Philaster, or Love Lies a-Bleeding at the American Shakespeare Center

The American Shakespeare Center's Actors' Renaissance Season is now in full swing with the addition of the third play of the repertory.   The most exciting aspect of this Season is the opportunity to see full productions of plays by Shakespeare's contemporaries.   This season works by Thomas Middleton and Christopher Marlowe are being presented.   Yet, do not miss the opportunity to see the rarely performed Fletcher and Beaumont play, Philaster, or Love Lies a-Bleeding.

Philaster, the rightful heir to the throne of Sicily is kept free by the usurper the King of Calabria because he is popular with the subjects.    Philaster is in love with the king's daughter Arethusa, but she is promised in marriage to Pharamond, prince of Spain.   Philaster gives his loyal servant boy Bellario to Arethusa to help keep their clandestine love alive.   Meanwhile, Pharamond, being a hot-blooded man, seeks comforts of the flesh with Megra, one of Arethusa's gentlewomen.    Caught inflagrante by several noblemen of the court, Megra swears that Arethusa is unfaithful with Bellario.   Naturally all of the men, including her father and Philaster believe the tale.   There is much misunderstanding and heartbreak mixed with genuinely comic moments.   As the title mentions blood is shed before surprise revelations bring about a happy ending to the play.

The entire ensemble provides great characterizations no matter how big or small their roles.  Rene Thornton, Jr. as the usurping King, is both uneasy villain and paranoid about the rightful heir, Philaster.   As Philaster, Gregory Jon Phelps paints more than the wronged prince showing that the character has a dual nature.   He navigates the tricky emotional path of the ardent lover, the aggrieved prince, and the heartbroken soul creating a sympathetic performance out of a role that could easily be portrayed as very unsympathetic.

Sarah Fallon is gentle sweet as the wronged Princess Arethusa.   Her performance will bring a tear in your eyes as her Arethusa steadfastly remains true to her beloved Philaster, willing to make sacrifices to prove her devotion.  Miriam Donald assays well the role of the noble servant Bellario.  While it is very clear to the audience that Ms. Donald is great with child in real life, it is a credit to her acting skills that we quickly accept the character for what he truly is, a noble spirited youth clearly in love with his master who accepts with patience the twists and turns of the tale.

Allison Glenzer vamps it up as the villainous Megra.  At first, the character appears to be the standard bawdy comic relief, but Ms. Glenzer emphasizes the characters' villainous nature.   She sizzles her way through the performance creating a villain you will love to hate.

The true outstanding performance is given by Aidan O'Reilly as the brash fop prince of Spain, Pharamond.    Mr. O'Reilly has made vocal, physical and costume choices that are very risky, yet pays off in spades.   Pharamond is an over -the-top character and Mr. O'Reilly takes clear delight in the villainy and comedy of the character.  Every moment he is on stage is a delight.

The play itself is a great deal of fun.  The actors, who direct themselves have found creative ways to bring their characters to life and have costumed themselves in ways that telegraph to the audience just who their characters are supposed to represent.   If you are familiar with Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing you will see parallels with the accusations against Hero in that play in the way in which Arethusa and Bellario are falsely accused.   The perils faced by our heroes and heroine are many and very convoluted, but the journey to happily ever after is a welcome one to take with the talented company at the American Shakespeare Center.

Philaster, or Love Lies a-Bleeding by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher will be presented as part of the Actors' Renaissance Season at the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton, Virginia in repertoire with William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing and Richard III, Thomas Middleton's A Mad World, My Masters, and Christopher Marlowe's Dido, Queen of Carthage through April 6, 2012. For tickets and other performance information, please visit www.americanshakespearecenter.com.

During the Actors' Renaissance Season there are no directors or designers. The American Shakespeare Center recreates what extensive research believes were the conditions that Shakespeare's acting company would have used to stage a play. The actors receive only cue scripts containing their lines and a short "cue", the last few words of the preceding actor's line. They are responsible for acquiring their own costumes and props from the stock available at the theater. There is a prompter on the side of the stage in case someone forgets a line. The rehearsal period is a matter of days.

