A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum 2022 Production) Theatre Review

production photo by Ian Flanders

If you’re looking for an escape from the news and the frustrations of our world, why not run off into the woods with Hermia and Lysander and Helena and Demetrius and the Mechanicals, to the land of Oberon and Titania and Puck, a land where magic still exists, and all is put right by the end. Yes, it is the perfect time to revisit A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and at the Theatricum Botanicum you will actually be in the woods, for the theatre is in a beautiful outdoor setting where even in the bright light of day (if you happen to attend a matinee performance) magic is present. The company’s new production is a complete delight. It is directed by Melora Marshall, who also directed last year’s production. However, last year, she also played Titania, which she does not do this time around. In fact, it seems the entire cast is different from last year.

As the play begins, Hippolyta (Taylor Jackson Ross) enters alone, and offers part of a song (without lyrics). It is a private moment, her voice raised to the skies, to the gods. It is also a moment of personal strength, interrupted by Theseus (Colin Guthrie) calling her name. It is an interesting introduction, and provides more context to Theseus’ speech about wooing her with his sword. It feels an uneven relationship in this moment, as we get a glimpse of what she may have lost. But don’t worry, this is a comedy. As I mentioned already, everything will be put right by the end. The Hermia/Lysander relationship in this production is a lesbian one, which of course does cause Egeus’ objections to this pairing to take on, whether intended or not, a homophobic quality. Does he want Hermia to marry Demetrius only because he wants his daughter to have a heterosexual relationship? We can’t be sure, but of course it crosses our minds, particularly when Egeus (Ted Elrick) delivers his line, “Demetrius is a worthy gentleman.” Hermia (Anais Morgan) still replies, “So is Lysander,” which perhaps gives us a little insight into their relationship’s dynamic. This production adds a larger musical component, with several lines and speeches sung. For example, Lysander (Fiona Dorn) sings, “The course of true love never did run smooth.” Hermia sings her next line as well, and the two engage in a duet. Hermia in particular, by the way, has a beautiful voice. Helena (Olivia Michael) enters a bit earlier than indicated in the text, so she overhears Lysander’s plan. But Helena is still excited for Hermia when Hermia announces that she and Lysander will fly this place. It’s an adorable moment that helps to establish the closeness of their friendship. Much later in the play the two share another special moment downstage center, even as Helena believes that Hermia is part of a plot to mock her, showing that their friendship could withstand even that situation.

The actors, as is always the case at this theatre, make great use of the space, with the Mechanicals making their entrances from various places. When Bottom (Jonathan Blandino) asks whether the character he is to play is a lover or tyrant, he begins to playfully fight with Quince (Emoria Weidner), which leads to Quince’s “A lover,” delivered urgently to get him to stop. The reaction of Starveling (Matthew Clair) to hearing his part is to be Thisby’s mother is wonderful; he is disappointed, but accepting, and in that brief moment, we get the sense that that is likely his reaction to much in life. As Quince hands out the scrolls containing each player’s part, there is another wonderful moment when Snug (Seth Weaver) holds out his hand, but receives no scroll, for he is to play the lion. There is a great energy among the Mechanicals. The fairies then enter from the woods stage left, and sing those famous lines that begin, “Over hill, over dale.” And Puck (Christopher Glenn Gilstrap) enters in dramatic fashion. His costume and makeup are excellent. I especially love the white spots on his shoulders and cheeks, helping to set him apart. And his proud reaction to the fairies recognizing him and recounting some of his exploits is perfect. Oberon (Tiffany Coty) and Titania (Heidi-Marie Ferren) are both dressed in shades of green, with elaborate headpieces. When Oberon mentions the changeling boy (or changeling child in this case), Puck beckons the child to him and takes her by the hand, to do his master a good turn, an excellent moment. But Titania’s power is too strong, and the fairies protect the child. Titania then sings the next speech, about the child’s mother, which makes her feelings for the child all the more powerful and clear. She speaks the last two lines of the speech, which then have added emphasis. Titania is excellent in this scene, and throughout the play. Oberon is also magnificent. I love how Oberon takes great joy when describing to us the possible creatures that Titania might see upon waking.

