Is it a closely guarded secret, or a cunning one, that seeing a play, especially Shakespeare, at the Tisbury Amphitheater atop Tashmoo Lookout is one of the purest pleasures of a Vineyard summer? Is it common sense? Of course, be sure to bring bug spray, hope the afternoon you plan on attending isn’t too hot or humid, pack a picnic, and make sure to bring your own bug spray, as well as pack a picnic and the You will need to prepare your favorite alcoholic beverage. .
This summer, Martha’s Vineyard Playhouse brings us “The Complete Works of Wllm Shkspr (Abridged).” [revised]” was written by Adam Long, Daniel Singer, and Jess Winfield and directed by Matt Andrews. In the program, Mr. Andrews quotes George S. Kaufman as saying, “The problem with Shakespeare is that unless you’re the king, you never sit down.” When the players, in this case the intrepid trio of Scott Barrow, Christopher Kang, and Chelsea McCarthy, are tasked with 1,122 roles across 37 canonical Shakespeare works, this sit-down pose transforms into a zany jump. change direction.
Unless you’re a very high-minded Shakespeare scholar, you’ll know that this compression of the oeuvre is pure, slapstick fun. It’s witnessed by the little kids who were there, delighting in the banter and loving the hilariously short abbreviation given to the plotline. “Romeo and Juliet” has a long running time of his 12 minutes, but words like “buzzkill” and “free beer” echo throughout the dialogue. Swords are drawn – the always comical rubber sheaths fly off, Tybalt dies, Romeo is “vanish-ed” – fellow Shakespearean scholars will get laughs with “vanish-ed” – and pure genius director Scott – In a Burrow moment, Juliet, wearing a squiggly wig, lavender dress, and lavender sneakers, lifts herself up onto the upper branches of a tree halfway up the amphitheater. “What are you doing?!” Romeo cries. “The balcony scene!” Juliet squealed, “You idiot!”
A brief report describes William’s first play on the London Board, “Titus Andronicus.” Filled with blood and gore, it was eerily his biggest hit and, of course, directed his lifelong quest to maintain thrills and chills. The three actors, wearing dark shades and baseball caps, play “Othello” and tell the general story of the story in minutes. Next comes all 16 comedies, presented as “One Epic Comedy,” with all the trimmings, including twins separated by a shipwreck and general assault. “I didn’t know Shakespeare was so perverted,” one player commented.
“The Scottish Play” moves forward with a dash. Don’t call it “Macbeth” until you realize that if you’re actually in the piece, it’s okay to call it by its rightful name. Failure to do so will result in a curse. At the end, Macbeth’s head, shaped like a painted basketball, is kicked into the bushes.
“Julius Caesar” and “Antony and Cleopatra” are soon dispatched with Mr. Barrow wearing an Egyptian headdress and carrying a rubber asp. Ms. Barrow plays all of her female roles wearing a wig and matching sneakers. In Shakespeare’s time, boys who played girls were trained to be incredibly feminine. In the Complete Works, this old saw is thrown away like a rubber sheath.
The reason why history is expressed as a sport is because, in the end, crowns are passed down, like in soccer, and are passed on to those around us and laterally. Hunchback Richard III enjoys his half-second with the crown until finally Henry VIII declares, “This looks like a victory for the Tudor dynasty!”
After the break, “Hamlet” gets all the attention, but the actors don’t want to take it on. Maybe another day. Oddly enough, just in the midst of this comical impasse, nature itself created something of an atmosphere the afternoon this reporter went to see the play. A moment later, the rustle of the wind rose and disappeared, signaled by the raucous sound of geese flying overhead. The Prince of Denmark, played by Mr. McCarthy, will appear. Mr. Barrow plays Ophelia, a whining valley girl, and Mr. Kang plays the role of the ghost of Hamlet’s father, wrapped in a white sheet, who recoils and hits a wall. Hamlet and Horatio exchange gangstaps, and more fun ensues.
And suddenly Mr. Barrow, Ophelia’s wig and threads removed, takes up residence in Hamlet, saying, “I have lately, but I do not know why, lost all my brightness.” During the opening speech. This guy, like the rest of us, happens to be a great actor, so he decants this great monologue about melancholy that culminates in “And yet what is the essence of this dust to me?” reach. He delivers his “tongue tripping” speech with total sincerity, no sarcasm, no ivy-faced look. For a while now, we’ve been enjoying Shakespeare as Shakespeare, and it’s a heavenly experience.
Towards the end, the players go wild with the audience, dividing us into cheerleading squads, all showing Ophelia’s unconscious layers. People in the front row are waving their arms back and forth and thinking out loud, “Maybe…maybe it’s different.” Section A is the voice of a young woman’s superego shouting, “Take you to the nunnery!” Section B expresses Ophelia’s “inner ho” or libido. “Apply it 1 inch thick!” And Section C declares, “Apply it 1 inch thick!” “Hamlet, stop it, my body clock is ticking. I want a baby now!”
Finally Mr. Barrow yelled, “Stop!” A young woman is brought downstage to represent poor Ophelia and is instructed to scream. She complies with Minnie Mouse squeals. well done! All the while, Ms. Barrow, who plays Ophelia, reenacts the drowning scene by gargling with a goblet of water, at one point splashing water on his face, and at another over his wig-covered head. I was in and out for the sake of it. : This little dizziness alone is worth the price of admission.
Is it time for the Playhouse, in particular, to consider bringing back one actual play at a time? [could I put in a timid vote for] “Hamlet”? Mindfulness in the Monologues of “Lost Joy” All fun aside, Shakespeare’s authentic tent is always worth pitching for an audience of campers always eager to experience the bards of the ages. I can’t help but be reminded of that.
We don’t need Kenneth Branagh. Burrow, Kang and McCarthy have that talent.
“Complete Works of Verum Shukspur (Excerpts)” [revised]” runs through August 15th at Tisbury Amphitheater at State Highway Tashmoo Overlook in Vineyard Haven from 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Tickets can be purchased at the entrance. Cash only. Adults $20, students $10. Performances will only be canceled if there is a thunderstorm or heavy rain at the time of the performance.