The Oscar Nominated Shorts: Animation 2012

ShortsHD has made it possible for those filmgoers who live in major cities as well as have access to iTunes can see the majority of the nominations in the short film categories for this year's Academy Awards.   The animation category has a mix of traditional and computer generated animation styles. There is also a nominee from Pixar Studios.  Pixar has not won this category since For The Birds in 2000.  This is also the first year that Disney and Pixar has not had a nomination in the feature-length animation category.  While Pixar has its usual high quality nominee, I believe that the drought will continue for them in this category.   


Since the running time for these films is shorter than the Live Action and Documentary categories they always include a few "highly commended" entries.   This year there were four highly commended films shown.  


Hybrid Union - 4 minutes - US/Ukraine - computer animation - Mechanical critters race across the desert and try to outrun storm clouds.  Until they discover that the storm clouds might provide a fuel boost or rusty doom.   A brief one-note story.


Nullharbor - 10 minutes - Australian - computer animation.  Road rage film set on the lengthy Nullharbor plain as two drivers spend their time making dangerous decisions when each believes the other one has slighted them.   The humor level is adult, the behavior is reckless, the ending predictable.


Skylight - 5 minutes - United States - computer animation.   Starts out as trying to be the message film about the dangers of the hole in the Ozone layer and its threats to penguins.  Then it gets seriously warped.   Very funny. Skylight was eligible for the Academy Awards in 2010.


Amazonia - 5 minutes - United States - computer animation.   It's a jungle out there, kiddies.   Especially for a hapless green tree frog who just wants to catch dinner and not be dinner.   Taken under the wing of a wiser blue frog the two friends navigate the perils of the Amazon.   Filmed with brighter than bright jewel tones this film has a twist ending that will make you smile.


These are the five nominees in the order in which I would vote for them if I were a member of the Academy.


5.  Dimanche/Sunday - 9 minutes - Canada - traditional 2D hand drawn animation.  A slice of life with a lot of black humor, this is the story of a little boy boring going through his Sunday routine.  The animation style is very primitive  line drawings.   The fates of the animals depicted in the film are slightly disturbing and not in a good black humor sort of way.


4.  La Luna - 7 minutes - United States - computer animation.  This is the Pixar film.  The fanciful story of a young boy on his first night on the job with his father and grandfather.   Rowing out to the middle of the ocean they wait.  The surprise is the destination and the challenges of learning the family business.   The film is sweet and beautifully animated.  There are just too many good entries in the category this year for it to win.


3.  Wild Life - 14 minutes - Canada - traditional hand drawn animation with some life action stills.  This is a cautionary tale of a young Englishman who travels to the Canadian west to make a new life.   Unfortunately he is woefully unprepared for the challenges he faces.   His story is paralleled with the life cycle of a comet.  It's a beautiful film in the style of watercolor paintings.   It felt like an updated grasshopper and the ants fable with an unhappy ending.


2.  A Morning Stroll- 7 minutes - United Kingdom - hand drawn and computer animation.   Hilarious.  A man is walking down the street when he is passed by a chicken who proceeds to knock on a door and get let inside.   The story is told in three time periods.   Black and white line drawings for 1959, crude computer animation for 2009 and very realistic animation for 2059.   Each version has a twist on it that reflect the world.  In case you are wondering about the coming Zombie apocalypse, it's coming.   With a twist ending, this little film is clever and laugh out loud funny.   Winner of the BAFTA award.


1.  The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore - 17 minutes - United States - computer, miniature and hand drawn animation.   Is the next animation powerhouse coming out of Louisiana?   This is a beautiful little film with a lot of heart.   Mr. Morris Lessmore sees his world torn apart by a hurricane.   He is led to a library where the books thrive on his love, care and, of course, by being read by him.   With the physical humor of Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd, a whimsical score based on Pop Goes the Weasel and an enchanting mix of animation styles, this is a true outstanding gem of a film.


ShortsHD is screening the Oscar Nominated Shorts:  Documentary, Live Action and Animation in selected theaters beginning February 10, 2012.  Please visit their website, http://theoscarshorts.shorts.tv/index.php to find a theater showing the films.  The films will also be available to purchase and download from iTunes on February 21, 2012.


