The Merry Wives Of Windsor (Shakespeare By The Sea 2018 Production) Theatre Review

The story behind the writing of The Merry Wives Of Windsor is that Queen Elizabeth enjoyed The First Part Of King Henry The Fourth (which I think is probably the funniest of Shakespeare’s plays) and The Second Part Of King Henry The Fourth, particularly the character of Falstaff, and asked (commanded) Shakespeare to write another play depicting that character in love. The result was The Merry Wives Of Windsor, in which Falstaff woos two married women for their money. It is a light and sometimes goofy comedy with quite a bit of room for physical play, and it is one of the two plays that the theatre company Shakespeare By The Sea is currently performing (along with The Winter’s Tale). 

Last night the company brought its production of The Merry Wives Of Windsor to Los Encinos State Historic Park in Encino. Of the various parks throughout the area that Shakespeare By The Sea performs, this might be my favorite. It is comfortable and pleasant, and the view of the stage is good from basically anywhere you place your blanket. Plus, there are clean bathrooms. Before the performance, artistic director Lisa Coffi and cast members Ellen Girvin and Samantha Winters conducted a question and answer session with the audience, a special treat they do on Saturdays, and they did mention the story about Queen Elizabeth requesting the play. Someone asked how the company chooses which two plays they do each summer. A good question. Of course, there has to be interest in a particular play, both by the company and the audience. Money is lost when they do lesser known works, which is a shame. One summer they did King John and All’s Well That Ends Well, which was great for Shakespeare fans, but didn’t draw in the casual theatregoers. Merry Wives has a broader appeal, and is certainly not a complicated play.

This production starts with most of the company on stage, establishing a playful, cheerful atmosphere, with drinking and merriment. Soon most of the players leave, until only Justice Shallow (Glen Eaton) and Sir Hugh Evan (Jonathan Fisher) remain, the only two characters to be dressed in darker, somber clothing, an indication that they are in opposition to those of a more festive air. The young man they intend to help, however, Abraham Slender (Kieran Flanagan), is dressed in bright green and purple, making their alliance seem a bit shaky from the outset. The costumes in this production go far in helping establish the relationships as well as the attitudes of the characters. For example, Master and Mistress Page are both dressed in green, while Master and Mistress Ford are in red and gold. Interestingly, Sir John Falstaff (Tom Killam) is also in red and gold, as he tries to take the place of Master Ford. (Of course, he also tries to woo Mistress Page, but he puts much more effort and time in with Mistress Ford.) Master Ford is a jealous man, and Falstaff is somewhat envious of him for his riches, so there that further connection between the two characters, highlighted by the choice of clothing. On “her husband’s purse,” Falstaff reaches into his own purse for the letters to Mistress Ford and Mistress Page, a nice touch indicating that his purse merely contains the hopeful plot for obtaining money rather than money itself.

The scene where Mistress Page (Bridgid M. Rose) and Mistress Ford (Ellen Girvin) compare letters and devise their plot is wonderful. The execution of their device is even more enjoyable, as when they speak in a deliberately loud and exaggerated manner for the benefit of the hidden Falstaff, and can barely contain their mirth. At one point, Mistress Ford goes even beyond what she seemingly intended, stopping herself suddenly, a delightful moment. And Falstaff’s entrance is hilarious, when he nervously asks to see the laundry basket. Mistress Page and Mistress Ford are almost in tears from laughter, hiding their faces from Falstaff. And of course there is plenty of laughter from the audience during this, and when the men struggle to lift the now overladen laundry basket. The women certainly have the most fun of any characters in this play. It is really their world, with the men hoping to catch up to them. When Master Ford (Robert O’Hare) disguises himself as Master Brook, he dons a somewhat goofy blond wig, showing that his jealousy is something to be laughed at. Then when he faces Falstaff with his own plot, he puts particular emphasis on the name “Ford” in the line “There is a gentlewoman in this town, her husband’s name is Ford,” pausing slightly, looking, maybe even hoping, for some sign from Falstaff that would indicate that his wife has been untrue. We know, of course, that Ford’s wife is honorable, and so we can laugh at the poor man’s unnecessary antics. I particularly love the moment when Ford leaps into the laundry basket to search for Falstaff, a great, unexpected action.

