[NEohioPAL]Rave Review of SHAKESPEARE REVUE at Actors' Summit
Thackaberr at aol.com
Thackaberr at aol.com
Thu May 12 09:01:52 PDT 2005
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Review
Actors' Summit takes on the Bard
Intelligent, comedic `Shakespeare Revue' lovingly pokes fun
By Kerry Clawson
Beacon Journal staff writer
What does Shakespeare have in common with Stephen Sondheim, Cole Porter and
Monty Python?
Those are just a few of the artists whose comedic material has been inspired
by the great works of the Elizabethan playwright. Their Shakespeare-themed
writing as well as bits from dozens of other talents are inventively woven
together in Actors' Summit's The Shakespeare Revue, which lovingly mocks the
Bard.
Christopher Luscombe and Malcolm McKee, creators of this lively, whimsical
show, said satirical writers ``have regularly plundered Shakespeare for their
own comic purposes.''
That practice has brought about everything from the wacky anagrams in Monty
Python's Flying Circus to the 1912 Ziegfeld Follies' That Shakespearean Rag,
both of which are brought to life on the Actors' Summit stage.
Broadway's Spamalot isn't the only place where you can enjoy Monty Python
humor live. And you don't have to be a Shakespeare expert to enjoy this
irreverent musical revue.
Actors' Summit's five-member cast is tight under the direction of Neil
Thackaberry, with Ron Lord and Greg Violand serving as particularly nimble comics.
They're hilariously hammy in their vaudeville number Swap a Jest.
MaryJo Alexander is a surprisingly versatile comedienne, portraying everyone
from Marlene Dietrich in the sultry Moody Dane to a highly dissatisfied
Cleopatra, who complains that Verdi never composed an opera based on her. (She
bemoans Verdi's Shakespeare-inspired works from Otello to the arias of
Macbeth.)
The sweet-voiced Shani Ferry is as adorable as a kewpie doll in all of her
numbers, especially as a French princess from Henry V who receives an unusual
English lesson, complete with audience participation.
Pianist Michael Flohr also intermittently joins in on the singing and acting
fun.
Barbs aplenty
The Shakespeare Revue even pokes fun at the Shakespeare industry, with
characters Hamlet, Henry V and Juliet complaining that they've been done to death
in the number Give Us a Rest. Along the way, Actors' Summit's version of the
show makes its digs at Peter Hackett (former artistic director for Cleveland
Play House), current Great Lakes Theater Festival boss Charlie Fee and even
the Hudson Players.
The revue also manages to get in some pop culture references to Michael
Jackson and Robert DeNiro. The cast does a fun tap dance in Porter's naughty
Let's Do It, complete with lyric changes. Also memorable is Brush Up Your
Shakespeare from the Cole Porter musical Kiss Me Kate, which needs no lyric changes:
When your baby is pleading for pleasure,
Let her sample your Measure for Measure.
Moments in this show go from the sublime to the ridiculous: Consider actors
in repertory forgetting which show they're performing on a given night, with
Romeo beginning his romantic balcony scene only to have ``Juliet'' respond
with a zanily inappropriate breast reference as Lady Macbeth.
You'd have to see The Shakespeare Revue several times to catch every nugget
of Shakespearean-themed humor. That's part of what makes the piece so smart.
____________________________________
Theater critic Kerry Clawson may be reached at
_kclawson at thebeaconjournal.com_ (mailto:kclawson at thebeaconjournal.com) .
