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12/12/2015Theater: Much Ado About Rabe and Linklater | Evernote Web
https://www.evernote.com/Home.action#n=4ac0c1fc-7ca2-47f5-a40c-c336898b5711&ses=4&sh=2&sds=5&1/4Theater: Much Ado About Rabe and LinklaterTheater: Much Ado About Rabe and LinklaterMUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING *** out of **** PUBLIC THEATER/SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARKThe more often I see Much Ado, the more I really dislike most of the male characters in the play. The more oftenI see Lily Rabe and Hamish Linklater, the more I really like them. They want to do The Taming Of The Shrewand Chekhov together? Bring it on. And toss in His Girl Friday and Adam's Rib while you're at it. (Why hasn'tAdam's Rib been turned into a play yet, by the way?).Rabe and Linklater reteam after their Shakespeare in the Park production of The Merchant of Venice and theirless interesting Broadway turn in Seminar. Naturally, they play Beatrice and Benedick, the wittily squabblingpeople who hate each other so much you know they're just an insult away from declaring their love. B&B are theforerunners of Tracy & Hepburn, Dave & Maddie of Moonlighting and every other romantic pairing of two adultswho are smart, sexily self-confident and turned on as much by sparring as by spooning. Rabe and Linklaterembody them with ease and are the prime reason to see this light, slight, handsomely produced romance.Not every Shakespeare in the Park production can be an instant classic like Rabe's Merchant with Al Pacino orRabe's incandescent As You Like It. Of course, with Rabe on board you can hope and expect greatness. Butthis is exemplary SitP: some famed actors in secondary roles, some new actors getting a shot at this storiedtradition and some theater veterans like Rabe and Linklater working their way through the canon. The nice thingabout not raving over the show is that tickets will be easier to get! And that's something you should always dofor Shakespeare in the Park.Has Much Ado About Nothing ever really been about the young lovers? Claudio (Jack Cutmore-Scott) hasreturned from the wars, a bosom buddy of Benedick and an admired protege of Don Pedro (Brian StokesMitchell). He falls instantly in love with Hero (Ismenia Mendes), the daughter of the governor of the town ofMessina, Leonato (John Glover). Everyone is pleased with the match except the bastard -- in every sense --Don John (Pedro Pascal). Through various machinations, he finally convinces the naive Claudio and even DonPedro that the bride-to-be is a strumpet. Hero is brutally shamed on her wedding day and feigns death to hideher dishonor.In stark contrast to this melodrama is the engaging sniping of Beatrice and Benedick. The two smartest peoplein the room, they dislike each other intensely, even though they like nothing better than to antagonize oneanother, crossing verbal swords at every turn. When Beatrice clumsily if sincerely turns down a proposal fromthe noble Don Pedro (she thinks at first he is joking), he is gracious but decides to get his "revenge" by pullinghis own deception. Everyone conspires to convince each of them that the other is madly in love but wary ofadmitting it. So these two deceptions run parallel courses, one vicious and cruel, the other benign and ultimatelysalutary. All will be well -- this is one of the romance plays, after all -- though you may wonder if all deserve ahappy ending.The setting is Italy, which adds romance and an air of ease if little more to the proceedings. The scenic designby John Lee Beatty and costumes by Jane Greenwood are handsome and beguiling. I especially enjoyed thesmall tomato garden at the front of the stage: somehow stomping around angrily or declaring your love in atomato garden is inherently deflating in a delightful way. Director Jack O'Brien has preserved essentially the
12/12/2015Theater: Much Ado About Rabe and Linklater | Evernote Web
https://www.evernote.com/Home.action#n=4ac0c1fc-7ca2-47f5-a40c-c336898b5711&ses=4&sh=2&sds=5&2/4entire play (no major cuts here) but the pacing is brisk throughout, with one scene flowing smoothly into thenext. Certainly the show gains a darker edge in the second act, as it should. But this is by and large a frothyMuch Ado and the tone is set from the start with an amusing prologue involving the voice-over welcomingpeople to the Delacorte and some nonsense involving a large gate.As the young lovers, Cutmore-Scott and Mendes are pretty but leave little impression. I think the comic relief ofDogberry the constable has amused me all of once and the fine actor John Pankow does not break that dismalstreak. Faring much better is Pedro Pascal, who made the most of his small arc on Game of Thrones and doesthe same here as the villainous Don John. He has stage presence to burn