Doctor Caius (B.J. Allman) makes his entrances and exits through the audience, and is often heard before he is seen, which works really well with his character. The entire cast is talented, but turning in particularly enjoyable performances are B.J. Allman as Caius and Leah Dalrymple as Mistress Quickly. Leah Dalrymple can achieve a lot with merely a glance, a look. There is a running gag about Dr. Caius offering men three kisses, one on each cheek and then an extra one on the lips. When Caius says “I vill cut his troat in de park,” he adds “Any park,” playing on the fact that Shakespeare By The Sea performs in various parks throughout Los Angeles County and Orange County. Jonathan Fisher is also really funny as Sir Hugh. At one point he adds a modern reference, saying, “The power of Christ compels you.” The occasional added line like that can be funny, but I do appreciate that this production refrains from doing too much of that.

I love that we come to care for Falstaff and to feel for him in the second half of the production. He has a weariness that is almost endearing. When disguised as the old woman, he flees into the audience, as if perhaps we will offer him protection. But he is increasingly on his own. Later, when he says “I will shelter me here,” he indicates Mistress Ford’s bosom. Yet he finds no shelter there either. In fact, he has to physically leave the stage in order to find a hiding spot, ducking down in front in an effort to hide himself from what he believes to be faeries. At the end, all is forgiven, and Falstaff is welcomed back into the community, a nice, touching moment.

The performance ended at precisely 9 p.m. The Merry Wives Of Windsor was directed by Cylan Brown, and runs in repertory with The Winter’s Tale through August 18th. Check out the Shakespeare By The Sea website for the schedule of performances. There is one fifteen-minute intermission, which comes at the end of Act III Scene iii.

Shakespeare Reference in Whoever Fights Monsters

Whoever Fights Monsters, written by Robert K. Ressler and Tom Shachtman, is a book about serial killers and about profiling violent criminals. It’s certainly interesting, even though Robert K. Ressler does sometimes come across as a bit full of himself. He is certainly not above boasting at times. Anyway, the book contains a Shakespeare reference. Ressler writes: “My CID agents worked their way into groups that were planning disruptive activities, and reported back with what they had seen, not just to me but also to the FBI. Lest the reader think that this was much ado about nothing, I should point out that one of these groups had stolen explosives from Fort Sheridan and was interrupted while planning to bomb some military targets” (p. 27). The groups to which he’s referring are the anti-war student groups of the 1960s, so, yes, I was one of the readers who considered it much ado about nothing, at least as far as the necessity for the government to infiltrate the majority of them (though of course I am glad a bombing was stopped).

Whoever Fights Monsters was published in 1992. The copy I read was the St. Martin’s paperback edition from 1993.

The Winter’s Tale (Shakespeare By The Sea 2018 Production) Theatre Review

The Winter's Tale set

My favorite thing about summer in Los Angeles is seeing some of Shakespeare’s plays performed outdoors. This year, Shakespeare By The Sea is putting on The Winter’s Tale and The Merry Wives Of Windsor. The company is based in San Pedro, but tours both shows, performing them in various parks all over Los Angeles County and Orange County. Yes, this is the company that takes Shakespeare to you. Last night they performed The Winter’s Tale in Garfield Park in South Pasadena. The Winter’s Tale might be most well-known for its peculiar stage direction, “Exit, pursued by a bear” in Act III. Shakespeare By The Sea celebrated this element by selling T-shirts with that stage direction printed on the front, in both salmon and white (I got the salmon one).