Please note:  La Luna can only be shown in those theaters with Blu-Ray capability.   La Luna will also not be available to purchase on iTunes.    La Luna is scheduled to be shown to a wide audience this summer in front of the feature length film Brave.

The Oscar Nominated Shorts: Live Action 2012

ShortsHD has made it possible for those filmgoers who live in major cities as well as have access to iTunes can see the majority of the nominations in the short film categories for this year's Academy Awards.    Four of the five nominees this year have some humor in them.  The past two years the winner has been a comedy or had comedic elements.  This is how I would rank the live action nominees if I were a voting member of the Academy.


5.  Pentecost - Ireland - 11 minutes.   This is the story of a young Damian, an altar boy who makes a grievous error in his incense swinging duties.   Grounded by his father and banned from viewing his beloved Liverpool football club on television play in their first European Cup,  the young lad is given a second chance when he becomes the only option for an important Mass officiated by the local archbishop.   Taking as its framework the classic locker room pep talk the film has a great deal of charm, but suffers from the slight story and a rather predictable ending.


4.  The Shore - Northern Ireland - 29 minutes.   This is the tale of Jim, returning to his village after a 25 year absence in the States caused by his involvement in the Troubles.  While introducing his daughter to his family and friends she uncovers her father's secret.  Years ago he betrayed his best friend and his fiancee and has not been able to forgive himself.   With his daughter's prodding he sets out to make things right.   A sweet, sentimental film that features some farcical elements,  The Shore is a nice little film and the only one of this year's batch to star a well-known film actor, Ciaran Hinds.


3.  Time Freak - United States - 10 minutes.   This is the only US entry.   Like last year's entry that won this category it is also a student film.    This is a comic tale about what might happen if you succeed in building a working time machine.  Do you travel back to the great moments of history?  Or, do you waste your life redoing the little moments in life until you get them perfect.   A very funny little film.


2.  Raju - Germany/India - 24 minutes.   The only pure drama of the bunch this is the story of a young German couple who have traveled to India to adopt a four-year-old orphan.   When the boy disappears from a market, the ensuing search uncovers the dark secret of the orphanage.   Will the couple still adopt Raju knowing what they have learned?   Would we?   It is a compelling little drama that makes you question your own morality.


1.  Tuba Atlantic - Norway - 25 minutes.  Oskar receives the precise diagnosis that he has 6 days to live.  He spends those days trying to complete an experiment he began years before so he can communicate with  his brother, whom Oskar has not spoken to in years.   Oh, and he does his utmost to rid Norway of seagulls.  With the aid of Inger, a young Angel of Death (I believe Norway's version of a hospice worker) he travels through the five stages of death and triumphantly succeeds.  Many seagulls die.    This film has humor, pathos, drive and longing.   It is a drama with humor tinged to the dark side.    


There is truly not a weak nominee in this year's batch of live action shorts.  Any of them would make a worthy winner.


ShortsHD is screening the Oscar Nominated Shorts:  Documentary, Live Action and Animation in selected theaters beginning February 10, 2012.  Please visit their website, http://theoscarshorts.shorts.tv/index.php to find a theater showing the films.  The films will also be available to purchase and download from iTunes on February 21, 2012.

Devil Boys From Beyond at LandlessTheatre Company

Aliens have invaded the DCArts Center in Washington DC.  A gung-ho all-male gang of actors tackles this groan-inducing very adult camp fest with uneven results.   The problem lies in that not all of the actors fully embrace the broad farce inherent in the play.   It also suffers from having a traditional theater schedule.   Devil Boys From Beyond cries out to be staged as a midnight event fueled with liberal doses of alcohol in the audience.  It is difficult for the actors to feed energy from a sedate Sunday matinee crowd.