As with last year’s production of this play, magic plays a wider role than is sometimes the case. For example, Oberon uses magic on Helena to cause her to continue the chase of Demetrius (Steven T. Gordon). It’s interesting, for she seems for a moment to have given up the chase when she delivers her “We should be woo’d and were not made to woo” line. And later when Titania says “Out of this wood do not desire to go,” she uses magic to keep Bottom from leaving, a wonderful moment. There is a great sense of fun among the magical characters. Puck hoots from his perch above stage left, leading to Titania’s “clamorous owl” line. Then in the scene where Puck mistakes Lysander for Demetrius, Lysander has removed her skirt, revealing pants underneath (and using the rolled up skirt as a pillow). Also, she sleeps with her head facing downstage, away from Puck. And, let’s not forget, it’s supposed to be dark. Those elements make it believable that Puck could mistake a woman for a man. When Helena enters, she now has weeds sticking out from her clothing. She seats herself directly in front of Lysander to address the audience. When she leans back, she ends up resting on Lysander’s legs, leading to her line, “But who is here?” Helena’s look of confusion to the audience when Lysander responds with new interest in her is great. She is fantastic in this scene. I also love her expression later when Demetrius wakes to now dote on her. For just a moment she is happy, until Lysander takes her other hand, and she perceives it as a cruel joke at her expense.

Hermia exits as Bottom enters, and the two frighten each other, a funny moment. Bottom is great as he momentarily takes over the company, while Quince stands apart a bit down right of the others. Quince sits with the audience while directing the rehearsal. I love Quince’s delivery of “You speak all your part at once, cues and all.” In that moment, it is like Quince is a teacher trying to organize a children’s play and we understand that frustration. Puck is also excellent here, and is absolutely delightful on the line “An actor too perhaps, if I see cause.” And when he transforms Bottom, a full donkey head is used. The fairies are confused when Titania refers to Bottom as “gentleman,” but of course still follow her instructions. There is an adorable moment when Hermia, carrying two bags, raises her arms, and Puck, from behind her, takes them. Hermia is so caught up in the moment that she doesn’t notice, but before she exits, Puck makes sure she has them back in her hands. While the entire cast is good, Christopher Glenn Gilstrap is outstanding as Puck. I love his delivery of “look how I go,” as Oberon is facing away toward Demetrius. Oberon, by the way, does not turn around to look how he goes. And when the four lovers are squabbling, Puck watches the action from above, as if from an opera box overlooking a delightful play, which of course it is. Oberon is also above, but not watching the drama with as much joy. Then, when trying to set things right, Puck at first leads Helena to Lysander’s sleeping form before realizing his mistake, another nice touch.

Bottom is great when he starts to speak of his dream to the audience. Jonathan Blandino is really someone to watch this summer, turning in excellent performances in both this production and The Merry Wives Of Windsor (where he plays he Ford). The four lovers take seats in front of the stage to watch the Mechanicals’ performance, while Theseus and Hippolyta remain above. When Bottom says “Ninny’s tomb,” Quince, behind him, clearly wishes to correct him, but lets it go, another wonderful touch. Bottom, of course, milks his death scene, but when he gets too close to where Theseus is, guards are prepared to stop him. When Flute (Milo Rechler) as Thisbe says, “Lovers, make moan,” he indicates the four lovers in front of him. The Mechanicals start a dance, which others soon join. Theseus and Hippolyta’s part of the dance has a warlike vibe, calling to mind once again the way their relationship began, but now you get the sense that they have established some equality between them. Ah yes, everything is put right.

This production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream runs in repertory through October 1st. Visit the theatre’s website for the full schedule. There is one fifteen-minute intermission, which comes at the end of Act III Scene i. Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum is located at 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd. in Topanga, California.

Shakespeare References in The Diary Of Anais Nin Volume Three: 1939-1944

The Diary Of Anaïs Nin Volume Three: 1939-1944, which was edited by Gunther Stuhlmann, contains a couple of references to Hamlet. The first comes in a letter from Henry Miller, in which Henry writes, “If I chose to make California the wilderness instead of New York, there is a reason in my madness” (p. 204). That is a reference to Polonius’ line, “Though this be madness, yet there is method in ‘t.” Later in the book, Nin writes, “The middle one is the strongest, with her abstract labyrinth of black-and-red stripes; on her left walks an Ophelia in a trailing white dress of clouds and lace, dancing not walking” (p. 312).

The Diary Of Anaïs Nin Volume Three: 1939-1944 was published in 1969. The copy I read was one the library had discarded.