The issue of the bear is only one of the challenges this play presents. Another is that it suddenly jumps sixteen years between Acts III and IV. The character Time, working as a Chorus, explains that jump at the beginning of Act IV. Shakespeare By The Sea, in this production, also has Time address the audience at the beginning of the play, explaining that the tale spans sixteen years. The company enters during Time’s speech, and we see Leontes (Patrick Vest) and a pregnant Hermione (Leah Dalrymple) engage in an affectionate kiss. Their young son, Mamillius (Allie Pratt), receives the gift of a plush bear, a humorous touch. This is done in place of the first scene of Act I, and the production then goes right into the second scene, with Polixenes’ speech. When Hermiones tells Leontes that Polixenes “longs to see his son,” Polixenes  (B.J. Allman) kneels down with Mamillius, a wonderful moment that shows that Polixenes misses his own son and also will help add to Leontes’ doubts about his own fatherhood. Interestingly, then while Hermione speaks with Polixenes, Leontes takes up the kneeling position with his son. What I also appreciate about these opening moments is that the love is clear between Leontes and Hermione, as when Hermione playfully teases him with her line “Never?” Both actors deliver tremendous performances in these rather difficult roles.

Perhaps the most difficult transition to make believable is Leontes’ sudden turn to outrageous jealousy, his belief that Hermione has slept with Polixenes, the turn upon which the whole play relies. That transition here is aided by the sound effect of a thunder clap when Hermione refers to Polixenes as “a friend,” leading to Leontes’ “Too hot, too hot.” Is the thunder part of a sudden storm raging in Leontes’ mind? Or did an actual thunder clap function for Leontes as an indication of the significance of that word “friend” and that touch? It’s an interesting decision, and Polixenes and Hermione continue touching hands and speaking in pantomime downstage left during Leontes’ speech, and so for a moment we see the scene through Leontes’ jealous eyes. Patrick Vest does a good job with this difficult scene. Though of course even if that transition weren’t completely believable, Shakespeare has Leontes’ men as baffled by the sudden change as we are, and so they are able to speak for us, particularly after Leontes speaks against Hermione. The only problem I found was in the repeated use of the thunder sound effect. Instead of just using it at that one moment, it is used after Leontes’ “Which draft to me were cordial” and then again after his “She’s an adulteress,” and it begins to come across as rather goofy and comical. A touching and wonderful detail is that after Leontes has sent Hermione away and sent men to the oracle, he is holding his son’s teddy bear.

This production also does an excellent job showing the strength of the relationship of Paulina (Bridgid M. Rose) and Antigonus (Chris Nelson), as when Antigonus follows his wife’s order to put down the basket containing Hermione’s baby. Paulina also shows the baby to the other men, to immediately get them on her side, another nice touch. Hermione’s trial is done really well, with the women on one side of the stage and most of the men on the other. Leah Dalrymple is remarkable as Hermione in this scene. After she says “innocence make/False accusation blush, and tyranny/Tremble at patience,” she then looks to Leontes, an excellent moment. By the way, the talk of tyrants and treason is rather timely, isn’t it? After the word of the oracle is spoken, which is done with great ceremony and solemnity, and Leontes denies its truth, there is another thunderclap sound effect. It is used a couple more times in this scene, but is truly unnecessary, as the performances are enough to completely engage us. Patrick Vest as Leontes is at his absolute best here, as when he struggles to say the words “dead bodies.” (I was seated in the front, and it looked to me like he was actually crying.)

Interestingly, in Act III scene iii, when Antigonus gives his long speech about Hermione appearing to him in a dream, Hermione herself enters upstage center and stands above him. Then, when he is about to quote what she spoke to him, her words are delivered as a recording, another interesting choice. There follows another thunder clap, but it makes perfect sense here, as it comes just before Antigonus’ line, “The storm begins.” It is here that Shakespeare’s famous stage direction occurs. This production handles it by having Antigonus exit, chased by the sounds of growling. This feels like the correct choice. After all, at this point in the play, it is not really a comedy, and someone in a bear suit running across the stage would elicit laughter. However, right after that, the play does turn toward comedy, with the introduction of the Old Shepherd (Tom Killam) and his son (referred to as Clown in the text). Both actors are excellent in this scene, and Jonathan Fisher as Clown adds a line about how being eaten by a bear is “so undignified.”

