"Verona Walls" at The Workshop Theater

I am always a little reticent when I happen upon a Shakespeare reimagining that seems just a little too offbeat to be viewed sober. Still I am always up to hear someone’s take on “Romeo & Juliet.” My wife, the accomplished Shakespeare actress, cringes, when she hears someone speak of true love “like Romeo and Juliet.” As she reminds me, these crazy kids knew one another less than 24 hours before tying the knot and sacking up. Moreover when anyone rips this story from the Middle Ages and into the modern world, the ability for this story to take place gets even more far-fetched. With cell phones and text messaging, this is a story which never would have happened today or only in the most remote service coverage areas of the world. Can you hear me now?

Flynn and McCurdy sitting before "Verona Walls"

With all that in mind and flask in pocket I recently attended the new play by Laura Hirschberg, directed by DeLisa M. White at the Workshop Theatre in midtown; “Verona Walls.” 

This show is about appears about as trippy a telling of "Romeo & Juliet" as you could imagine. “Verona Walls” tells the story of Mercutio and his own difficulties in love PRIOR to the action in the Bard's original. “Verona Walls” is not some rehashed telling of what we already know. Rather, this is “the story of real love in Shakespeare’s star-crossed city, complete with misunderstandings, perfect happiness, and devastating heartbreak. Classical verse mixes with Star Wars references and Beatles lyrics in this tragicomedy about the lives and loves of Shakespeare’s characters before they got swept up in the Bard’s creation.”

Got that? So the best friend in “Romeo & Juliet” was riffing on Star Wars and Lennon/McCartney before the actual time and place in the original text.  I am always eager for new ideas, but from the press materials this seemed to be reaching just a tad.

ANY-WAY.

I got inside the Workshop Theater 4^th floor lobby about 10 minutes prior to curtain and they opened the house not long after that. I ambled into the 60-odd-seat black box and Madonna’s classic, “Like a Prayer” was playing.  Even though the daytime high temperature had been relatively warm for March the theatre was very chilly. During intermission a gent and I shared an elevator downstairs and he remarked as much to me.

I found my seat and was rocking out to their choice of music before the show. In addition to Madonna there was Bowie’s classic “The Man Who Sold the World” and a song we’d hear again and again tonight; "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds.”

Still the Workshop Theater was filled on Thursday night with all manner of artists and athletes and their conversation soon became loud enough to drown out the pre-show set list. 

The woman sitting down next to me told anyone who'd hear her that she had been writing her opus play for 7 years. “It’s just something I do,” she remarked before leaning into the education system saying they needed more Shakespeare and arts classes. Also there was an athlete guy behind me was in a bigger party talking about hip flexors. The takeaway here is that everyone in the house seemed to have some loose connection to at least a few others. The mood was jovial but I felt a tad out of the loop. Just prior to the lights going out the director came out to speak with her hip flexed friend behind me and began raving about the quality of the set. 

strident walls in "Verona Walls"

The set was an integral component to the scene changes here and this is where Beatles classics, Foo Fighters, and Cheap Trick come into play. For many of the scene changes the three people who were ostensibly the chorus would lead the cast in a musical interlude where they would all sing along to a song like “I Want You to Want Me,” “Everlong,” or several Beatles songs including “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds.” It was an interesting tool but I question the utility of such scene changes in a black box space. The sets were just okay; the main stage showing when we came in evoked the Berlin Wall perhaps or more to the point, Eric Bogosian’s “Suburbia.” The side of a convenience store, nowhere in particular, where the only thing to keep the kids occupied is to spray paint the walls. 

There was some interesting spray painting happening including a “See no evil, Hear no evil, Speak no evil” image with the message WAKE UP ITALY below it. That was a gentle enough nudge to political and social unrest galvanized by an activist minority. There was also an image of a young girls shadow, ponytailed and innocent looking, standing before a young boy shadow. Both have their hands behind their backs; the boy is holding what might be flowers, the girl is holding what looks to be a baseball bat.  Subtle.

