Shakespeare for All!!!

[skynyc]

Just back from a surprisingly marvelous dance production of Romeo and Juliet at the Hudson Guild Theater. I went to see a friend, and wasn't sure what to expect and was very impressed. The cast of twenty-five ranged in age from five to seventy, from the youth and senior programs at Hudson Guild. The costuming and lighting were amazing as I can only imagine their budget.

 

But frankly, it was all about the dancing.

 

The group dances at the ball and in the marketplace made good use of the cast and the space.

 

But the solos and duos were terrific. Gierre Godley as Romeo was particularly fierce in his dances with Jun Lee's Juliet, most notably after finding her dead in the crypt as he pulls her "inert" body around in a beautiful and poignant pas de deux. And Dylan Baker and Matthew Westerly (the choreographer) had a sensational fight as Mercutio and Tybalt.

 

Simplified and "narrated" by Friar Lawrence, it was a nice introduction to Shakespeare, this story, and ballet, for the many children in the audience there to support friends and family.

For $10, and 60 minutes, this was a real treat and I recommend it to any who are around next Friday evening or Sat or Sunday matinees.

 

And in other Shakespeare news...I saw Much Ado About Nothing, the first of this season's Free Shakespeare in the Park.

I loved Hamish Linkletter and Lily Rabe's take on Benedick and Beatrice. Their chemistry and comedic sensibilities were very much in order as they bantered archly. And their realization that they loved each other was delightfully shocking.

 

Brian Stokes Mitchell was wonderful as Don Pedro, and the director wisely gave him a couple of opportunities to sing. It's nice to see him on stage again...I've missed him since he's been off running The Actor's Fund.

John Pankow does a great job with Dogsberry, which to my mind is one of the Bard's most difficult roles...I always feel his blathering nonsense just gets in the way of the movement of the story.

 

This early preview was long, about three hours, but some tightening is inevitable.

Shakespeare at the Delacorte truly is one of the great things about NYC...if you haven't done it, treat yourself. You'll become a regular like myself. Tickets are FREE for Pete's sake!

[tyro]

At times like these, I (even more) wish I lived someplace else. Thanks for the updates, skynyc.

T

[foxy]

Great reviews as always.

Thanks