and is assured and forthright as aman who feels no pleasure except in thwarting that of others. Similarly Eric Sheffer Stevens makes a strongimpression as Borachio, the willing conspirator of Don John and Zoe Winters (so good in An Octaroon) as hislove Margaret. Glover and Stokes Mitchell are typically excellent in their supporting turns.But Much Ado is one of Shakespeare's problem plays and O'Brien does not try to solve it. The men -- exceptingBenedick -- truly behave abominably. Glover's father hears accusations against his innocent daughter andimmediately bellows to the heavens that he wishes she'd never been born. Claudio and Don Pedro are deceivedinto thinking Hero is cheating on the lad, but surely any real man would stand up and confront her rather thanskulking away. And if not, at least a gentleman would quietly call off the wedding rather than viciously condemnher in public. When the young lovers are reunited, you can't help wondering why she'd want him back. Nonuance is present here to bring out these complexities.Instead, the mood is quickly lightened and the show ends with a dance. Of course, Beatrice and Benedick havebeen dancing around each other the entire evening. Seeing Rabe and Linklater actually fly about is a treat. Herrazor sharp mind makes Beatrice a knowing delight when sometimes Beatrice's scathing demeanor can beplayed too bluntly. Linklater's charming bewilderment over this enraging, delightful woman is a similar treat.When his desire has been announced and Benedick says simply, "Serve God, love me and mend," it's adeclaration of devotion as moving as any you're likely to hear. Now when do we get the Chekhov?If you're in New York City, here's the charming Jonathan Groff with tips on how to get your free tickets toShakespeare in the Park. As he says, a few hours waiting in line is really just a few hours having fun in CentralPark, something you should do anyway. Still, it would be even more fun if Groff was there with you, wouldn't it?THEATER OF 2014Beautiful: The Carole King Musical ***Rodney King *** Hard Times ** 1/2 Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead ** I Could Say More * The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner ** Machinal *** Outside Mullingar *** A Man's A Man * 1/2 The Tribute Artist ** 1/2 Transport ** Prince Igor at the Met ** The Bridges Of Madison County ** 1/2 Kung Fu (at Signature) ** Stage Kiss *** Satchmo At The Waldorf *** Antony and Cleopatra at the Public **
https://www.evernote.com/Home.action#n=4ac0c1fc-7ca2-47f5-a40c-c336898b5711&ses=4&sh=2&sds=5&1/4Theater: Much Ado About Rabe and LinklaterTheater: Much Ado About Rabe and LinklaterMUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING *** out of **** PUBLIC THEATER/SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARKThe more often I see Much Ado, the more I really dislike most of the male characters in the play. The more oftenI see Lily Rabe and Hamish Linklater, the more I really like them. They want to do The Taming Of The Shrewand Chekhov together? Bring it on. And toss in His Girl Friday and Adam's Rib while you're at it. (Why hasn'tAdam's Rib been turned into a play yet, by the way?).Rabe and Linklater reteam after their Shakespeare in the Park production of The Merchant of Venice and theirless interesting Broadway turn in Seminar. Naturally, they play Beatrice and Benedick, the wittily squabblingpeople who hate each other so much you know they're just an insult away from declaring their love. B&B are theforerunners of Tracy & Hepburn, Dave & Maddie of Moonlighting and every other romantic pairing of two adultswho are smart, sexily self-confident and turned on as much by sparring as by spooning. Rabe and Linklaterembody them with ease and are the prime reason to see this light, slight, handsomely produced romance.Not every Shakespeare in the Park production can be an instant classic like Rabe's Merchant with Al Pacino orRabe's incandescent As You Like It. Of course, with Rabe on board you can hope and expect greatness. Butthis is exemplary SitP: some famed actors in secondary roles, some new actors getting a shot at this storiedtradition and some theater veterans like Rabe and Linklater working their way through the canon. The nice thingabout not raving over the show is that tickets will be easier to get! And that's something you should always dofor Shakespeare in the Park.Has Much Ado About Nothing ever really been about the young lovers? Claudio (Jack Cutmore-Scott) hasreturned from the wars, a bosom buddy of Benedick and an admired protege of Don Pedro (Brian StokesMitchell). He falls instantly in love with Hero (Ismenia Mendes), the daughter of the governor of the town ofMessina, Leonato (John Glover). Everyone is pleased with the match except the bastard -- in every sense --Don John (Pedro Pascal). Through