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<H1 style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 6.2pt"><SPAN style=3D"COLOR: black; FONT-FAMI=
LY: Arial"><FONT size=3D4>Actors' Summit takes on=20
the Bard<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></H1>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZ=
E: 15pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT size=3D4><IMG SRC=3D"cid:X.=
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TASIZE=3D"73" ID=3D"MA2.1115913710" ><BR></FONT></SPAN><SPAN class=3Ddeck1=
><B><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 15pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT color=3D#666=
666>Intelligent,=20
comedic `Shakespeare Revue' lovingly pokes fun</FONT></SPAN></B></SPAN><SPAN=
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 15pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><BR><FONT c=
olor=3D#666666><IMG SRC=3D"cid:X.MA3.1115913710 at aol.com" height=3D10 width=
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</FONT></SPAN><SPAN class=3Dbyline1><B><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 7pt; FONT=
-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT color=3D#666666>By Kerry=20
Clawson</FONT></SPAN></B></SPAN><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 15pt; COLOR: bla=
ck; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><BR><FONT color=3D#666666><IMG SRC=3D"cid:X.MA4.11=
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><B><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 7pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT color=3D#6666=
66>Beacon Journal=20
staff writer</FONT></SPAN></B></SPAN><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 15pt; COLOR=
: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><BR><FONT color=3D#666666><IMG SRC=3D"cid:X.M=
A5.1115913710 at aol.com" height=3D1 width=3D1 v:shapes=3D"_x0000_i1029" DATAS=
IZE=3D"43" ID=3D"MA5.1115913710" ><o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 15pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><!-- be=
gin body-content -->What=20
does Shakespeare have in common with Stephen Sondheim, Cole Porter and Monty=
=20
Python?<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 15pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Those a=
re=20
just a few of the artists whose comedic material has been inspired by the gr=
eat=20
works of the Elizabethan playwright. Their Shakespeare-themed writing as wel=
l as=20
bits from dozens of other talents are inventively woven together in Actors'=20
Summit's <I>The Shakespeare Revue</I>, which lovingly mocks the=20
Bard.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 15pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Christo=
pher=20
Luscombe and Malcolm McKee, creators of this lively, whimsical show, said=20
satirical writers ``have regularly plundered Shakespeare for their own comic=
=20
purposes.''<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 15pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">That pr=
actice=20
has brought about everything from the wacky anagrams in <I>Monty Python's Fl=
ying=20
Circus</I> to the 1912 Ziegfeld Follies' <I>That Shakespearean Rag</I>, both=
of=20
which are brought to life on the Actors' Summit stage.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 15pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Broadwa=
y's=20
<I>Spamalot</I> isn't the only place where you can enjoy Monty Python humor=20
live. And you don't have to be a Shakespeare expert to enjoy this irreverent=
=20
musical revue.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 15pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Actors'=
=20
Summit's five-member cast is tight under the direction of Neil Thackaberry,=20=
with=20
Ron Lord and Greg Violand serving as particularly nimble comics. They're=20
hilariously hammy in their vaudeville number <I>Swap a=20
Jest.</I><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 15pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">MaryJo=20
Alexander is a surprisingly versatile comedienne, portraying everyone from=20
Marlene Dietrich in the sultry <I>Moody Dane</I> to a highly dissatisfied=20
Cleopatra, who complains that Verdi never composed an opera based on her. (S=
he=20
bemoans Verdi's Shakespeare-inspired works from <I>Otello</I> to the arias o=
f=20
<I>Macbeth</I>.)<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 15pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The=20
sweet-voiced Shani Ferry is as adorable as a kewpie doll in all of her numbe=
rs,=20
especially as a French princess from <I>Henry V </I>who receives an unusual=20
English lesson, complete with audience participation.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 15pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Pianist=
=20
Michael Flohr also intermittently joins in on the singing and acting=20
fun.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><STRONG><SPAN class=3Dsubhead1><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: b=
lack; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Barbs=20
aplenty</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 15pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FA=
MILY: Arial"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></STRONG></P>
<P><I><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 15pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The=20
Shakespeare Revue</SPAN></I><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 15pt; COLOR: black;=20=
FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> even pokes fun at the=20
Shakespeare industry, with characters Hamlet, Henry V and Juliet complaining=
=20
that they've been done to death in the number <I>Give Us a Rest</I>. Along t=
he=20
way, Actors' Summit's version of the show makes its digs at Peter Hackett=20
(former artistic director for Cleveland Play House), current Great Lakes The=
ater=20
Festival boss Charlie Fee and even the Hudson Players.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 15pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The rev=
ue=20
also manages to get in some pop culture references to Michael Jackson and Ro=
bert=20
DeNiro. The cast does a fun tap dance in Porter's naughty <I>Let's Do It</I>=
,=20
complete with lyric changes. Also memorable is <I>Brush Up Your Shakespeare=20
</I>from the Cole Porter musical <I>Kiss Me Kate</I>, which needs no lyric=20
changes:<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 15pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">When yo=
ur=20
baby is pleading for pleasure,<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 15pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Let her=
=20
sample your Measure for Measure.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 15pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Moments=
in=20
this show go from the sublime to the ridiculous: Consider actors in repertor=
y=20
forgetting which show they're performing on a given night, with Romeo beginn=
ing=20
his romantic balcony scene only to have ``Juliet'' respond with a zanily=20
inappropriate breast reference as Lady Macbeth.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 15pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">You'd h=
ave to=20
see <I>The Shakespeare Revue </I>several times to catch every nugget of=20
Shakespearean-themed humor. That's part of what makes the piece so=20
smart.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<DIV class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center" a=
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<HR align=3Dcenter width=3D"100%" color=3D#cccccc noShade SIZE=3D1>
</SPAN></I></DIV><!-- end body-content --><!-- begin body-end -->
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN><SPAN style=3D"FO=
NT-SIZE: 8pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><EM>Theater critic=20
Kerry Clawson may be reached at </EM><A href=3D"mailto:kclawson at thebeaconj=
ournal.com"><FONT color=3D#0027b4><EM>kclawson at thebeaconjournal.com</EM></=
FONT></A><EM>.</EM></SPAN><EM>=20
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