Also if you’re going to change the set around to “become” the tavern where they were quite often, you’ve got to go all-in and not take shots with empty glasses. Rum is clear, vodka is clear; that can just be water. If you’re having whisky (which they were more than once) then iced tea or cider works well. I just didn’t understand why you had to “show” the bar if it’s just a different setting or why you'd even produce shot glasses if you're not going to actually drink. I guess I’d just like to see them go that extra step of putting something into the shot glasses or flasks that they air-consumed. 

With all that out of the way let’s get into the story. So this is basically the story of what happens before “Romeo & Juliet.” Even though it’s happening in present day with references to things like GPS, talking on cell phones, and so many other modern trappings. The impetus for this night is that Mercutio (Ryan McCurdy)(Romeo’s best friend in the Shakespeare work) is done with love. Much like Ross from “Friends” (or Rachel for that matter), he is finished with the trope of love.  I thought first of George Costanza from “Seinfeld,” when the character gave up sex with his at that time girlfriend and became brilliant; but that’s neither hither nor tither. Even though Mercutio is done with love and just isn’t going to participate, his awkward friend Benvolio (listed as "Ben" but I could have sworn they called him "Benvolio at least once) (Mick Bleyer) is hoping to pursue barmaid Mistress Quickly (Christine Verleny). Like a laser Ben zeroes in on the very eager Mistress Quickly and the two fall in fast love. They beckon her often from the bar; and her name is Quickly. 

Enter Romeo (Jacob Owen) the svelte Casanova (dare I call him a “Romeo”?) of the group, he’s got a favor to ask of his dear heartbroken friend Mercutio; he needs a wingman. His latest love is Rosaline (Lauren Riddle) and she’s got a cousin Alyssa (Rachel Flynn). As we learn, no matter his present state of mind, Mercutio can’t let his friend down. How could you not? I mean this guy Jacob Owen looks like ginger Justin Timberlake; I wanted to hang out with him after the show! For Mercutio though it’s all about honor, friendship, and these bonds that can’t be broken. During the first half of the show he says as much to Alyssa about why he’s never travelled further than Verona. So he probably shouldn’t push too fast to get in on the sequel to this one.

For the purposes of modern discussion Mercutio and Alyssa equate loosely to TV’s Ross and Rachel. Alyssa has more of the wanderlust spirit in her where Mercutio wants simply to exist in his perpetual present. As a performer McCurdy evokes a deep brooding in his apparent conflicted mindset, restless and unhappy in his present state while still not wanting any change. While “Romeo & Juliet’s” original character is hotheaded and bored of his friend’s sunny outlook towards life, McCurdy plays this Mercutio with a deeper dourness that brought to mind the characters Hamlet or even Richard III.

Flynn introduces us to Alyssa and seems to be going through her own change. While out of one side of her mouth she is stridently independent and still wants to get out and see the world, she also seems to realize the limitations of that attitude and is queerly drawn to the strident Mercutio.  Has Cupid landed his mark? It doesn't take long to begin that ride.

Verleny and Bleyer are both accomplished performers in their own tertiary roles as Mistress Quickly and bashful Ben. From the get-go Ben seems primed for a change of scenery. Still much like the Benvolio character in “Romeo & Juliet,” Ben is interested in keeping the peace and making sure all remains fair in Verona.  While Quickly doesn’t appear ready to physically go anywhere, she also appears eager for whatever may come from her admirer. 

Owen flanked by Flynn (R) and Riddle (standing L) with
Wasser (far L) in "Verona Walls"

Riddle has done the best she can with a character that seems ripped from a TMZ headline. The character of Rosaline is a bit of a slut and shows off her true colors pretty quickly. Owen is the light on the stage and really should be more aptly paired with Flynn. In fact one of the real puzzles for my mind, if he is so quick to fall in and out of love, is why he even gave Rosaline a second look when he met her lovely cousin Alyssa. 

Matthew Russell, Ben Sumrall, and Liz Wasser are all competent barflies in this play but are grossly underused. Wasser and Russell do a fine job singing and playing instruments when called upon but their parts in the story are minimal. Their virtually always being onstage though reminded me of the homeless and drug addicted chorus characters in “Rent.” All that needed to happen for a true bit of mind-bending comeuppance is for one of the three of them to pick up a squeegee and spout, “honest living, honest living.”