various machinations, he finally convinces the naive Claudio and even DonPedro that the bride-to-be is a strumpet. Hero is brutally shamed on her wedding day and feigns death to hideher dishonor.In stark contrast to this melodrama is the engaging sniping of Beatrice and Benedick. The two smartest peoplein the room, they dislike each other intensely, even though they like nothing better than to antagonize oneanother, crossing verbal swords at every turn. When Beatrice clumsily if sincerely turns down a proposal fromthe noble Don Pedro (she thinks at first he is joking), he is gracious but decides to get his "revenge" by pullinghis own deception. Everyone conspires to convince each of them that the other is madly in love but wary ofadmitting it. So these two deceptions run parallel courses, one vicious and cruel, the other benign and ultimatelysalutary. All will be well -- this is one of the romance plays, after all -- though you may wonder if all deserve ahappy ending.The setting is Italy, which adds romance and an air of ease if little more to the proceedings. The scenic designby John Lee Beatty and costumes by Jane Greenwood are handsome and beguiling. I especially enjoyed thesmall tomato garden at the front of the stage: somehow stomping around angrily or declaring your love in atomato garden is inherently deflating in a delightful way. Director Jack O'Brien has preserved essentially the
12/12/2015Theater: Much Ado About Rabe and Linklater | Evernote Web
https://www.evernote.com/Home.action#n=4ac0c1fc-7ca2-47f5-a40c-c336898b5711&ses=4&sh=2&sds=5&2/4entire play (no major cuts here) but the pacing is brisk throughout, with one scene flowing smoothly into thenext. Certainly the show gains a darker edge in the second act, as it should. But this is by and large a frothyMuch Ado and the tone is set from the start with an amusing prologue involving the voice-over welcomingpeople to the Delacorte and some nonsense involving a large gate.As the young lovers, Cutmore-Scott and Mendes are pretty but leave little impression. I think the comic relief ofDogberry the constable has amused me all of once and the fine actor John Pankow does not break that dismalstreak. Faring much better is Pedro Pascal, who made the most of his small arc on Game of Thrones and doesthe same here as the villainous Don John. He has stage presence to burn and is assured and forthright as aman who feels no pleasure except in thwarting that of others. Similarly Eric Sheffer Stevens makes a strongimpression as Borachio, the willing conspirator of Don John and Zoe Winters (so good in An Octaroon) as hislove Margaret. Glover and Stokes Mitchell are typically excellent in their supporting turns.But Much Ado is one of Shakespeare's problem plays and O'Brien does not try to solve it. The men -- exceptingBenedick -- truly behave abominably. Glover's father hears accusations against his innocent daughter andimmediately bellows to the heavens that he wishes she'd never been born. Claudio and Don Pedro are deceivedinto thinking Hero is cheating on the lad, but surely any real man would stand up and confront her rather thanskulking away. And if not, at least a gentleman would quietly call off the wedding rather than viciously condemnher in public. When the young lovers are reunited, you can't help wondering why she'd want him back. Nonuance is present here to bring out these complexities.Instead, the mood is quickly lightened and the show ends with a dance. Of course, Beatrice and Benedick havebeen dancing around each other the entire evening. Seeing Rabe and Linklater actually fly about is a treat. Herrazor sharp mind makes Beatrice a knowing delight when sometimes Beatrice's scathing demeanor can beplayed too bluntly. Linklater's charming bewilderment over this enraging, delightful woman is a similar treat.When his desire has been announced and Benedick says simply, "Serve God, love me and mend," it's adeclaration of devotion as moving as any you're likely to hear. Now when do we get the Chekhov?If you're in New York City, here's the charming Jonathan Groff with tips on how to get your free tickets toShakespeare in the Park. As he says, a few hours waiting in line is really just a few hours having fun in CentralPark, something you should do anyway. Still, it would be even more fun if Groff was there with you, wouldn't it?THEATER OF 2014Beautiful: The Carole King Musical ***Rodney King *** Hard Times ** 1/2 Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead ** I Could Say More * The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner ** Machinal *** Outside Mullingar *** A Man's A Man * 1/2 The Tribute Artist ** 1/2 Transport ** Prince Igor at the Met ** The Bridges Of Madison County ** 1/2 Kung Fu (at Signature) ** Stage Kiss *** Satchmo At The Waldorf *** Antony and Cleopatra at the Public **