There are mysterious events happening in Lizard Lick, Florida.  Did a spaceship crash on Harry Wexler's (David Benji Weiner) farm?   No one will believe his wife, Florence (Stephen Kirkpatrick).   Meanwhile, in New York City, newspaper editor Gilbert Wiatt (Chris Gillespie) faces financial ruin.   He sends his crack girl reporter Mattie Van Buren (Patrick M. Doneghy) to investigate hoping that the big story will save the paper.  Tagging along are her alcoholic ex Gregory Graham (Stephen Hock) and her bitter rival, Lucinda Marsh (Lucrezia Blozia).   Throw in busy-body and hotel proprietress, Dottie Primrose (Charles Boyington) and her sheriff husband (Darius T. Epps).   But, wait.    The town is not what it seems.   Who are those buff young studs turning the ladies libidos a tizzy?    Are they Devil Boys from outer space?

The puns fly furiously in the fast paced scenes.   Yet, while the scenes are fast paced, the scene changes are not.   There are challenges to the DC Arts Space, one of which is a lack of any space to use for scene changes.   One wishes that other solutions were found rather than the large amount of furniture that must be constantly moved around in the lengthy blackouts.  

While all of the actors have their comedic moments, some performances are uneven.   Given the tiny space it is inexcusable that anyone should have difficulty being heard in the back row.  Yet there are many outstanding performances.  Lucrezia Blozia provides the right amount of vamp and camp as the evil Lucinda Marsh, yet some of the punch lines are lost by a lack of crisp diction.     Chris Gillespie has the right tone as the hard driving newspaper editor.    Charles Boyington and Steven Kirkpatrick as the two batty ladies of Lizard Lick are two hoots in a holler as they start as two seemingly middle aged eccentrics, yet embrace with the right amount of over the top verve the handsome rewards of their "alien" encounters. Portraying our girl reporter, Patrick M. Doneghy is perfect as the gal with a broken heart and a nose for news.

Devil Boys From Beyond is not perfect, but it is a fun evening for good adult laughs.

Devil Boys From Beyond will be presented by Landless Theatre Company at the DC Arts Center through  February 26, 2012.   For tickets and other performance information please visit www.landlesstheatrecompany.org.

Red at Arena Stage

Mark Rothko was a volatile artist known for his vibrant use of color and shape in his paintings.   While most people who see modern art do not take the time to truly examine the work, John Logan's Tony Award winning play Red illuminates both the artist and his work.       With the genius casting of Edward Gero as Mark Rothko and Patrick Andrews as his assistant, Ken, Red is an emotionally engaging evening of theater clocking in at the just right 100 minutes time.

In 1958, Mark Rothko was commissioned to create a series of murals for the Four Seasons Restaurant in the Seagrams Building in New York City.   Rothko was paid in advance a large sum of money.  Yet, when the works were nearly completed he visited the restaurant space to see the finished backdrop for his art.   Unable to reconcile his artistry with the commercial snobbery of a high end restaurant he returned the money and kept the work.    Today three of the paintings are on display at the East Building of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC through April 15, 2012.    They are well worth a trip to see the paintings that caused such a fuss.  

John Logan imagines the studio of the artist in which these works were created.   In this taut two person drama he gives the audience a portrait of a raging passionate egotist whose brilliance as an artist is coupled with the dark emotions of a man at the height of his fame, yet facing being overtaken by the next generation of artists just as his generation overtook the cubists, surrealists and dadaists.

Director Robert Falls takes us on a carefully shaped journey through the creative process in the mind of a man who is talented, bullying and mesmerizing to watch.  Certain scenes are so alive and dynamic that they take the audience's breath away.   In particular one scene, Ken and Rothko prime a canvas.  It is a silent scene enhanced by the perfect music score of Richard Woodbury. The actors are aggressive and driven,  even providing sexual heat.   At the conclusion they are physically exhausted and splattered in primer. The audience may need to join the actors in a cigarette break.

The audience is presented with the creative chaos that is a messy artist's studio, designed by Birgit Rattenborg Wise.   Into this world comes Ken, a compilation of several of Rothko's assistants, wonderfully realized as a complex foil by Patrick Andrews.   Ken is an artist himself, but here there is no mentorship between artist and student.  Ken is the one who builds the frames, primes the canvases, fetches the meals.   Yet, a relationship does begin to form as Rothko eventually pries from Ken the dark recesses of the young man's life.   This backstory could be seen as maudlin in lesser hands.  Mr. Andrews takes the  less savory elements of his characters story and rises above the weak points of the material delivering a performance that equally matches his brilliant partner on the stage.

