The incongruity of a Bard-loving Mafia-type gangster hiring a respected Shakespearean actress to perform in his "unorthodox" theatrical company in Las Vegas would appear to be a solid basis for farce. And it is, for the first act, but with the introduction of a jilted lover, a Sardinian curse and a dead donkey, Dreamcatcher Repertory Theatre and Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey's Shakespeare in Vegas, comes apart at the seams, loses all connection with reality and ultimately falls flat. (Above L-R: Jessica O'Hara-Baker, Barron B. Bass, Rachael Lee, Eli Ganias & Laura Ekstrand)
The source of this deflation lies with playwright Susanne Bradbeer's script, not the talented actors performing onstage at the Oakes Center in Summit. Bradbeer elicits great laughs from pairing legitimate actress Margot with stripper Colette and Hooters waitress Merrie Jo in a production of Antony and Cleopatra. The scene after opening night, where Margot, infuriated by Merrie Jo's overacting as Charmian upstages her Cleopatra, is absolutely hilarious (and a great wink at theatrical high jinks so often found in off-off-off Broadway venues). And putting Shakespeare's words in the mouth of a stereotypical goomba like Tony Cordona is very funny because of its sheer incongruity.
But Tony's bringing the Bard to Vegas to honor his Nonna's affinity for performing Shakespeare in some podunk Sardinian village strains the little credulity so necessary to make farce work; ditto the model of the Globe Theatre he carries around with him (the thatch he says contains hairs from his Nonna's murdered donkey's tail) and the Sardinian curse pronounced upon him by a young actor in the company who just happens to be the descendent of Nonna's jilted lover!
Laura Ekstrand (right) is superb as Margot, desperate to rehabilitate a faltering career by accepting Tony's weird offer and infuriated when the actress playing Cleopatra's maid Charmian overacts during the final (death) scene of the tragedy. Veritable smoke comes out of Ekstrand's ears as she fulminates furiously. Best of all, Ekstrand delivers the wacky dialogue straight, making it all the more amusing. Jessica O'Hara-Baker is Merrie Jo, the Hooters waitress whose uncle has bankrolled the production, the actress who has made Margot so angry. O'Hara-Baker is no stranger to playing off-the-wall characters; her assumption of a British accent in preparation to audition for Much Ado About Nothing is nothing short of a scream. Rounding out the female cohort is Rachael Lee (Above, left)as the stripper, Colette, more intent on gyrating and adjusting her breasts than playing Shakespeare. With her bizarre and inappropriate comments, she's as adorable as she is exasperating.
Eli Ganias's Tony is a stereotypical Mafioso, but his propensity for spouting Shakespeare is winning. Less so is his adoration of his Nonna (grandmother); the dialogue Bradbeer has written all sounds too engineered to be believable. But this is a farce, you say; it's not supposed to be believable. I love farce, but for my taste it should have at least a toe grounded in reality for me to buy it. The characters should be real, if over the top. By the time Tony has to face the effects of the "Sardo curse," Ganias appeared to be floundering. Rounding out the cast is Barron B. Bass as ex-con Mike, who has been cast as Romeo in Tony's next production. Bass is endearing as a guy who has never been onstage before, but in the role of Buck, Tony's nemesis, he is as false as the mustache plastered above his upper lip. It just doesn't work. (Above L-R: Barron B. Bass, Eli Ganias & Laura Ekstrand)
John Pietrowski keeps a firm hand on the nonsense through three-quarters of the play, maintaining a good pace, but the final scenes get away from him and the play ends somewhat unsatisfyingly. Drew Francis has designed three panels depicting Visscher's 1616 panoramic engraving of Elizabethan London. Jeff Knapp has provided music appropriate to Vegas, and Pia Kristjansen's costumes are eye-catching, especially those worn by Cleopatra and her two maids.
According to Pietrowski in his opening remarks, Shakespeare in Vegas underwent a two-year gestation period, from the Dreamcatcher Rep Reading Series through the Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey's New Play Reading Series. I suggest that Bradbeer go back to the proverbial drawing board and rework the play so it is more farce and less silliness. There is a difference.
Shakespeare in Vegas will be performed at the Oakes Center, 120 Morris Avenue, Summit, through April 21. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM, and Sundays at 2 PM. For tickets and information, call 800.838.3006 or visit www.DreamcatcherRep.org.
Photos: Steve McIntyre
