[NEohioPAL]Glowing Review of Merry Wives at Actors' Summit

Wed Apr 7 08:35:33 PDT 2004

-------------------------------1081352133
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

THEATER=20
04/07/04
Linda Eisenstein=20
Special to The Plain Dealer
"The Merry Wives of Windsor" at Actors' Summit is a merry time indeed. Neil=20
Thackaberry has shaped a production that is consistently funny and well-acte=
d,=20
with language that is always intelligible. It's just the kind of accessible=20
show you would want to take a Shakespeare first-timer to.=20
In sitcom terms, "Merry Wives" would be considered one of the Bard's=20
spinoffs, a piece written around the popular character of Sir John Falstaff,=
 the=20
rotund, tippling scene-stealer of the "Henry IV" plays.=20
In a move to please his public, Shakespeare wrote a marital comedy set amid=20
the middle class. The main plot has the down-on-his-luck Falstaff trying to=20=
woo=20
the wives of two prosperous burghers in order to get to their husband's=20
purses. Unlike the tangled miscommunications in many of Shakespeare's other=20
comedies, the crafty women immediately suss out his plot and turn the tables=
.=20
The rest of the show is an episodic series of high jinks tricking Falstaff,=20
proving Mistress Ford's faithfulness to her jealous husband and marrying off=
=20
Mistress Page's daughter to the man who really loves her.=20
The show, which opened Thursday, boasts two star performers: Reuben Silver a=
s=20
Falstaff and Dorothy Silver as the shrewd housekeeper, Mistress Quickly.=20
Reuben plays Falstaff as a bantam rooster whose feathers get more and more r=
uffled=20
as he gets stuffed in baskets, dressed in drag and pinched by fake fairies,=20
while the sharp-eyed Dorothy helps the ladies plot revenge as she lines her=20=
own=20
pockets with tips.=20
Both do a fine job, but the rest of the 19-member cast is good enough that=20
the Silvers don't dominate the proceedings. It's truly an ensemble effort, w=
ith=20
many enjoyable performances.=20
Andrew Narten seems to emit jealousy like a black cloud as Master Ford,=20
obsessed with the loyalty of his pretty wife (Sally Groth). Rebecca Knab is=20=
a=20
scheming Mistress Page, with a generous husband (Tom Stephan). Maggie Morgan=
 is=20
solid as their sensible teenage daughter, Anne, who loves Master Fenton (Tho=
mas=20
Cummings).=20
Standouts include the two clowns who play Anne Page's unsuitable suitors:=20
Jeff Nichols, who seems to be channeling Peter Sellers with his outrageously=
=20
French-accented Dr. Caius; and Aaron Coleman, as the brainless fop Slender.=20
Special kudos to MaryJo Alexander, for opulent, burnished Renaissance=20
costumes that make the production look handsome against the simple but effec=
tive set.=20
Eisenstein is a playwright in Cleveland.=20
To reach Linda Eisenstein:=20
entertainment at plaind.com=20

=A9 2004 The Plain Dealer. Used with permission.

-------------------------------1081352133
Content-Type: text/html; charset="ISO-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

<HTML xmlns:o =3D "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"><HEAD>
<META charset=3DISO-8859-1 http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; c=
harset=3DISO-8859-1">
<META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.2800.1106" name=3DGENERATOR></HEAD>
<BODY style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #fffff=
f">
<P><B><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 13.5pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">THEATER</SPAN></=
B><B><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN>=
</B></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">04/07/04<o:p></o:p></=
SPAN></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><B><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SI=
ZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Linda Eisenstein</SPAN></B><SPAN style=3D"FONT=
-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> <BR>Special to The Plain Dealer<o:p></o:p>=
</SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">"The Merry Wives of W=
indsor" at Actors' Summit is a merry time indeed. Neil Thackaberry has shape=
d a production that is consistently funny and well-acted, with language that=
 is always intelligible. It's just the kind of accessible show you would wan=
t to take a Shakespeare first-timer to. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P>In sitcom terms, "Merry Wives" would be considered one of the Bard's spin=
offs, a piece written around the popular character of Sir John Falstaff, the=
 rotund, tippling scene-stealer of the "Henry IV" plays. </P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">In a move to please h=
is public, Shakespeare wrote a marital comedy set amid the middle class. The=
 main plot has the down-on-his-luck Falstaff trying to woo the wives of two=20=
prosperous burghers in order to get to their husband's purses. Unlike the ta=
ngled miscommunications in many of Shakespeare's other comedies, the crafty=20=
women immediately suss out his plot and turn the tables. <o:p></o:p></SPAN><=
/P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The rest of the show=20=
is an episodic series of high jinks tricking Falstaff, proving Mistress Ford=
's faithfulness to her jealous husband and marrying off Mistress Page's daug=
hter to the man who really loves her. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The show, which opene=
d Thursday, boasts two star performers: Reuben Silver as Falstaff and Doroth=
y Silver as the shrewd housekeeper, Mistress Quickly. Reuben plays Falstaff=20=
as a bantam rooster whose feathers get more and more ruffled as he gets stuf=
fed in baskets, dressed in drag and pinched by fake fairies, while the sharp=
-eyed Dorothy helps the ladies plot revenge as she lines her own pockets wit=
h tips. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Both do a fine job, b=
ut the rest of the 19-member cast is good enough that the Silvers don't domi=
nate the proceedings. It's truly an ensemble effort, with many enjoyable per=
formances. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Andrew Narten seems t=
o emit jealousy like a black cloud as Master Ford, obsessed with the loyalty=
 of his pretty wife (Sally Groth). Rebecca Knab is a scheming Mistress Page,=
 with a generous husband (Tom Stephan). Maggie Morgan is solid as their sens=
ible teenage daughter, Anne, who loves Master Fenton (Thomas Cummings). <o:p=
></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Standouts include the=
 two clowns who play Anne Page's unsuitable suitors: Jeff Nichols, who seems=
 to be channeling Peter Sellers with his outrageously French-accented Dr. Ca=
ius; and Aaron Coleman, as the brainless fop Slender. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Special kudos to Mary=
Jo Alexander, for opulent, burnished Renaissance costumes that make the prod=
uction look handsome against the simple but effective set. <o:p></o:p></SPAN=
></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Eisenstein is a playw=
right in Cleveland. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">To reach Linda Eisens=
tein: <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">entertainment at plaind.=
com <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE:=
 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><BR clear=3Dall>=A9 2004 The Plain Dealer. Used w=
ith permission.</SPAN></P></BODY></HTML>

-------------------------------1081352133--