While it may not be sure what it is; history or comedy; drama or musical; “Friends” or “Rent;” “Verona Walls” is a refreshing take on classical themes. While I may have gone on at some critical length, this genre of multimedia play has real promise.

“Verona Walls” is a play about hope, opportunity, promise, change, the bonds of family, and the ties of lifelong friendship. It’s about holding on and letting go. With cell phones. And slow motion Japanese kickboxing. With moves which look like they were gleaned from “Mortal Combat.” And Beatles songs. And Foo Fighters. But I could see Dave Grohl in a frilly, Middle Ages style shirt. 

At the end of the day what’s most important is how the audience took to the material. There were so many jovial hoots and hollers this evening, I felt like I was in British Parliament. Or a Bernie Sanders rally. Because to a modern audience not bound by things like time and place, “Verona Walls” is a lot of fun! So while it’s still running, come on out and enjoy this great escape from the stresses of life. An escape that can whisk you away, through time and space, to another place, off Across the Universe! 

"Sugar Ray" Dinner Theatre at New Harlem Besame Restaurant

When you think of the words, “Sugar Ray,” there are different evocations for different people. Some may wax poetic to the 90’s alterative rock band; some may only consider Sugar Ray Leonard as the very best Sugar Ray. But right here, in Harlem, there is another Sugar Ray who belonged to an earlier time who is no less prolific. Sugar Ray Robinson, by many even to this day considered the greatest boxer of all time, found his fame and laid his roots down in Harlem. The New Harlem Besame Restaurant lays claim to a great relic of that history and through the month of March, Besame is playing host to a dinner theatre production of Laurence Holder’s one man “Sugar Ray.” Starring Reginald L. Wilson and under the direction of Woodie King Jr. this play and dinner production runs Sunday through Tuesday until March 28.

My first impressions of the "Sugar Ray" show at Besame were not favorable or not favorable for those who hope to begin an event on time. The shows starting time was listed as 7pm. However 7pm came and went and we weren't even allowed in the theatre. I appreciate there is an intangible dynamic in the solo dinner theatre production scheme but it really could have only been one of so many things. When folks come to a show at 7pm and the running time is listed as 75 minutes, there is a certain expectation of how the night will go. All that planning though goes out the window if you never start the play. Most of the crowd seemed amiable and happy to have an evening out. I just want future guests of this space to perhaps plan accordingly.

Early audiences at New Harlem Besame production of "Sugar Ray"

One thing about this space is that the show was played to a row of four rows of tables and virtually none of them were proper “facing” the black box stage. There were directly facing seats along the perimeter and in the back but if you were like most of the audience you had to pivot in your chair to see the action. If the restaurant would have spread out the tables in a staggered fashion, that may have led to a less awkward layout.

I don’t mean to belabor the pre-show optics of this space but we were left sitting for well near an hour. The production staff was in back of where I was sitting and I asked the board op what's up with the massive delay? She confided, "It was something outside of their control." Having a rich history in the theatre I appreciate that this could mean any variety of things from the fact that perhaps the star of the show has fallen ill to a dignitary guest is holding the curtain to even someone died, as happened one day when I was working at The St James Theatre’s original staging of “The Producers” with Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane in 2001/2002.

So we waited. 

And waited. 

And waited a bit more.

Eventually the show was ready to get going and a nice woman who was a partner with The New Harlem Besame Restaurant took the stage and apologized for the fluid nature of the live dinner theatre spectacle. She relayed that the very spot we were sitting was where Sugar Ray Robinson Enterprises once stood. She said that this very building had held a Sugar Ray Robinson affiliated dry cleaner, barbershop, and even a lingerie boutique.

Just at the stroke of a quarter till eight the evening got underway. Mr. Wilson as Sugar Ray Robinson appeared none the worse for wear in a stylish looking pink/purple suit and dove right into the story. Unfortunately for many of us unfamiliar with mid-20^th Century boxing in America, the barrage of obscure names he shot out at us didn’t really register.

