendan Robert Kane is fantastic here. And it is in this most of human of moments that we are certain that Brutus will not remain long in this world. While the play is titled The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, it really feels like The Tragedy of Marcus Brutus.

Julius Caesar runs through July 26, 2025. See the Shakespeare By The Sea website for the complete schedule. There is one intermission, coming at the end of Act III Scene i. The performances are free, but there is plenty of cool merchandise to purchase to help support the company.

"Fuck You, Hamlet" (Thoughts On The Horrible Mark Taper Forum Hamlet 2025 Production)

"Fuck you, Hamlet." That is something that Ophelia says in this debacle. Seriously. And that line should have been the title of the production, because it is clear that adapter and director Robert O'Hara hates Hamlet and also doesn't quite understand the play. The same might be true of the entire cast. This is the absolute worst fucking thing I have ever seen on stage (high school productions and amateur improv group performances included). I was not asked to review this production, and so I did not take notes. So this isn't one of my regular reviews, but rather a bit of a rant, because I have to get this off my chest, and then I hope to expunge the experience from my memory.

Let me begin by mentioning the things that I liked about this production, because that won't take long at all. First, there is a nice moment when Rosencrantz (Ty Molbak) and Guildenstern (Danny Zuhlke) whisper to each other, and that is what leads to Hamlet's questioning whether they were in fact sent for, a nice little bit of business. The second thing I liked was the moment when Hamlet (Patrick Ball) goes to kill Claudius (Ariel Shafir) when he is praying. In this production, Hamlet doesn't hesitate. He goes up and cuts his throat. And then there is a lighting and sound cue, and Hamlet is again downstage of Claudius (who faces away from the audience in his prayers), and we see that Hamlet was just imagining doing the deed. That wasn't bad. But the thing I liked most about this production was Gertrude's gorgeous fur coat. Yup, that full-length white fur was far and away the best thing about this production. Enough about that.

I knew we were in trouble from the beginning, because the first scene is cut. That's right, the opening scene of Hamlet is cut from this production. Why would anyone do that? And then when we do finally see the Ghost, it is done in such a ridiculous and confusing way, with four actors sort of miming the Ghost's part, while a giant face on the screen speaks the Ghost's lines. Awful. Barnardo and Marcellus are completely cut from the production. Before any of that happens, however, we are introduced to Hamlet and Ophelia (Coral Pena), which is not a bad idea. I actually like when productions show us a bit of the relationship between those two in a wordless way near the beginning. But here, well, Hamlet and Ophelia are basically fucking. That is how the production starts, and then Claudius and Gertrude (Gina Torres) enter, and we get the second scene of the play. At this point, I was only disliking the production, and had not yet come to loathe it. The performances are not good. That is the nicest possible way I can state that. It wasn't that far into the play when I thought, "I'm looking forward to this Hamlet's death." All sorts of lines are cut, and entire, well-known, speeches. Polonius' speeches to both Laertes and Ophelia are cut, for fuck's sake. And so later when Ophelia returns Hamlet's letters, people might wonder, "Why is she doing that?" The part where Polonius tells Claudius and Gertrude that he's discovered the reason for Hamlet's current state is also cut. So many cuts. Hell, this production has just one Player. How could one Player deliver 'The Mousetrap'?" you ask? Well, I'll tell you: very poorly.

But the cuts are not the worst of it. Far from the worst, in fact. Some words are changed, so "bare bodkin" becomes "bare dagger," for example. Maybe you're thinking that's not too serious. And maybe it isn't. But at one point, Hamlet actually calls Gertrude a "come dump," which is pretty far from what Shakespeare wrote, or even meant. I assumed I hadn't heard that correctly, and asked my friend Kate, who assured me that is what the asshole said. But long before that, we had to watch Hamlet and Horatio doing the swearing business regarding the Ghost. You probably remember that Hamlet makes Horatio swear upon his sword not to reveal what he has seen and heard. Well, in this play there are no swords. Can you guess what this terrible Hamlet refers to when mentioning his sword? Yes, he tells Horatio to suck his cock. I'm not kidding. Swearing upon the sword means sucking Hamlet's dick in this production. That was the moment when I started to loathe this production. But these assholes weren't done with their dick-sucking references. You might recall that wonderful scene from Shakespeare's play where Hamlet confronts Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, using the metaphor of the pipe. Well, here playing the pipe also becomes sucking Hamlet's dick. I kind of wish Robert O'Hara had just sucked Patrick Ball's cock in private and gotten this whole mess out of his system without having to attack the public with his juvenile garbage. This production isn't just bad, it is aggressively bad.

And that still isn't the worst of it. When you think they're about to get into the duel and end the goddamn pain for the audience, instead a detective or lawyer or... you know, it doesn't matter what he is. He has no business being in Hamlet. Anyway, this bastard enters and begins questioning Horatio about the final scene in some kind of pathetic attempt at deconstructing the play. And then it goes on and on and on and on and on and on and on. And it turns out Ophelia is still alive, having faked her death (seriously), and they begin to reenact scenes, but in modern language. (All of Ophelia's mad scenes were cut anyway.)  Somewhere in there, my friend Kate suggested we leave. I was tempted, but felt some perverse need to see how it ended. And it went on and on and on and on. And the characters started mentioning that Hamlet believed himself to be in a Shakespearean production. So in this world, suddenly, Shakespeare exists. If that's the case, shouldn't these characters be surprised that they all have names from one of Shakespeare's plays and seem to be living its plot? But no, they're not that self-aware. If you didn't hate all the characters before this, you certain despised them all now, which has to be the point. Robert O'Hara wants us all to hate Hamlet as much as he does, but what happens is that we just end up hating Robert O'Hara. It's clear he thinks he's smarter than Shakespeare, a better writer than Shakespeare. He isn't. He possesses not even the smallest fraction of talent that Shakespeare had. I hope to never again be subjected to anything this moron does.