The Merry Wives Of Windsor (Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum 2022 Production) Theatre Review

production photo by Ian Flanders

The legend is that Queen Elizabeth requested that William Shakespeare write a play about Falstaff in love. Of course, a royal request is a command. And The Merry Wives Of Windsor was the result of that command. Now, we don’t know if that’s the way it happened or not, but one thing that is interesting about this is that Elizabeth obviously was a woman with a lot of power, but most women had little or no power at that time, and the play, though ostensibly about Falstaff, is really about two women who take some power over their own lives and homes, and do so with a sense of humor. The new production at Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum sets The Merry Wives Of Windsor in the 1950s, another time when women had little power, and moves the location to Windsor, Connecticut. As men returned to the workforce after the war, many women were pushed out of the jobs they’d held. Women were expected to return to their homes and take care of their husbands and children, and be happy with their lot. So the idea of setting the play in the 1950s works, at least in general, and this company has a good deal of fun with it, adding several musical moments throughout the performance.

Music is a key element from the moment the audience is admitted into the theatre, with hits from the 1950s playing over the speakers to set the mood. Songs such as “Be-Bop-A-Lula,” “The Great Pretender,” “Tennessee Waltz” and “You Send Me” play as the audience enters and is seated. Then, as the performance begins, the entire cast enters to the sound of “Rock Around The Clock,” dancing and generally enjoying themselves, a conga line leading most of them off as the play then begins in earnest, with Justice Shallow, Slender and Hugh Evans remaining on stage for the first scene. Justice Shallow (Tim Halligan) uses a cane, which at one point he brandishes like a sword. Ethan Haslam is rather adorable as the goofy, awkward Slender. When Falstaff (on this night played by Gerald C. Rivers) enters, the party enters with him. Even Mr. Page (Bill Haller) is friendly with him, engaging in a little dance with him as several people sing “If I Knew You Were Comin’ I’d’ve Baked A Cake.” So there is the sense that he is a rather harmless and fun-loving guy, at least among the men. He later sings “Enjoy Yourself (It’s Later Than You Think).” Falstaff and his gang are dressed in fatigues. Interestingly, the women enter with a song pleading with us to drink responsibly. It is a humorous song, with lines like “If you’re feeling sick, please take it to the neighbors’ yard.” Falstaff playfully joins them in their song. Music also plays a part at the Garter Inn, where there is an upright piano and a small drum kit. When Falstaff delivers his line that he means to make love to Ford’s wife, the musicians suddenly stop, bringing into greater focus how unwelcome and disquieting his plan is. In this production, there is a Hostess, rather than Host of the Garter, here played by Earnestine Phillips. Modern U.S. references are sprinkled throughout the performance. For example, Falstaff’s line “They shall be my East and West Indies” becomes “They shall be my Boardwalk and Park Place.” And his line about a woman losing “the handle of her fan” becomes instead the keys to her car.

The entire cast is strong, but certain actors stand out. Melora Marshall is particularly delightful as Mistress Quickly, clearly enjoying her own brand of flirtatiousness with Fenton (Charles Lin), while also knowing how to extract money from him. You get the sense that this is a woman with quite a bit of experience, a woman who has learned how to please herself, and likes being in the middle of things. And she is hilarious as she draws a maraca from her purse and goes into a song about Fenton. Another fantastic performance is delivered by Willow Geer as Mrs. Page. Interestingly, when she first begins to read Falstaff’s letter, she is excited by it, only becoming upset when she reads Falstaff’s name. If it had been written by someone else, would she have entertained what it suggested? She is hilarious as she looks at the two letters together, while Mrs. Ford (Emily Bridges) goes off about her own letter. And she gives a great reading of the line about Falstaff knowing something about her that she doesn’t know herself, reminding us of how she at first received the contents of the letter. Every moment she is on stage is a joy. And yet, there is another performance that might in fact be the best of the evening, and that is Jonathan Blandino as Mr. Ford, who, in contrast to Mr. Page, does not trust Falstaff, or even his own wife. We know he will be proved the fool, for we’ve already seen his wife’s reaction to the letter, been witness to her fidelity. It is even more interesting in this production, since Mrs. Page for a moment was excited by the contents of her letter. It is when disguised as Mr. Brook that Ford especially shines in this production. He is great when learning from Falstaff that Falstaff was present when Ford had searched for him. Ford is ready to kill Falstaff, and Falstaff is wonderfully oblivious as he tells his tale of being thrown into the river. Both actors are excellent in that scene.

