To start your FREE subscription to the Triangle Review, click |
Edited and Published by Robert W. McDowell
August 31, 2023 Issue |
A FREE Weekly E-mail Newsletter Covering Theater, Dance, Music, and Film in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill/Carrboro Area of North Carolina Since April 2001. |
PART 4A: TRIANGLE THEATER REVIEW BY KURT BENRUD |
Blue Box Scores Another Hit with Much Ado
Blue Box Theatre Company has made a commitment to "old, new, borrowed, blue." Their first-ever show (on March 24-April 1) was Grace Siplon's play, Milk & Honey Whiskey -- "something new." Their current offering, Much Ado -- which they promote as "a take on William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing -- is "something old." Let the record state that, under co-founder Siplon's direction, Blue Box has scored two hits and that this current show will please seasoned Shakespeare fans (purists included) and neophytes alike.
For the few folks not "in the know," this play's plot includes a boy-girl love story (Claudio and Hero) that is derailed by a treacherous plot and a second boy-girl story (Benedick and Beatrice) that, while it may or may not be "love," is definitely top-notch entertainment. Included, also, are the foibles of a certain inept Master Constable (Dogberry) and his equally inept crew who stumble upon the plot and get a chance to solve the case. But will they do so in time to save the day?
This production serves up a nearly uninterrupted feast of laughter, but there are moments of tenderness, and there is also an element of suspense. There are "lead" and "supporting" roles, this is truly an ensemble piece, and every one of the actors shines. Director Grace Siplon has wisely chosen to combine some of the smaller roles, thereby affording a few of the actors additional stage time.
I could not ask for better casting than Cameron Waters as Benedick and Naiya Alexis as Beatrice. There is a very real chemistry between the two in every "skirmish of wit" of their "merry war." Waters' timing is impeccable as he harvests every microgram of humor from his lines. Alexis, in addition to holding her own, manages to give the audience a glimpse of the tender vulnerability behind Beatrice's bravado. At no time, however, does either of these go "over the top" -- even at their silliest, both are believable characters start-to-finish.
Equally well-cast is Brook North as Dogberry, whose interactions with Verges (David Cole), et al., are also crowd-pleasers. "What is more," North's delivery of Dogberry's nonsensical utterances are invested with all of the earnestness that this self-declared "wise fellow" that "hath two gowns and everything handsome about him" would be expected to muster.
In the central plot, Katie Bellingham (as Hero) and Laird Davis (as Claudio) are well-matched as young, starry-eyed lovers, playing off each other well. In addition to the aforementioned "treacherous plot," there are other plots that result in "much ado" in this play. Daniel Cryer-Muthedath Ryder and John Paul Middlesworth play Don Pedro and Leonato with appropriate levels of sophistication. And they interact well with Davis' Claudio as they launch their plot to match Benedick with Beatrice.
Rachel Eve Horowitz (as Margaret) Julie Hedgeworth (as Ursula) team up equally well with Bellingham's Hero as they plot to match Beatrice with Benedick.
Curiously, the treacherous plot is hatched by yet another trio -- Don Pedro's sister Don John (Grace Derenne) and her henchmen: Conrade (J Camello) and Borachio (Nicholas Hopf) -- who also mesh very well. Mini-spoiler: it would be fair to say there is a degree of "joint effort" in their undertaking. And it is worth mentioning that Derenne knows just when (and exactly how) Don John should walk with a swagger.
The show is staged in an outdoor venue at the Honeysuckle Tea House in Chapel Hill. (But don't let that be an obstacle -- the seating, as well as the acting area, is shaded from rain or shine.) They make great use of the space, entering and exiting to and from a variety of directions.
This production sets the story in present times, so costuming is "modern dress," and the characters' clothing fits their station and personality.
Nice Touches:
- 45 minutes of preshow live music -- The Bluegrass Battleship played on opening night (Aug. 25th) and will return on Sept. 1st. Britt Wilson will play on Aug. 31st.
- "Left ... Left ... Left" and bug spray -- you'll see what I mean.
- Don Pedro carries a guitar case in a few scenes, a later entrance playing guitar is well-foreshadowed.
- The choice to signify the end of intermission with Graham Franklin playing ukelele and the transition into Balthazar's song "Sigh no more, ladies" to start Act Two.
- Margaret taking selfies, various characters sitting in a hammock, the use of a couple of pup tents, scenes that involve yoga mats (and Benedick!)
- Some imaginative and appropriate moves during curtain-call.
- The song "Pardon, goddess of the night" is well executed.