Edward Gero simply embodies Mark Rothko.   His is not an impersonation or a caricature.   Mr. Gero gives Rothko life whether it is railing against the pop art generation or giving a history lesson to his assistant.    When the play reaches its climax the audience comes away with a sense that we have witnessed a turning point in the artist's career, yet while we may cheer the artist's integrity, it is tinged with a sadness that we have also glimpsed the troubled mind that will commit suicide a decade after the play's events.

There is also a silent chorus upon the Kreeger Stage, Rothko's paintings.   As part of the design for the show several of the murals have been recreated.   Thanks to perfect lighting designed by Keith Parham the paintings themselves come to life as the audience sees the differences in how these simple blocks of color appear and behave under different lighting conditions.   Even someone who dislikes abstract art cannot help but be moved by seeing these works of art.     And that is what John Logan's Red truly is, a work of art.

This production of Red originated at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago.   Red will be performed in the Kreeger Theatre at Arena Stage through March 11, 2012.   For tickets and performance information and to access dramaturg notes, please visit www.arenastage.org.

Washington DC is home to the Rothko Room at the Phillips Collection which was specifically designed by the artist to house the four paintings within the space.   For information on visiting the Phillips Collection please visit www.phillipscollection.org.    For information on the Seagrams murals on exhibit at the East Building of the National Gallery of Art please visit  www.nga.gov.

The Oscar Nominated Documentary Shorts 2012

Once again thanks to ShortsHD those filmgoers who live in major cities as well as have access to iTunes can see the majority of the nominations in the short film categories for this year's Academy Awards.   The documentary short films is missing one nominee due to rights issues.  This is how I would rank the nominees if I were a voting member of the Academy.

God Is The Bigger Elvis - This is the wild card for the general public viewing the nominees.   This film was not screened due to rights issues.   It will be shown on HBO in April.   It is the story of Delores Hart. She was a talented actress who is known to film history as the actress who first kissed Elvis Presley on screen.   At the age of 23 she gave up Hollywood to become a Benedictine nun.   Since only Academy members and the few who have seen it at film festivals have seen the film, who knows if it is good enough to garner enough votes for the win.

4.  Incident in New Baghdad - this year's anti-war in Iraq film.   In July 2007 a US Apache helicopter fired on a group of people it believed were a threat.  Instead they killed and wounded two journalists and civilians.  In 2010, film footage of the incident, including audio, was released through Wikileaks.  Ethan McCord, who was among the first Army responders on the scene narrates the tale and discusses how he was discouraged from seeking mental health treatment to help him deal with the horrors he witnessed.   The film highlights that he assisted in the rescue of two children who survived.   Mr. McCord has since left the Army and become an outspoken advocate for PTSD treatment.   This is all well and good, the problem with the film is that it is too short.   It needs to be a full-length documentary with more viewpoints than Mr. McCord's.   There is more to this story than this brief 22 minutes can provide.

3.  The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement - It is easy to forget that there are thousands of common folk who help turn the tide of major events in history.   Here we get the story of James Armstrong, one of the "foot soldiers" of the civil rights movement.  This tale, capturing the excitement surrounding the election in 2008 of Barack Obama as the first African American President of the United States, focuses on the 85-year-old Armstrong, whose modest barber shop is covered in the minutiae of history from newspaper clippings to posters, stickers and, most poignantly, a weather-beaten flag that Mr. Armstrong carried through many an historical event, including the Selma to Montgomery march in 1965.  The film also briefly relates the story of Amelia Boynton, 97, who is captured in the historical footage being roughly handled while attempting to register to vote. This film shows the importance of recording the history of the common man's role in events before they are lost to the dust of history.