Mrs. Ford and Mrs. Page are wonderful as they play their parts in the scheme against Falstaff. In this production, rather than a laundry basket, Falstaff gets into a wheelbarrow, which doesn’t make quite as much sense, particularly as dirty laundry is still piled on top of him. I don’t think taking the laundry out in a wheelbarrow was a thing in the 1950s. So wouldn’t that have caught the attention of the already-suspicious Ford? Plus, who keeps a wheelbarrow inside his house? Also, at times it is still referred to as a basket. The William Page lesson scene is included in this production, but with completely different jokes, and Julius Geer-Polin is absolutely adorable as young William. As with all productions at this venue, the actors make great use of the space. The scene where Dr. Caius (Cavin Mohrhardt) is ready for the duel begins in the woods just off stage left. Parson Hugh Evans (Alistair McKenzie) then also enters from the woods. And though a lot of songs have been added to this production, Evans actually has a song in this scene in the text. That song mentions “Melodious birds.” In this production he sings “Bye Bye Blackbird.” Fenton and Anne Page (Alexandra Kunin) enter from behind the audience. Fenton serenades her, and she responds in song as well, which then leads to their dialogue about getting her father’s love. And for the final scene, characters enter from different parts of the woods.

While most of the play works in the 1950s setting, that last plan for Falstaff’s humiliation doesn’t have quite the same power as it does in its original setting. At the time when the play was first produced, people tended to still believe in fairies and witches and so on. In the 1950s, it is less believable that Falstaff would fall for such tricks. In the text he is terrified. And the more frightened Falstaff is, the more the scene works. So when he goes back to his usual bluster, in this case claiming that at times he didn’t believe they were fairies, we are actually pleased, even relieved, that his humor is intact. Because we should feel for him at this point, as should the other characters, which then makes the moment when he is invited to dine and drink with the others all the stronger. But that hinges on Falstaff first being genuinely frightened by their trick and then feeling somewhat defeated. The costumes for this scene are playful rather than scary, and include an alien outfit and a Winnie The Pooh outfit. It is kind of wonderful that the parson is dressed as a devil, of course. The performance then concludes with a song by the company.

This production of The Merry Wives Of Windsor was directed by Ellen Geer. It runs in repertory through October 2nd. Visit the theatre’s web site for the full schedule. There is one intermission, coming at the end of Act III Scene i. Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum is located at 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd. in Topanga, California.

Shakespeare References in The Discovery Of Poetry

 

The Discovery Of Poetry is a textbook by Frances Mayes that I got in college, and finally decided to read. Shakespeare is mentioned many times throughout the book, sometimes with full sonnets quoted. The first mention comes in the introductory note to the reader: “Don’t think anyone expects Shakespearean results” (p. vi). That is related to a note on writing exercises. Frances Mayes includes some lines from Macbeth, first writing, “If you have read Shakespeare’s Macbeth, you probably remember the witches’ chant (Act IV, scene i)” (p. 7). The next page then contains the speech that begins, “Double, double toil and trouble” (p. 8). Frances next turns to Troilus And Cressida, introducing a few lines from that play by, “Shakespeare must have been thinking of concrete naming when he wrote” (p. 37). The quoted passage is from Act IV Scene v: “Fie, fie upon her!/There’s language in her eye, her cheek, her lip,/Nay her foot speaks; her wanton spirits look out/At every joint and motive of her body” (p. 37). Then, regarding phrases that have become too common in poetry, Mayes writes, “Some of the phrases on the list were brilliant when they were first used: ‘crimson tide,’ though now a hand-me-down, was new in Shakespeare’s Richard III” (p. 38). Mayes continues: “We may still have some difficulty learning to read early poems with vocabularies very different from our own. Shakespeare requires us to work a little harder in order to participate as readers” (p. 38). Regarding word choice, Mayes writes, “‘Words, words, words,’ Shakespeare wrote” (p. 46). That line is Hamlet’s answer to Polonius’s question, “What do you read, my lord?” Mayes also includes the song from the end of Twelfth Night (pages 56-57), Sonnet 73 (p. 58), and the song from the end of Love’s Labour’s Lost (p. 79). In introducing “Winter,” Mayes writes, “Because it is grounded in the senses, Shakespeare’s ‘Winter’ still seems immediate to contemporary readers” (p. 78).

Mayes then moves to Romeo And Juliet, writing: “When Shakespeare says, ‘Juliet is the sun,’ he transfers the sun’s qualities to Juliet. More is at stake than if he’d said, ‘Juliet is like the sun.’ Juliet’s life-giving powers, brightness, and all-importance are intensified by the direct link. There is only one sun in our solar system. Perhaps other women could be ‘like the sun,’ but only one can be the sun” (p. 96). Mayes again refers to that play: “Though metaphor works first on an intuitive level, it also works on a logical level. We can know exactly how ‘Juliet is the sun’” (p. 97). Mayes then returns to Twelfth Night: “If we remember Shakespeare’s ‘If music be the food of love, play on’ and similar treatments of the subject of love, we’re ready to read this as a poem of that type” (p. 98). In a section on metonymy, Mayes quotes a line from As You Like It: “…doublet and hose/ought to show itself courageous to petticoat” (p. 102). And then in a section on synecdoche, Mayes quotes lines from The First Part Of King Henry The Fourth: “Worcester, get thee gone for I do see/Danger and disobedience in thine eye” (p. 102). Then in a section on oxymoron, Mayes quotes Romeo And Juliet: “Mis-shapen chaos of well-seeming forms!/Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health!” (p. 104).

