The Complete Works- Better Than Seeing Them All Separately; For Cheap.
(L-R) Lydia Franco-Hodges, Gordon Gray, and Joseph De Sane in
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Abridged.
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare-Abridged
Mulford Barn Repertory Theater
10 James Lane East Hampton , LI
(631)324-6850
In Repertory Through August 31, 2009
For the actors of the Mulford Barn Repertory, all the world is literally a stage - for in such a setting as the countryside of East Hampton, players can ride away on bikes while still not breaking the fourth wall, and interact with the audience while still implying their original goal - to roll every Shakespeare play into one in one two-hour show.
Some of the highlights include Othello transposed into rap, the Histories into a football game, all 16 comedies combined to create one five-act revue, and the Titus Andronicus cooking show. It was a laugh-filled night in the Mulford Barn, converted into a theater which combines the cozy atmosphere of the farm with the hilarity of the Shakespeare tribute.
Next time Shakespeare Abridged returns to the Mulford Barn, which seems inevitable, – I will give you fair warning. This is one abridged work you won’t want to miss!
Dames at the Sound
James (center) was flanked by two Dames at the Sound,
sister Lily, 9, (left) and cousin Abby (10).
Dames at Sea
Bay Street Theater
Long Wharf
Sag Harbor , LI
631-725-9500
Final Performance Sept. 6.
Dames at Sea began the new season of Bay Street Theater, and it was a blast. This beautiful production was complete with incredible scenery and choreography that could have been copied from an original Cole Porter musical. Though not exactly star-studded, the cast had a playful bunch of recognizable actors with multiple credits to their name, along with some considerable talent.
The dancing of the entire cast of Dames at Sea had excitement and romance, as well as a surprisingly speedy success story. Bay Street produced a rare hit likened to its version of Pippin in 2007 and past plays directed by Julie Andrews. Costumes were extravagant and moods happy at Long Island Sound on Bay Street.
The Dames were at the Sound, Broadway Baby!
The Prairie Moves - And Sings!
Little House on the Prairie - The Musical
Debuts at the Paper Mill Playhouse
Brookside Drive
Millburn, NJ 07041
973-379-3636
Through October 10.
You have to admit - theaters themselves can make “much ado about nothing.”
"With Melissa Gilbert as Ma," so read the ad posters. But you’d think that if this was all planned in advance, as most casts and scenery are, that the playwright would have written a much less obscure part for the famed actress who played Laura as a child, including a few more lines and an actual main character part. Gilbert only sings one solo in the show, and it’s about a minute long. Give a little credit to the other actors, why don’t you? No offense, but when it comes to singing, Gilbert isn’t exactly a Dixie Chick.
It was a great show, I’ll give it that. The fun that the players were obviously having was infectious, voices soared, and dances erupted like volcanoes that had been extinct for some considerable time. (Best actress goes to Carly Rose Sonenclar for her incredible work as Laura’s younger sister.) It’s a story of going west, sexism, and of how Laura Ingalls became Laura Ingalls Wilder. Little House fever is back, ladies and gentlemen. As some of you know, the show goes on a 26-city tour, beginning with St. Paul and a possible Broadway run, as did other shows that started at the Paper Mill, and children will be whipping out their copies of the series soon, wildly flipping through and wondering, how do they make this a musical?
They did. But don’t get excited about the lyrics. Seems that someone forgot what a rhyme means. |