Wilson, as Robinson, told the story of how he got started boxing in a priest’s illegal basement boxing ring, how his mother was dreadfully against the prospect of his going into boxing, and how he ascended the ranks. Wilson was a colorful actor who hit arpeggios and kept up a nervous energy throughout the bulk of the evening. When describing Robinson’s first fight his pitch hit a slow crescendo. At the completion of this tale he broke off and admitted to his audience the feeling was something "You don't know. Only a boxer can know."

Wilson is a talented performer and kept the audience rapt up in this otherwise confusing story. However my guest for the evening, who has taken boxing lessons, was take aback by his shadowboxing which he did multiple times this night. "Turn your wrists" she kept mumbling. 

Robinson was a colorful soul as well. As the evening progressed, he told of how he had bought homes for his mother, given $500 to his till that point absent father, and even had something as seemingly gaudy as a Flamingo Cadillac. Research on Robinson before the show alluded to the fact that he may have been one of the first fighters to roll with an “entourage” although from the sounds of the story at Besame, Robinson seemed a conflicted and insecure figure.

“Money was real reason you were s boxer,” was recurring theme throughout the show. Robinson saw himself as a “Gladiator” and “Unstoppable.” Robinson retired once, took to the dancing and entertainment circuit (as his sister and he took ballroom classes in his youth), tried to scheme to make that paper, and then reemerged to the boxing world some time later.

Reginald L. Wilson is the entertainer as Sugar Ray Robinson.

The storytelling in this play was interesting and engaging but when the playwright diverts off into sexual conquests, racial strife, religion, and other platitudes the story became preachy and pedantic.

“When God sends you a message you have got to hear it!"

“When God gives you a gift you need to use it!”

“God always has a message for you and he packages it in interesting ways!”

I expected Wilson to ask, “Can I get an Amen brothers and sisters?” but he didn’t have to. Many in the audience fell right into this cadence and began unprompted snapping their fingers and warmly agreeing with him.

The real pinnacle of this evening was the story of Robinsons tutelage of a young Cassius Clay, the professional boxer who would later go on to become Muhammad Ali. Wilson tries to convince us of Robinson’s straight and narrow path for the young boxer and that may have been true. As the boxer aged he seemed almost regretful at the things he had and hadn't done. 

Capitulation is realized when he recounts of a conversation with Ali on the phone. Ali had gotten a draft card and declared he’s going to dodge the draft. Without thinking Robinson admits that any effort to dupe the government is futile, “because when you get out of jail you'll be too old to fight like me!”

However for all of Robinson’s bravado and living the pimp lifestyle, eventually Father Time and Gravity catch up with you. This was a story of love, family, comeuppance from nothing, bounty, and eventual decline. When I walked away from the Besame dinner theater production of “Sugar Ray” I felt that the story was a little bit meandering. But maybe that’s not the point. Astute audiences will be able to glean a cogent picture of this man, who he was, and what his legacy remains today.

"Hamlet" by First Maria at Teatro Circulo

As one of the great classics, I am always curious when I hear of a production of “Hamlet” like the one being staged by First Maria LLC at Teatro Circulo in the East Village. This show, which continues through March 20 is directed by Celeste Moratti and performed by a mixed American-Italian company. Performed entirely in English this staging was a participant in Milan, Italy’s 2013 “Hamlet Marathon.”

We all know the story of “Hamlet,” tortured prince of Denmark: his uncle kills his dad, the uncle marries his mom, he gets stuck on that fact, tells Ophelia he loves her, figures out his uncles deception, tells Ophelia he doesn’t love her, inadvertently kills his mom while trying to kill his uncle, Ophelia kills herself, Hamlet fights and gets killed by his only friend Horatio, before Fortinbras the Prince of Norway shows up, ready to fight the Danes only to realize that everyone is dead before he steps into the crown. Basically the ultimate story of a dinner party gone wrong. And here you thought burning the Brie was the worst thing that could happen.