Frances Mayes includes the “To be or not to be” soliloquy from Hamlet (pages 155-156), the great “Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow” speech from Macbeth (p. 165). She mentions Macbeth again, as well as King Lear, Troilus And Cressida and Richard II, when talking about repetition: “When dethroned King Lear fantasizes taking revenge on those who usurped him, he says, ‘Then Kill, Kill, Kill, Kill, Kill, Kill.’ With each repetition, the word becomes more intense, a little wilder and more sinister. When Macbeth says ‘Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow/Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,/To the last syllable of recorded time/And all our yesterdays have lighted fools/The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!’ the repetition of ‘tomorrow’ sounds more and more weary each time the word occurs. The two commas and two conjunctions stretch out the sound even more. The short monosyllables ‘out, out’ contrast with ‘tomorrow.’ Shakespeare made frequent use of the technique of repeating a single word, often with subtly different inflections depending on the context. ‘O Cressid! O false Cressid! false, false, false,’ from Troilus and Cressida, sounds childlike and petulant. In Richard II, the triple use of ‘little’ sounds smaller with each use: ‘And my large kingdom for a little grave,/A little, little grave, an obscure grave.’ That ‘large’ also begins with l heightens the contrast between the ‘large kingdom’ and the ‘little grave’” (pages 206-207). Of course, I object to Mayes’ use of the word “usurp” when referring to King Lear. He willingly gave up his throne. Mayes mentions Macbeth again a little later: “In Macbeth’s speech quoted earlier (page 206), notice that the repetition of ‘tomorrow’ is followed by ‘in this petty pace,’ ‘from day,’ ‘to day,’ ‘to the last syllable,’ ‘of recorded time’: five prepositional phrases. Unlike verbs, which keep the sentence moving, prepositional phrases are merely directional; they point our attention toward the action. The repetition of this pattern is, like the ‘tomorrows,’ slow and weary” (pages 214-215).

Of course Frances Mayes mentions Shakespeare in the section on iambic pentameter: “Because blank verse is even more adaptable to speech than rhymed iambic pentameter, Shakespeare chose to write his plays in it, often alternating blank verse sections with prose” (p. 247). Mayes includes the famous “All the world’s a stage” speech from As You Like It (p. 248). She also includes some of the dialogue from the beginning of Act III Scene v of Romeo And Juliet, the lark and nightingale section (pages 274-275). Regarding sonnets, Mayes writes, “The three major types of sonnet are Shakespearean, Petrarchan, and Spenserian” (p. 335). Then: “The Shakespearean sonnet (also called the English sonnet) consists of three quatrains rhyming abab, cdcd, and efef followed by a concluding couplet rhyming gg. The action of the poem proceeds, then, like three quick spins and a sudden leap. The final rhyme, coming so close to its partner, closes the poem with finality; there is no doubting the end” (p. 335). Sonnet 98 is included (pages 335-336). Mayes then writes, “The Petrarchan is hard to sustain because the writer works with only four different rhymes instead of the six of the Shakespearean sonnet” (p. 336). Sonnet 116 is also included (pages 363-364), as is Sonnet 97 (p. 364). In the section on John Keats, Mayes writes, “No writer except Shakespeare uses imagery as sensuously as Keats” (p. 401). Mayes also quotes from Sonnet 138: “For example, Shakespeare wrote, ‘When my love swears that she is made of truth/I do believe her, though I know she lies’” (p. 477). Sonnet 130 is also included (p. 485). Mayes writes, “In Sonnet CXXX, Shakespeare makes fun of the conventional comparisons made in love poems” (p. 485). The book’s final mention of Shakespeare is a portion of a speech from Act V scene i of A Midsummer Night’s Dream: “The poet’s eye in a fine frenzy rolling,/Doth glance from heaven to earth, from earth to heaven;/And as imagination bodies forth/The forms of things unknown, the poet’s pen/Turns them to shapes, and gives to airy nothing/A local habitation and a name” (p. 547).

The Discovery Of Poetry was published in 1987.