Theatre Review: Twelfth Night by Independent Shakespeare Company

Long-time readers know how much I love the Independent Shakespeare Company. They have a vibe that throws caution (and convention) to the wind. They bring an energy and interaction with the audience that is simply infectious. So the bar is pretty freakin’ high whenever I see one of their shows. And last night, I went to see this summer’s free production of Twelfth Night in Los Angeles’ Griffith Park.

High bar. High expectations.

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As I Like It (not)

So, a week ago, I attended a cinema screening of the recent Royal Shakespeare Company production of As You Like It. I went with some alums of my AYL, my producer Laura, and cast members Chris and Ashley.

It was all right.

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Media Thursday: a tale of two Lears

So the end of last week was a kind of confluence of King Lear viewing experiences. Last Thursday evening, NT Live had one of its worldwide cinema broadcasts of a performance of the Chichester Festival Theatre production of Lear that had been transferred to London, so that more people could see what Ian McKellen has said will be his last live theater-Shakespeare. Then, the very next day, Amazon Prime released the BBC production of the play with Anthony Hopkins leading a star-studded cast.

So let’s take a gander, shall we?

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Media Thursday (shameless self-promotion edition)

OK, so last weekend, I opened in the world premiere production of Colin Speer Crowley’s Fifteen Men in a Smoke-Filled Room. The play revolves around the Republican National Convention of 1920 that saw the nomination of Warren G. Harding after 9 contentious ballots. I play Harry Daugherty, Harding’s campaign manager.

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Theater Review: The Merry Wives of Windsor by Shakespeare by the Sea (in Encino, CA)

On Saturday night, my wife Lisa and I (and my wife deserves kudos for allowing pretty much every summer “date” to be a Shakespeare night) checked out Shakespeare by the Sea’s touring production of The Merry Wives of Windsor in Encino, California.

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Theater review: Titus Andronicus by Independent Shakespeare Company (spoiler warning)

All right. Yesterday, I ran a review for Titus Andronicus by Independent Shakespeare Company, currently running in repertory with A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Griffith Park (for freakin’ free, people!).

I urged people to see it, and I provided some spoiler-free rationale why. Today, I want to discuss some of the aspects of the show that make it for me one of the best I’ve seen from the folks at Indy Shakes. So this is your last warning if you don’t want aspects of this production to be spoiled…

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Theater review: Titus Andronicus by Independent Shakespeare Company (spoiler-free)

Last night, Lisa and I went down to Los Angeles’ Griffith Park to see Independent Shakespeare Company’s free performance of Titus Andronicus.

For those who have followed this Project, you know how much I love what Indy Shakes does. I dig their diversity and inclusion, in terms of casting, staffing, use of language, and audience outreach. They are pretty much the antithesis of what I hate: Museum Shakespeare… their playfulness with the text–unafraid to make comic and topical references to the crowd–in addition to their use of direct address to, and from within, the audience, make for a wonderful experience that brings 400 year-old texts alive.

And those who know me know that I love this play. I think it’s the work of a brilliant young playwright doing his damnedness to make his audience notice him. And I just find the thing fascinating–thus my use of it in my current Masters thesis…and someday I want to direct the damn beast.

Some might then assume that this would make a positive review of this a fait accompli … a done deal. But with expectations so high, and such investment so personal, the opposite could be a risk.

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Media Thursday: A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Toil and Trouble Burlesque (theater review)

A couple of nights back, Lisa and I (and two other couples) took a jaunt down to the Federal Bar in North Hollywood to check out Toil and Trouble Burlesque‘s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

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Theater Review: A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Independent Shakespeare Company

Last Sunday, Lisa and I headed down to Los Angeles’ Griffith Park to catch the first half of this summer’s installment of free Shakespeare in the park presented by Independent Shakespeare Company: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, directed by ISC Artistic Director Melissa Chalsma.

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