First Maria and Moratti have their own take with this production. This staging is set in the late 70’s or early 80’s “during the wave of hedonism that abruptly ended with AIDS” this production strives to “frame the play in an awakening of conscience.”

The cast of this show includes Alexander Sovronsky (Hamlet), Celeste Moratti (Gertrude), Michael S.Kaplan (Polonius), J.B. Alexander (Claudius), Doria Bramante (Ophelia), TristanColton (Laertes), Nina Ashe (Rosencrantz/Marcella/Player Queen), Ross Hamman (Guildenstern/Bernardo/Player King/Gravedigger), and Collin McConnell (Horatio).  Additional chorus work features Markus Weinfurter and live music was performed by Francesco Santalucia and Papaceccio.

I must admit that, on the surface, the press materials for this production had me a little confused. “The elders of the play are either overwhelmingly present or in the case of Hamlet’s father, absent to the point of being a ghostly image of himself.”

As I recall [sic], the elders in Hamlet are hyper-present. Ophelia’s dad Polonius is trying to get into the head of his daughter to the point that she commits suicide at the first signs of trouble. Gertrude is all the way into the life of her son Hamlet in one of the most Oedipal relationships this side of the Middle Ages. The overarching obsessiveness of both son and mother are the whole reason anything even happens in this play! Maybe if Gertrude weren’t obsessed with her son and had set some parental boundaries, then he would have known his place in the world and either set off on his own or knelt down before his mother and his uncle and been obedient.  And Hamlet’s father, seen in the original staging as “ghost,” isn’t “overwhelmingly absent” he’s dead. He isn’t a “ghostly image of himself,” he IS a ghost! I am just overly cautious when a straight reading of the text is thought to be some revelatory event. Still this production was received with international acclaim so I can’t be too particular about things before I’ve even seen it.

After a gentleman took the stage and asked us to silence our phones, the lights went down and the show began. The cast assembled in the dark on the stage and we waited.

And waited.

And waited.

At a certain point you have to begin to wonder about technical glitches. There were some random popping sounds on the stage; a football team running through an emblem inscribed tarp might be the best way to describe it. Seriously though I began to wonder; one minute, two minutes, three minutes and more; what the heck was going on? The random stage rumblings took a more concerted tone and like a classic Voorhees horror film, there was this low whispering going on. This is something that would come back again; this was, I surmised, the “awakening of conscience” that the production teasers talked about. How interesting then that this awakening of conscience felt as though it were emerging from some sort of dream state.

Since the story here is well-trodden ground, I’d like to say a bit about the performances here. Mr. Alexander as Claudius had a good speech in the beginning but then I felt was grossly underused for much of the remainder of the play.

"...to sit or not to sit, that is the question" 

Ms. Bramante and Mr. Kaplan were both skilled as Ophelia and her father Polonius respectively. He spoke well for most of his time talking and had a commanding presence and even delivery that was a problem for some others in some parts. Ms. Bramante wasn’t breaking any new ground with her Ophelia but I have a theory about that which I’ll get to a little later on.

Mr. Sovronsky in the title role took us all for a ride. At points he was up; at points he was down. His brooding and scheming worked well for the most part when he was called upon. Some of the delivery had different pacing choices than I would have expected, but because this play has been done so often, everyone’s got their own take.

I was a tad vexed by some of the cuts/alterations made to the classic “Hamlet” text. I know this was not meant to be identical; in fact in the press material Ms. Moratti even goes so far to say that “her concept of Hamlet’s family is not particularly Danish.” So why then with all the cuts which were made did the director keep in place numerous mentions of Denmark? If this was meant to take place in 70’s or 80’s America why then didn’t the text reflect that more clearly?

Another thing that really had me questioning things were all of the divergent costumes. Ms. Bramante as Ophelia wore a peasant pilgrim dress that would have set her apart but would have been totally out of place in the rah-rah 80’s in America. As Gertrude Ms. Moratti seemed a tad disheveled. There were a number of times that several characters went from playing “cloaked background characters” to their title roles, but for her majesty, the changes were often too sudden.

