Actors shakespeare Project | The Sleepless Critic

REVIEW: Actors’ Shakespeare Project envisions a wildly mischievous ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’

Posted on April 28 by The Sleepless Critic

It may not be the lusty month of May yet, but Actors’ Shakespeare Project’s contemporary A Midsummer Night’s Dream has it covered by the time it arrives. This is one wild ride.

It is not difficult to see why A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of Shakespeare’s most performed and beloved plays. It is everything but tragic and can be interpreted in a variety of ways. It features magic, mischief, romantic comedy, action, and it was a perfect way to celebrate Shakespeare’s birthday on April 23.

Eliza Fichter and Dan Garcia in ASP’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ Photo by Nile Scott Studios

With bold direction by Maurice Emmanuel Parent, Actors’ Shakespeare Project continues A Midsummer Night’s Dream live and in person through Sunday, May 4 at the Mosesian Center for the Arts in Watertown, Massachusetts. The show’s action is not limited to the stage with two platforms immersed in the audience and runs 1 hour and 40 minutes with no intermission. Discounted tickets are available. Click here for more information and for tickets.

The Cast of Actors’ Shakespeare Project’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ Photo by Nile Scott Studios

A Midsummer Night’s Dream has multiple story lines, but the cast translates Shakespeare’s work with a lively affinity for the text with some improvisation and pop culture references along the way. Part play within a play, part fantasy, and part comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream essentially explores love in all of its forms from unrequited to desire to true love to romantic comedy gone awry due to some mystical love potions. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is also the source of some of Shakespeare’s most famous reflections on love such as ‘True love does not see with the eyes, but the mind’ and ‘The course of true love never did run smooth.’ Shakespeare’s witty dialogue is an intriguing reminder that his classic story lines can translate seamlessly into a wide variety of contemporary scenarios.

Kody Grassett, Doug Lockwood, and Bobbie Steinbach in ASP’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ Photo by Nile Scott Studios

Scenic designer Ben Lieberson’s multilevel and industrial scaffolding not only provides a club atmosphere, but a somewhat blank canvas for lighting designer Brian Lilienthal’s multicolored illumination as a glimmering disco ball hangs overhead. Seth Bodie’s distinctive costumes feature a wide array of 90s and turn of the century looks from refined to over the top in splashy, glimmering, feathered and suggestive club wear to edgy street attire in fringe, pleather and denim to lavish upscale suits. Sound designer MacKenzie Adamick also sets a 90s and 2000s vibe with a mix of original and popular club beats for both comic relief and setting the scene.

ia Giatrelis, Eliza Fichter, Evan Taylor, Doug Lockwood, and Kody Grassett in ASP’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ Photo by Nile Scott Studios

Coy, bold, and chock full of passion, Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream establishes a world of status and fantasy featuring a cast of powerful and absorbing characters determined to fight for what they want and aren’t shy about absurdity demonstrated by Doug Lockwood as the enthusiastic and bombastic Nick Bottom along with Bobbie Steinbach as resourceful Quince and a group of madcap and dedicated mechanicals offer more than silly humor before the final curtain.

Bobbie Steinbach and The Mechanicals in ASP’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ Photo by Nile Scott Studios

These mature characters are tougher and have experienced life’s hardships which is a valuable attribute for love is fickle. Michael Broadhurst as Lysander may seem sweet and adoring sharing an endearing chemistry with Thomika Marie Bridwell as Hermia, but Broadhurst also has a chance to explore another side of this character. Athletic Alan Kuang is remarkable as wild, mischievous, and break dancing Puck and his conspiring moments with Dan Garcia as Oberon make for street savvy and cunning pair.

Thomika Marie Bridwell and De’Lon Grant in ASP’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ Photo by Nile Scott Studios

The women in this production are strong, beautiful, and fierce. Eliza Fichter takes on dual roles as powerful Hippolyta as well as glamorous and seductive Titania. Thomika Marie Bridwell is wonderful as headstrong, comically tough and fearless Hermia while Deb Martin is a scene stealer and redefines crazy in love wild eyed Helena. Martin’s physical comedic prowess and the arduous lengths she goes through to get what she wants would be inspiring if she was not so unhinged and she shares some madcap moments with De’Lon Grant as impulsive Demetrius. However, one intense scene between Martin and Bridwell going head to head becomes so hilarious and well executed that it stands as my favorite scene in this production.

De’Lon Grant and Deb Martin in ASP’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ Photo by Nile Scott Studios

One of the liveliest adaptations I’ve ever seen, Actors’ Shakespeare Project continues A Midsummer Night’s Dream live and in person through Sunday, May 4 at the Mosesian Center for the Arts in Watertown, Massachusetts Click here for more information and for tickets.

REVIEW: Sparks fly as love takes center stage in Actors’ Shakespeare Project’s refreshing ‘Emma’

Posted on December 13, 2024 by The Sleepless Critic

“Love has its own agenda after all.”