2.  Saving Face - here's your activist cause film of the bunch.   Yet it is a terrific film that highlights a horrendous injustice.    This is the story of acid attacks - brutal murder and maiming attempts on the lives of women in Pakistan who are victims of domestic violence.   The film follows the paths of two survivors of such attacks as they try to gain some justice in the world.   One, the older Zakia, has taken the rare step of prosecuting her husband.   The other, the younger Rukshana, has made the difficult decision due to poverty, to return to live with the husband and in-laws who tried to kill her.   The film shows the lawyers and politicians working to change the laws to highlight the seriousness of the problem.  It includes the viewpoints of the abusers.  Hope is shown by the work of Dr. Mohammed Jawad, who has returned to his native Pakistan to use his skills as a plastic surgeon to help these women regain some dignity.   It is a powerful film that seems only to need a bit more fleshing out.   We see Zakia's adult son accompanying her yet never hear his viewpoint on what was done to his mother by his father.   We see Parliament working on increasing the penalty for acid attacks, yet don't see any opposing arguments in this male-dominated society that clearly has a deep rooted culture of women who can be used as the male relatives see fit.   Yet, it is still a powerful film with a sense of hope that the film makers could not have completely foreseen when they began filming the story.

1. The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom - this film starts out as disaster porn as we see actual footage of the Tsunami of March 11, 2011 that devastated Japan consume a small town.   The footage is mesmerizing.  Then the focus turns to the survivors.   Their heartrending stories of the losses on that day bloom into a resilient will to go on, live and rebuild this devastated community.   This is the most artistically filmed movie of the nominees and could be seen as a simple tale of hardship and survival.   Yet, by using the metaphor of the blossoming of the cherry trees as a symbol of the resilence of the Japanese spirit the film gains a deeper resonance.   At first, you also may think that this film is too short and covers too little of the story, especially given that it only covers the first few months after the disaster.   Yet it is a compact little story that gets its message across through the simple words of the people who have survived and you come away from the film with genuine hope for the future.


ShortsHD is screening the Oscar Nominated Shorts: Documentary, Live Action and Animation in selected theaters beginning February 10, 2012.   Please visit their website http://theoscarshorts.shorts.tv/index.php to find a theater showing the films.   The films will also be available to purchase and download from iTunes on February 21, 2012.

Richard III at The American Shakespeare Center

Plots are afoot and blood is being shed on the Blackfriar's Playhouse Stage in Staunton, Virginia.  The Actors' Renaissance Season's second production, William Shakespeare's Richard III, brings to a close a remarkable achievement for the American Shakespeare Center.  Over the past four seasons the company has produced both of Shakespeare's history tetralogies.   The Fall Season has given us Richard II, Henry IV Parts 1 and 2 and came to a rousing conclusion this past fall with Henry V.   Similarly, the previous Actors' Renaissance Seasons have given us the three parts of Henry VI and now ends Shakespeare's conflict between the Houses of Lancaster and York with the deliciously paranoid and bloody tragedy/history of King Richard III.

For those who have had the privilege of seeing the entire tale unfold at the Blackfriar's Playhouse they have been rewarded by seeing characters who rise and fall with the winds of ambition.   Several characters whose triumphs are recorded in Henry VI, Part 3 meet their cursed fates here.  Yet, if Richard III is your only sampling you will enjoy an accomplished stand-alone drama.  While it can be confusing to keep straight who is backstabbing whom (pretty much everyone is a York, so no easy white versus red rose identifiers) and the pace occasionally lags, this is a well-acted compelling tale that is keeps its audience in an emotional grasp, even if you know how the story will end.

In brief, this is the tale of Richard, Duke of Gloucester, youngest brother of King Edward IV.   He plots to claim the throne for himself, eliminating first his brother, George, then his rivals for power, the family of his sister-in-law, Queen Elizabeth and finally usurping the throne from his brother's children, King Edward V and his fellow "Prince in the Tower", Richard, Duke of York.   Yet, uneasy lies the head that wears the crown, and once triumphant, the increasingly paranoid King Richard turns on anyone he suspects of disloyalty giving hope to another potential usurper, the last Lancastrian, Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond.  At Bosworth Field history will be decided.