One of the best examples of this is while Hamlet is casting his play-within-a-play he goes to find his “actors.” He only winds up using two Ms. Ashe (who was a vastly underused and very powerful variety of characters including Rosencrantz) and Mr. Hamman (who was also very capable and played Guildenstern among many other smaller parts) but still, Ms. Moratti was there. In her Gertrude costume. Stretching and “prepping” like she was going into the next scene as an “actor.” But they didn’t use her. Or put more succinctly she didn’t use herself. Or overused herself by leaping into this unused character for mere seconds. 

I don’t mean to beat a dead horse with this but in the very next scene she was sitting with Claudius watching Hamlet’s show. Which is where she should have been. So why then was she pretending as though she were going into the next scene as someone else? While still wearing Gertrude’s dress? It was just very disarming to see the transition played that way. I appreciate that the director was going for “activity” but Ms. Ashe and Mr. Hamman changed costumes many times. Most everyone onstage did; why then couldn’t Ms. Moratti? At the end of the play most of the shuffling, rustling, "activity" didn't serve much purpose.

What all these critiques get down to is the ultimate tragedy of First Maria’s production of “Hamlet.“ There is and always has been a very fine line for actors who act, actors who direct, and actors who do both. Alfred Hitchcock may have involved himself best for his time in his films. A quick walk-on and he’s done; never sacrificing the action going on onscreen to serve his own needs. This may have been the most glaring problem with this production; plenty of talent onstage and not nearly enough direction.

A director needs to sit in the audience and see the show for what it is. Not see it from behind the eyes of one of the principals onstage as Ms. Moratti has here. 

A perfect example of this backfiring is when Mr. Sovronsky is making a big comedic introduction of his play to the audience in the court. I watched as Ms. Moratti watched the actor playing the part and was laughing along with the audience in the theatre and in the play. Everyone cajoled along as Hamlet whooped and wailed. Were she really the mother of this man, Gertrude would have been appalled at his implied accusations that his uncle, her new beau, had killed Hamlet’s father. Claudius would have been just as mad right out of the gate and would have shut the whole thing down. Or at least had some sort of negative reaction! When the reading onstage to his scene was tepid nothingness, I surmised this as a haphazard directorial choice.

A few other things: There was a lot of singing which was really distracting. In the beginning there is a number where the whole cast is singing and you can’t really hear the lines; so you’re not really sure what they are singing about.

The whispering onstage reminded me of the “Friday the 13^th” franchise of films. It also evoked though “Macbeth.”  I was waiting for someone to erupt from the whispers with “bubble, bubble, toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble!”

There is the scene with the ghost of Hamlet’s father. Horatio, Marcellus (or Marcella in this production) and Bernardo take Hamlet out to see the ghost of his father. In the text this action all takes place out on a platform. So when Hamlet is startled by the appearance of his father it’s only natural that his friends lurch for him so that he doesn’t leap from the ledge. Still because of the way the ghost apparition is presented here, there is no indication that they are on a ledge at all. Hamlet’s dad is surrounded by other cast members in their cloaks and they are all crawling around on the floor. So when Hamlet’s friends reach for him to hold him back, it seems to no particular purpose. It reads as though they brought him to this place that they told him they saw his father and then do everything in their power to stop him from approaching. It just seemed rather queer.

Speaking of the dead father, the actor who played him had no shirt for the whole show. His long hair and gruff beard evoked Jesus. Or Jared Leto. I wasn’t ever sure why he had no shirt or shoes on the whole show; it couldn’t have been comfortable.

I’m picking and I realize that. I appreciate that it is First Maria’s right to take this play and do whatever staging they want with it. I also appreciate that Ms. Moratti is an Italian born actress. But when Gertrude is onstage with her husband, with her son, or with anyone else, and you can’t really understand what she is saying, this is because there is no one there directing her. Some of her lines came out okay but a lot of times it was as though she had marbles in her mouth. All she needs to do is slow down and project! Like Ms. Ashe, Ms. Bramante, and all of the other males in the cast. The whole show really would have benefitted from stronger direction from someone who wasn’t a cast member.