This may not be a direct quote from Jane Austen, but Emma’s remark certainly encapsulates the essence of love and timing as Actors’ Shakespeare Project presents Kate Hamill’s delightfully interactive romantic comedy Emma based on Jane Austen’s classic novel live and in person at the elegant Multicultural Arts Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts through December 15. Directed insightfully by Regine Vital, Emma runs approximately two hours and twenty-five minutes including one intermission. Click here for more information and for tickets.

Alex Bowden and Josephine Moshiri Elwood in Actors’ Shakepeare Project’s ‘Emma’ Photo by Nile Scott Studios

Love is not just in the air in this inviting Emma, but this immersive experience includes the cast often addressing the audience and presents a sweet purpose for the noisemakers that are distributed to the audience with tea offered at intermission in case you are not already charmed by Austen’s style.

The sophisticated Multicultural Arts Center which includes a marvelous wrap around balcony, marble floors and finely-detailed staircase is an ideal location for the garden parties, tea and affluence taking place in the English countryside prevalent in this production and enhances Saskia Martinez’s lovely set design which includes multicolor sashes, mini models of mansions and sparkling brass chandeliers. Whether it is in the vine climbing wrought-iron stadium seating or at the decorated tables on the floor, the show does not offer a bad seat in the house. However, the more fortunate attendees are at the decorated tables on the floor immersed in the play front and center of the action.

Costume designer Nia Safarr Banks infuses colorful attire from the Regency era blending vintage and contemporary costumes ranging from watercolor to floral empire waist gowns with bows, Spencer jackets, corduroy coats, pearls, lace, crinoline and top hats as well as baseball caps and glittering denim. Anna Drummond’s intriguing sound design also mixes classical with contemporary music featuring uplifting club songs between scenes and subtle instrumental versions of love songs from pop artists such as Taylor Swift and Cyndi Lauper.

Liza Giangrande and Josephine Moshiri Elwood in Actors Shakespeare Project’s ‘Emma’ Photo by Nile Scott Studios

Jane Austen’s Emma has been restaged, restyled and recalibrated many times over the years for television, theatre and film. It became an age of Austen in the mid 90s after Sense and Sensibility hit the big screen in 1995 followed by Clueless, considered a modern retelling of Emma starring Alicia Silverstone, which hit the big screen in 1996 while a traditional Emma starring Gwyneth Paltrow also premiered that same year. More recently, a streaming adaptation of Emma premiered on Amazon Prime starring Anya Taylor-Joy to some critical acclaim in 2020.

Dev Luthra as Mr. Weston and Mara Sidmore as Mrs. Weston in Actors’ Shakespeare Project’s ‘Emma’ Photo by Nile Scott Studios

In most adaptations, beautiful Emma leads a spoiled and privileged life and mostly gets whatever she wants, but she was also seemingly well meaning in her confidence that she knows what is best for everyone in her life. In Actors’ Shakespeare Project’s Emma, having matched Mr. and Mrs. Weston by way of introduction, Josephine Moshiri Elwood as Emma is more self assured than ever that she knows what is best and intends to work her magic on her newest project Harriet, portrayed with wide eyed naiveté, excitability and awkward charm by Liza Giangrande, who she thinks has been misled in the ways of love and status.

Josephine Moshiri Elwood and Liza Giangrande in Actors Shakespeare Project’s ‘Emma’ Photo by Nile Scott Studios

Elwood’s Emma is pricklier, sharper, more outspoken, snobby, and dramatic, making no apologies as she exclaims “onward and upward.” With a conspiratorial laugh, she is tempestuous and controlling and much more antihero than heroine. This Emma needs to be better understood than needs to change which is a fun part to play and Elwood revels in it. She boasts fiery chemistry with Alex Bowden as George who is also a man of means and seems a bit more reasonable, but they match each other in stubbornness. Elwood also shares some fascinating scenes with Lorraine Victoria Kanyike who shines as refined and humble Jane as does Bowden who shares a comic rivalry with Fady Damian as enigmatic Frank Churchill.

Josephine Moshiri Elwood and Mara Sidmore in Actors’ Shakepeare Project’s ‘Emma’ Photo by Nile Scott Studios

Most of this talented cast depicts dual roles and the entire cast display a great deal of compelling physical and self aware humor, especially between Elwood and Giangrande as well as Kanyike and Damian. Romantic, endearing, spicy and wonderfully entertaining, Hamill leaves room for more than one transformation in this production and it is refreshing to see how she infuses some contemporary ideas about society into each of these classic characters while still maintaining this classic tale of the Austen you know and love.

Matchmaking, mixed signals, love triangles and more than a few surprises take center stage as Actors’ Shakespeare Project presents Kate Hamill’s delightfully interactive romantic comedy Emma based on Jane Austen’s classic novel live and in person at the elegant Multicultural Arts Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts through December 15. Click here for more information and for tickets.