As I mentioned earlier, the character of Time begins the fourth act, mentioning that sixteen years have passed since the end of Act III (and the end of Antigonus). As Time delivers his speech, Perdita (Allie Pratt) and Florizel (Jonathan Cates) engage in a romantic and sweet kiss in the exact spot on the stage where Leontes and Hermione kissed at the beginning of the performance, a really nice touch. The last two acts of the play are comedy, a fairly major change in tone from most of the first three acts, another of this play’s challenges to a company. Helping ease that transition is having the intermission occur between the third and fourth acts. While the audience is purchasing T-shirts and going to the loo, sixteen years are passing, and things are getting lighter. Also, the action has moved from Sicilia to Bohemia, and in Bohemia things are good. There is an air of celebration, and a playful tone, in great contrast to the action in Sicilia. Perdita is absolutely adorable, particularly when handing out flowers and teasingly saying they “are given to men of middle age.” And when Autolycus (Justin Joseph) sings of his wares, the others stomp their feet and clap their hands. Even Polixenes has a jovial air about him, as he, disguised, spies on his son’s displays of adoration for Perdita. I love his funny delivery of “Have you a father?” It is interesting that Polixenes, like Leontes early in the play, suddenly turns to anger, that these two men, once great friends, do share some lesser traits.

When we next see Leontes, he enters to the sound of sad music, holding his son’s plush bear. His voice now has age and weariness to it, another nice touch. His initial reaction to the sight of Perdita and Florizel is wonderful, as he goes to his knees, finding some joy within his despair. When everyone enters for the final scene in which the “statue” of Hermione is unveiled, Time enters with them, taking a place upstage right. This final scene is excellent, and the moment when Hermione opens her eyes and moves is beautiful and magical. When Leontes says, “By us, a pair of kings,” he pauses, then takes Polixenes’ hand, another wonderful moment. Though in the text Leontes has the final speech, in this production Time is the last to speak. This is a completely enjoyable production, with a talented cast. I noticed, as I gathered up my blanket and began to leave, that everyone around me was smiling. This is a production that will leave you feeling optimistic and happy. And we can all certainly use a little of that these days.

The performance ended at 9:15 p.m. The Winter’s Tale is directed by Stephanie Coltrin, and runs in repertory with The Merry Wives Of Windsor through August 18th. Check out Shakespeare By The Sea’s website for the complete schedule of performances. There is one twenty-minute intermission, which comes at the end of Act III. By the way, there are a couple of moments in this play that might call to mind other Shakespeare plays. For example, when Leontes repeats the word “cause” in the line “If the cause were not in being – part o’ the cause,” it’s difficult to keep from thinking of Othello, another man who is jealous without cause. And when Perdita hands flowers to the disguised Polixenes, telling him “For you, there’s rosemary and rue,” she feels like a much more cheerful version of Ophelia (Ophelia also hands out rue, saving some for herself of course).

And, for those, who are curious, here is a photo of the shirt I purchased.

Shakespeare References in Omen V: The Abomination

Omen V: The Abomination, a novel by Gordon McGill, contains a couple of Shakespeare references. The book was published in 1985, but takes place in the year 2000, and the first Shakespeare reference comes during a scene where a famous writer has a word processor delivered (“the very latest model,” the technician tells him). The machine uses small cassettes to display famous texts. The technician explains: “You can get all the books of the Bible from the shop, sir. Both testaments. I’ve seen their brochure. And the complete works of Shakespeare” (p. 127).

Later, that writer meets George, the butler of Damien Thorn. George tells him: “Forget the Thorns, Mr. Mason. You know what you do.” The writer responds, “You mean, there are more things in heaven and earth –” (p. 138). That is a reference to Hamlet’s speech to Horatio, in which he says “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,/Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” George then says, “Shakespeare got it right.”

Omen V: The Abomination was published in 1985. The edition I read was the Signet paperback edition. By the way, this is not a film novelization, in case you were wondering. Omen IV and Omen V were sequels to novelizations, but not based on screenplays themselves.