- Various postures, gestures, facial expressions, and random vocal expressions that punctuate the lines and the action, substantially boost the entertainment level.
From the Department of Picky-Picky:
- A few scenes are acted on the same level as the audience's seating. This works nicely for the scenes in which all characters are standing, but I felt that much of the action in scenes that involved characters sitting down was lost to audience members behind the third row.
- In front of stage left is an easel that may (or may not) have information about the various scenes. I noticed the sign being changed on a few occasions, but it was too small to be read by many (if any) members of the audience. I would consider replacing it with larger signs or removing it (and thereby eliminating a distraction).
- During the "joint effort" scenes, one character scores an A+; the others: C-. (Perhaps, he has simply had more practical experience -- ?)
- Lighting was a bit uneven on opening night, but I am certain the actors will adjust their blocking accordingly.
The Bottom Line:
With a successful "something old" (Much Ado) following a successful "something new" (Milk & Honey Whiskey), Blue Box has me on the edge of my seat, waiting for them to proceed with their season, offering "something borrowed" and "something blue."
MUCH ADO (In-Person Covered Seating at 7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 27 and 31 and Sept. 1), based on William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, directed by Grace Siplon, and starring Naiya Alexis as Beatrice, Cameron Waters as Benedick, Daniel Cryer-Muthedath Ryder as Don Pedro, Grace Derenne as Don John, Laird Davis as Claudio, Katie Bellingham as Hero, Brook North as Dogberry, David Cole as Verges, John Paul Middlesworth as Leonato, J Camello as Conrade, Nicholas Hopf as Borachio, Pamela Alberda as Minister/Sexton, Julie Hedgeworth as Ursula, Rachel Eve Horowitz as Margaret/Antonio, and Graham Franklin as Balthazar (Blue Box Theatre Company at the Honeysuckle Tea House in Chapel Hill). PRESENTER: https://www.blueboxtheatrecompany.org/, http://facebook.com/bbxtheatre, https://www.instagram.com/theblueboxtheatre/, and https://twitter.com/BBXTheatre. VENUE: https://www.thehoneysuckleteahouse.com/, https://www.facebook.com/thehoneysuckleteahouse, and https://www.instagram.com/thehoneysuckleteahouse/. DIRECTIONS: https://www.google.com/maps/. MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (five-act comedy, written in 1598-99): https://www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/much-ado-about-nothing/, https://www.bl.uk/works/much-ado-about-nothing, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Much-Ado-About-Nothing-by-Shakespeare, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Much_Ado_About_Nothing. THE SCRIPT: https://www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/much-ado-about-nothing/read/. STUDY GUIDE (Utah Shakespeare Festival): https://www.bard.org/study-guides/much-ado-about-nothing-study-guide/. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (Elizabethan and Jacobean playwright and poet, 1564-1616): https://www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-life/, https://www.bl.uk/works/a-midsummer-nights-dream, https://www.shakespeare.org.uk/explore-shakespeare/, https://www.britannica.com/biography/William-Shakespeare, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Midsummer_Night%27s_Dream. TICKETS: $25 ($20 students and seniors), plus taxes and fees. Click here to buy tickets. INFORMATION: https://theblueboxtheatre@gmail.com, 919-903-9131, or https://info@honeysuckleco.com. PLEASE DONATE TO: Blue Box Theatre Company.
|
EDITOR'S NOTE: Kurt Benrud is a graduate of Cary High School and N.C. State University, and he has taught English at both. He first became involved in local theater in 1980. He has served on the board of directors for both the Cary Players and the Cary Playwrights' Forum. He is also a volunteer reader with North Carolina Reading Service. Click here to read his reviews for Triangle Review. |
WHAT: Triangle Review is a FREE weekly e-mail performing-arts and film newsletter, edited and published by Robert W. McDowell since April 2001.
TO SUBSCRIBE: To start your FREE subscription today, sign up in the subscription box at the beginning of this e-mail; or e-mail RobertM748@aol.com and type SUBSCRIBE-TR in the Subject: line. TO UNSUBSCRIBE: E-mail RobertM748@aol.com and type UNSUBSCRIBE-TR in the Subject: line.
QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? E-mail all questions, comments, and Letters to the Editor to RobertM748@aol.com. For Letters to the Editor, please include a daytime telephone number in your e-mail.
COPYRIGHT: Editorial content in all formats © 2023 Triangle Review and the author of each article. Reproduction in any form without authorization of Triangle Review and the respective authors is prohibited. Triangle Review maintains an archive of past issues. To request copies of past articles and/or issues, e-mail RobertM748@aol.com.