Given that this production is staged using the conditions believed to have been used by Shakespeare's own acting company, this production has quite a lot to recommend it. Without the benefit of a director the large "crowd" scenes, whether courtly intrigue, the battle of Bosworth or the visions of the terrifying ghosts of Richard's victims, all are carefully and compellingly staged.   While not all of the choices work, there are some scenes that seem to lack dramatic focus and have a lack of urgency, the pluses far outweigh the minuses.  This is still astonishing drama.

To that one must commend the brilliant characterizations.  To begin with, examine the ladies in the story.  That may be puzzling to many theater goers as most of the four women's roles are either cut completely or sharply reduced to keep the focus on the villainous title role.  Yet here the ladies give a depth to the drama that is sometimes lacking in other productions.

Sarah Fallon has portrayed Queen Margaret of Anjou through all four plays in the tetralogy.  She has taken Shakespeare's character fully from her brief appearance in Henry VI, Part 1 as the beautiful young princess captured in war through to the driving warrior queen of Parts 2 and 3 who ends banished, her husband and son murdered in the Yorkist Edward IV's triumph.   Here, Margaret returns, older,grayer, having lost everything but the shift on her back, yet full of venom as she curses those who defeated her.  When she returns late in the play, begged by Queen Elizabeth to curse Richard, her burning hatred for them all is palpable.

Alison Glenzer's Queen Elizabeth travels from proud and haughty queen to despairing widow and mother who sees her relatives die, one by one and then faces her tormentor with steely fortitude as he tries to win her agreement to marry his niece.   Miriam Donald's Duchess Cecily, Richard's mother, takes no guff from her bitterly hated son.  Brandi Rhome's Anne takes this very difficult role and clearly makes the audience almost understand how a woman can travel from hatred to accepting a marriage with the man who killed her husband and father-in-law.  Your heart will break when she, now unhappy queen, joins the ladies to beg admittance to see the children in the Tower and admits to them that she knows that she is not long for this world.

Amongst the male ensemble there are two standouts.  Aiden O'Reilly portrays the betrayed Clarence, he who is about to be drowned in a butt of malmsey wine, with a gentle bewilderment.   Rene Thornton, Jr., as Richard's partner in his rise, the Duke of Buckingham, shows a streak of ambition that burns to loathing when Richard, now King with his help, does not give the loyal Duke the honors he feels are his due.

And as for Richard?  Benjamin Curns delivers soundly a man with no moral scruples that is a joy to watch plot and weave his way to the throne.  Once there he exudes insecurity and gripping paranoia as Richard unravels whilst desperately trying to keep that which he has won at such a cost.  Mr. Curns creates a physical representation of Shakespeare's twisted hunchback without turning said physicality into a grotesque caricature.  His Richard is that repulsive snake who nevertheless has seductive charm.  Mr. Curns is truly the villain the audience will love to hate.

Despite the occasional pacing problems, this Richard III is a well worth visiting two and a half hours traffic upon the Blackfriar's Playhouse Stage.

Richard III will be presented as part of the Actors' Renaissance Season at the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton, Virginia in repertoire with William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher's Philaster, or Love Lies A-Bleeding, Thomas Middleton's A Mad World, My Masters, and Christopher Marlowe's Dido, Queen of Carthage through April 5, 2012. For tickets and other performance information, please visit www.americanshakespearecenter.com.

During the Actors' Renaissance Season there are no directors or designers. The American Shakespeare Center recreates what extensive research believes were the conditions that Shakespeare's acting company would have used to stage a play. The actors receive only cue scripts containing their lines and a short "cue", the last few words of the preceding actor's line. They are responsible for acquiring their own costumes and props from the stock available at the theater. There is a prompter on the side of the stage in case someone forgets a line. The rehearsal period is a matter of days.

Much Ado About Nothing at the American Shakespeare Center

The American Shakespeare Center's Actors Renaissance Season is off and running with a charming "merry war" upon the stage at the Blackfriar's Playhouse in Staunton, Virginia. William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing kicks off this exciting winter repertory session having been mounted in early January 2012 with only a few days of rehearsal. Yet, once again, the talented company of actors proves that it doesn't take months of rehearsals carefully conceived by a director and designers to put compelling theater in front of a paying audience.