Shakespeare Puppet

I am dating the sweetest, most wonderful woman. When we were in Boston, she surprised me with the gift of a delightful Shakespeare finger puppet. Since then, when we've been apart, I've taken photos of the puppet in various places and sent them to her with relevant lines from Shakespeare's works. The photos were meant only for her, but she said I should post them. So here are a few of the photos, along with Shakespeare's lines.

                                       Mine eyes smell onions; I shall weep anon.

                     Give me some music. Music, moody food/Of us that trade in love.

                       Come, sit down, every mother's son, and rehearse your parts.

Shakespeare References in A Severed Head

Iris Murdoch’s novel A Severed Head contains several Shakespeare references. This comes as no surprise to me, as it seems every book I read must contain at least one or two. Anyway, the first reference in this book is to A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and specifically to the song that Bottom nervously sings after his companions have fled. One character begins to quote the song: “The ousel-cock, so black of hue/With orange-tawny bill” (p. 50). And Martin, the story’s narrator, tells him, “You quote too aptly, brother.” He then asks if his brother recalls the rest. When Alexander says, “No,” Martin then recites: “The throstle with his note so true,/The wren with little quill,/The finch, the sparrow, and the lark,/The plain-song cuckoo gray,/Whose note full many a man doth mark,/And dare not answer nay” (p. 50).

The next reference is to Shakespeare himself. Murdoch writes, “To lose somebody is to lose not only the person but all those modes and manifestations into which the person has flowed outward; so that in losing a beloved one may find so many things, pictures, poems, melodies, places lost too: Dante, Avignon, a song of Shakespeare’s, the Cornish sea” (p. 77).

Twice in this book a character says, “All’s well that ends well.” The first time it is Martin who speaks the title of one of Shakespeare’s comedies. “‘Heigh-ho,’ I said. ‘All’s well that ends well’” (p. 161). This is after his wife Antonia announces that she has returned to him after an affair with another man. The second time it is Antonia who says the line. “‘All’s well that ends well!’ said Antonia, her hand impulsively meeting Georgie’s in the soft fur of the toy dog” (pages 191-192). This comes after Georgie has emerged from her coma following a suicide attempt.

Soon after that second reference to All’s Well That Ends Well, there is a reference to Hamlet. “Alexander murmured, ‘To sleep, perchance to dream…’ half audibly and then would not repeat what he had said” (p. 192). This is in the same scene in the hospital after Georgie has revealed that all the other women in the corridor had also attempted suicide. And then Iris Murdoch returns to A Midsummer Night’s Dream for the book’s final Shakespeare reference: “She said, ‘Your love for me does not inhabit the real world. Yes, it is love, I do not deny it. But not every love has a course to run, smooth or otherwise, and this love has no course at all’” (p. 197). That passage of course refers to Lysander’s famous line, “The course of true love never did run smooth.”

A Severed Head was published in 1961. The edition I read was the Avon Books edition, printed in 1966.

Shakespeare References in Berserk!

Yes, Shakespeare references continue to appear in basically every book I read. Graham Chester’s Berserk! contains a couple of references. The book is about mass shootings, something that is currently a huge problem, but it was published back in 1993. So I guess this trouble with guns isn’t all that new (though none of the shootings described here take place in high schools or grammar schools). Anyway, the first reference is in the book’s first chapter, and comes in a description of a man who shot several people: “He compared himself to Shakespeare, Schiller and Goethe” (p. 7). The second reference is to an often misquoted line from Hamlet. The line is “The cat will mew and dog will have his day,” but many people quote it as “Every dog has his day.” Well, that is exactly how shooter Frank Vitkovic wrote the line in his journal. Graham Chester includes several brief passages from that diary, including this: “Every dog has his day. Diary: 26 October 1987” (p. 177).

Berserk! was originally published in Great Britain in 1993. The edition I read was the St. Martin’s Paperbacks edition, published in 1995.