Reviewed
by Will Stackman
The
major problem with Amy Freed's comedy "The Beard of Avon", a somewhat show-biz take
on the "authorship" question which has engaged some Shakespeare
scholars--and not a few crackpots--over the years, is that while sporadically
funny, it's not a very good play, even for a farce. Originally commissioned by
L.A.'s South Coast Rep in 2001, this racy contemporary farrago set in
Elizabethan England, plays with the Bard's life and language. Its clever pseudo
conclusions may offend some of the Oxfordians and will certainly set
Stratfordians quibbling. The rest of the audience for this production does get
a good laugh at it all, aided Diego Arciniegas' well-paced direction.
The
central characters are Edward DeVere, the dissolute Earl of Oxford, played by
local stalwart Bill Mootos, and Will Shakspere(sic) played by Gabriel Kuttner, last seen in Sugan's
"Talking to Terrorists." Publick Theatre regular Eric Hamel plays Henry Wriothesley, Earl of
Southampton in a Oscar/Bosey relationship to DeVere, while bumpkin Will is
attached to a put-upon Anne Hathaway played by versatile comedienne Helen
McElwain The
complications which ensue are a mix of period and modern comedy, with plenty of
innuendo as a bed is central to several scenes. The action includes Queen
Elizabeth, played in high style by M. Lynda Robinson and the members of the vagabond
company Will runs off with. Richard Arum plays John Heminge and Gerald Slattery is Henry Condol, the two actors
named in Shakespeare's last will and testament. Ellen Adair, seen last summer in
"Arcadia" has great fun playing Geoffrey Dunderhead, the boy who plays
female roles, a part originally written for a young man, while Risher
Reddick is a
blustering Richard Burbage. Barry Press, who will play Neils Bohr in Publick's
"Copenhagen" which opens later in the month, gets three roles; Old
Colin--a Stratford friend of the Shaksperes--Lord Derby, and Walter Fitch, a
mythical mistreated playwright. Others in the acting company double as members
of the Court; Bacon, Walsingham, Burleigh, and Lady Lettice, Only Walsingham,
done by Reddick, has any authenticity.
Students
of the minutiae of the Elizabethan court will find Freed's characters rather
far from the mark at times, but this script only pretends to be historical,
unlike some attempts, such as William Gibson's "The Cry of Players."
Her Will is perhaps too much the rube and puritanical Anne Hathaway would have
been scandalized by her role to say the least. But the play--or rather the
farce--is the thing, and "The Beard of Avon"--jokey West Coast title
and all--is first and foremost a modern comedy, closer to Stoppard, Hollinger
or Blessing than anything Elizabethan or even 19th century. The author touches
briefly on the desire to create which animates the two main characters, but
reaches only a conventional conclusion, bolstered by improbability. Continuing
scholarship raises a variety of questions. There are no recorded instances of
contact between the two Earls, Oxford and Southampton, for example.
Emerson's
Rafeal Jaen
provides first class period costumes with contemporary touches--DeVere is in
leather and McElwain gets to show quite a bit of leg. The basic staging has
been further upgraded and allows Judy Stacier from Tufts to create a variety
of environs, well lit by production manager Anthony Phelps, once the sun goes down. The
vegetation behind the stage has been considerably trimmed, which allows for a
deeper view but increases sound from the river and highway beyond. Steven
Barkhimer has
contributed an original score which suggests the period without becoming
precious. The ensemble manages to be convincingly Elizabethan while playing in
contemporary style. Freed's script doesn't really contribute that much to the
"question" but it does raise interesting issues of inspiration and
human nature. Given the choice between exploring an idea and pulling a gag,
"The Beard of Avon"'s more liable to go for the laugh, which results
in a pleasant entertainment with a few thoughtful moments. One doubts that the
author intended any of it to be taken very seriously, even though this script
has gotten more productions than her Pulitzer Prize nominated
"Freedomland." O Tempora, O Mores.