 Much Ado About Nothing is definitely a rousing show filled with compelling characters that give a depth of emotion that is infectious.   This popular tale of two sets of lovers, the young Claudio and Hero whose love is nearly thwarted by the villainy of the evil Don John, and the greatest wits in the Shakespeare canon, Beatrice and Benedict, is clearly staged and a rollicking good time. The comedy is broad and physical where it needs to be and the pathos, as the story takes a darker turn, heartbreaking and real. The company is to be commended for creating a great deal of something out of this story supposedly about nothing.

 For those unfamiliar with the plot, Don Pedro of Aragon, returning from war decides to visit Leonato, the Governor of Messina. He travels with Claudio, a young count who loves Leonato's daughter, Hero, and desires to marry her. His other bosom companion is Benedict, who spars mercilessly with Leonato's niece, Beatrice. All would be merry except that Don John, the "bastard" brother of Don Pedro, who is recently reconciled with his brother, cannot deny his villainous nature and sets forth to ruin Claudio and Hero's happiness. Meanwhile everyone else conspires to make the obstinate Benedict and Beatrice fall in love. There are accusations of unfaithfulness, pain and heartbreak before everything is resolved.

There is not a weak member of the company of 12 actors, several of whom play multiple roles. Daniel Kennedy is strong as Leonato's brother, Antonio and downright silly as George Seacoal of the watch and the musician, Balthazar.   Rene Thornton, Jr. shows a steady hand as Leonato yet allows emotional depth and fire to rage forth when he believes that his daughter is not as she seems and later when he turns his wrath on those who maligned his family.

Jeremy West colors the villainous sidekick Borachio with believable remorse when the character learns the consequences of his role in Don John's plot. Alison Glenzer is sultry as the gentlewoman Margaret and quite adorable as the "Kung Fu" master First Watchman.  Sarah Fallon is sweet as Ursula and contemptible as Conrad. As the object of Conrad's disdain, John Harrell brings Law and Order: Messina to the stage complete with a dash of Columbo in his portrayal of the eloquent malaprop, Dogberry.

Aiden O'Reilly uses a minimum of movement and the cadence of a serpent to the role of the villain Don John. The choice he has made to distance himself physically from the merry mania of the group scenes swirling around him, his Don John in draws the audience into his web. As the objects of his disdain, Gregory Jon Phelps brings regal grace and charming density to Don Pedro, yet manages to keep the audience's sympathy when the Prince believes Don John's duplicity. Chris Johnston wears his heart on his sleeve and does an excellent job of portraying how easy it is for Claudio to be duped, not once, but twice by clearly keeping Claudio's emotional journey in the forefront of his performance. Brandi Rhome's sweet and gentle Hero is tea and sympathy, yet she shows a sly streak when she is duping her cousin, Beatrice into falling in love.

And what a love affair is unfolding upon the Blackfriar's Playhouse stage. Miriam Donald assays her end of the merry war with crisp daggers of dialogue and uses her tiny stature to reduce Benjamin Curns' Benedict to quivering jelly by merely sneaking up on him unawares. Mr. Curns, in his turn provides a master class in physical comedy (beware the famous gulling scene) that is equally matched by his razor sharp retorts. They are a charming pair that carry this astounding production through the rafters of the balcony seats.

Much Ado About Nothing will be presented as part of the Actors' Renaissance Season at the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton, Virginia in repertoire with William Shakespeare's Richard III, Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher's Philaster, or Love Lies A-Bleeding, Thomas Middleton's A Mad World, My Masters, and Christopher Marlowe's Dido, Queen of Carthage through April 8, 2012. For tickets and other performance information, please visit www.americanshakespearecenter.com.

During the Actors' Renaissance Season there are no directors or designers. The American Shakespeare Center recreates what extensive research believes were the conditions that Shakespeare's acting company would have used to stage a play. The actors receive only cue scripts containing their lines and a short "cue", the last few words of the preceding actor's line. They are responsible for acquiring their own costumes and props from the stock available at the theater. There is a prompter on the side of the stage in case someone forgets a line. The rehearsal period is a matter of days.