REVIEW: Fueled by a tight knit cast, August Wilson’s ‘Seven Guitars’ by Actors’ Shakespeare Project strums a spiritual and resonating tune

Posted on February 25, 2023 by The Sleepless Critic

A shadow lingers over Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

In the aftermath of World War II, grief and death lingered like a shadow over the world’s existence. In the late 40s in the Pittsburgh Hill District of Pennsylvania, that shadow hovers over a close knit group of friends in August Wilson’s gripping mystery, Seven Guitars. Love, loneliness, grief, friendship, and the blues strike a chord as each character in Seven Guitars search for their share of happiness in an area nicknamed ‘The Crossroads of the World.’

Directed conscientiously by Maurice Emmanuel Parent, Actors’ Shakespeare Project presents August Wilson’s Seven Guitars through March 5 live and in person at Hibernian Hall in Boston, Massachusetts. Hibernian Hall provides an intimate theatre setting without a bad set in the house. Seven Guitars is intended for mature audiences and runs for two hours and 45 minutes with one 15 min intermission. Click here for more information and tickets.

Vera at the Funeral (0034).jpg: Maya Carter (front) with Johnnie Mack, Dereks Thomas, Regine Vital, and Omar Robinson in August Wilson’s Seven Guitars at Actors’ Shakespeare Project. Photo by Ken Yotsukura Photography.

Written after August Wilson’s Fences, it is easy to see a few of the earmarks of Wilson’s lauded work including Wilson’s rich and cadenced dialogue. Fences and Seven Guitars are set in Pittsburgh in a neighborhood backyard, and some of the characters in Seven Guitars and Fences share some loose similarities including the ill-advised, but unwavering loyalty from Rose Maxson in Fences and Vera Dotson in Seven Guitars.

Jon Savage’s inviting backyard scenic design features a multi-tiered set, colorful garden plot, mood setting hanging string lights, and an inhabited patio dining set. From lively to tense and shocking moments, Amanda E. Fallon’s affective lighting combined with Abe Joyner- Meyers’s mood induced sound design and Dewey Dellay’s haunting and carefully crafted music composition impressively maneuver this evolving and multi-layered production. Costume Designer Nia Safarr Banks utilizes classic colors and retro patterns to enhance each character’s distinct personality including vintage flowing dresses and plumed bowler hats.

Red at the Funeral (0042).jpg: Johnnie Mack, Dereks Thomas, Maya Carter, Omar Robinson, and Regine Vital in August Wilson’s Seven Guitars at Actors’ Shakespeare Project. Photo by Ken Yotsukura Photography.

However, one of greatest strengths of this particular production is Parent’s great care in the cast’s tight bond. Whether pondering their own mortality, listening to the radio, shooting the breeze or gripped by a suspenseful moment, the cast easily draws in the audience by their natural and captivating chemistry.

Schoolboy with Bandmates (2793).jpg: Anthony T Goss, Dereks Thomas, and Omar Robinson in August Wilson’s Seven Guitars at Actors’ Shakespeare Project. Photo by Ken Yotsukura Photography.

Following the funeral of Floyd ‘Schoolboy’ Barton (Anthony T Goss), Seven Guitars follows a group of friends that gather to honor a complicated man. Goss skillfully depicts Barton’s sass, swagger and charm, but also his admirable determination and dream to be among the haves than the have-nots. His resolution for success makes him sympathetic despite his egotistically justifiable wrongdoings. He has compelling chemistry with Maya Carter who delivers a moving performance as devoted, spiritual, and skeptical Vera. Carter’s intense opening monologue is relatable and heartrending and Carter only gets better from there. On a lighter note, Regina Vital’s fiercely independent, loyal, and charismatic Louise provides a wealth of humor and fun, especially when she goes toe to toe with Omar Robinson as Canewell, Dereks Thomas as Red Carter, or Valyn Lyric Turner as Louise’s seemingly impressionable niece Ruby. Robinson as talkative and good natured Canewell, Thomas as ladies man Red, Mack as Hedley and Goss as Floyd share some engrossing camaraderie whether it is for a spontaneous dance with makeshift instruments, playing pranks on each other, or sharing their riveting musings about the future. However, when they are enjoying themselves, it is a relaxed vibe that is a joy to watch.

Hedley Plays Along (1671).jpg: Johnnie Mack, Dereks Thomas, Anthony T Goss, and Omar Robinson in August Wilson’s Seven Guitars at Actors’ Shakespeare Project. Photo by Ken Yotsukura Photography.

Johnnie Mack delivers a searing and multi-dimensional performance as peculiar, lonely and hardworking dreamer Hedley. In overalls and an apron, Hedley has lofty dreams and supportive friends, but lives in a sad reality. Mack seamlessly navigates Hedley’s intermittent moods with rising tension weaved into some compassionate moments.

Visions of grandeur, ambition, and destiny play more than a medley in August Wilson’s Seven Guitars on a landscape that has experienced harsh realities. For August Wilson’s richly drawn and dynamic characters, one cannot help but share their hopes for a brighter future.

Actors’ Shakespeare Project presents August Wilson’s Seven Guitars through March 5 live and in person at Hibernian Hall in Boston, Massachusetts. Click here for more information and tickets.