As I have said before, I have never been a big “Shakespeare person.” On top of that; anyone who knows me knows I enjoy a good comedy or musical over a drama any day. It’s from this starting point that I went to review The Richmond Shakespeare Festival’s Othello.

Now one thing I have not mentioned in this blog before is that for the past seven years I have performed in a Murder Mystery Dinner Theater. In viewing Othello as a bit of a murder mystery (after all, we know it’s Shakespeare; everyone’s gonna die!), I was able to psyche myself up for the performance. Once the show started I realized I did not need to work myself up to enjoy the show — the talent of the actors took care of that for me!

House Manager Noah Downs started the evening off with a funny bit of business; followed by Kevin Grantz (the Duke) who gave some equally humorous modern “opening announcements à la Shakespeare.” (In the name of full disclosure, I must mention, much to Mr. Grantz’ chagrin, that I have worked with Mr. Grantz during those said seven years of Murder Mystery and never knew he was such a talented dramatic actor).

The rest of the cast was equally strong. Since starting these reviews in October, I have come to learn that Ryan Bechard (Iago) is one of those actors you could run into at the grocery store…and he’d be great in it! Bechard seems effortless as the duplicitous right hand man to powerful, esteemed General Othello. Bechard’s Iago is charming and debonair in the presence of the other characters one moment; then like a flip of a switch, with a slight turn of his head, a bit of a smirk and a squint of his eyes the evil side comes out in deliciously deceitful asides to the audience. As he makes eye contact with members of the audience, you feel you are almost looking into the eyes of the devil himself. It is Iago who gains the trust of all the others, finds their weaknesses, and then manipulates their feelings of love and jealousy into doing his bidding. He initiates havoc, then sits back and watches the results; all because he was once denied a promotion (I think I may have worked with his twin once or twice!).

Stephen Seals embodies the bigger than life General Othello; with his booming voice and grand stage presence. Laura Maughan is appropriately sweet and soft-spoken as his wife Desdemona.

Two of the most impressive performances for me came from supporting roles. Rebecca Anne Muhleman turned in a leading lady quality performance in the supporting role of Desdemona’s maid and Iago’s wife, Emilia. Muhleman’s heartfelt emotional turmoil in being torn between her love for her abusive husband and her loyal friend are palatable.

One of my theater companions, Katie, felt equally as strong about Matt Bloch’s performance as Cassio, and I agree. He was probably the most relatable character in portraying Cassio’s innocence and naiveté. His natural acting style and comfort on stage made his performance memorable.

Margarette Joyner’s costumes were classy (and hot for such a summer night) and helped establish character’s motives with whites for “good” and dark colors for evil. The biggest obstacle for me came in a sword fight. With the audience sitting so close, and the stage so small, it became almost comical rather than realistic. There were also some minor issues with props (especially coins) and boots falling down, but these are easily fixed with time and practice.

Again, as one who would not generally choose a Shakespearean play for entertainment, I can strongly encourage you to go see Othello. The strong performances result in general great entertainment!

Photo Gallery

Photos provided by Richmond Shakespeare Festival

The Cast

• Iago : Ryan Bechard
• Cassio : Matt Bloch
• Soldier : Adrian Grantz
• Duke : Kevin Grantz
• Senator/Ensemble : James Henry
• Roderigo : Dean Knight
• Emilia : Rebecca Anne Muhleman
• Desdemona : Laura Maughan
• Bianca: Jess Rawls
• Brabantio: Stephen Ryan
• Othello: Stephen Seals
• Ensemble: James Tormey
• Ensemble: Xander Wong

The Crew

• Director: Jan Powell
• Composer: Matt Treacy
• Stage Manager : Alecia Schulz
• Producer: Cheryl Fare
• Lighting Design: BJ Wilkinson
• Costume Design: Margarette Joyner
• Properties Design: James Murphy
• Properties Manager: Paige Skidmore

Disclaimer: Richmond Shakespeare Festival provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.

As I have said before, I have never been a big Shakespeare fan (gasp). I must add to this, the revelation that I have also never been a fan of The Three Stooges or their brand of slapstick humor either. Despite this, I must say I thoroughly enjoyed The Richmond Shakespeare Festival’s production of The Comedy of Errors which flawlessly combines elements of both.

From the opening announcements to the closing curtain calls, Director Steve Perigard and his cast masterfully present one of Shakespeare’s earliest works and make it relevant and easy to understand (no easy trick, with the plot).

Two sets of identical twins were accidentally separated at birth — each with a twin from the opposite pair. Antipholus of Syracuse (Jonathan Conyers) with his servant Dromio of Syracuse (James Murphy) arrives in Ephesus not realizing his long-lost twin, Antipholus of Ephesus (Matt Lipscomb) lives there with his servant Dromio of Ephesus (John Mincks). When the Syracusans encounter the friends and families of their twins, a series of mishaps ensue based on a series of mistaken identities.

Perigard uses the slapstick humor and exaggerated body language to help the audience follow along. The action moves along at a brisk and energetic pace as Perigard makes excellent use of all the entrances and exits of the beautiful outdoor stage at Agecroft Hall (including many crosses in and behind the audience).

Conyers and Lipscomb did such a great job of parroting each other’s performances that it became even more difficult to distinguish between them. Molly Hood commanded the stage in each of her scenes as Antipholus of Ephesus’ wife, Adriana, with great comedic timing and a larger than life presence.

While the entire cast works effortlessly and effectively together, my companion for the evening, Morgan and I both agreed one performer stood out. John Mincks displays mastery of the slapstick humor, the deadpan facial expressions and the controlled physicality of his role that add even more laughs in each of his scenes.

Liz Hopper’s costumes are not only period perfect; the consistent hues of gold and maroon add a touch of middle age regality as well as adding to the character confusion.

To be consistent with my personal goal of always having at least one positive and one criticism for every show; I could only come up with one negative. Be prepared as night falls for the bugs, and frogs, and bats (I hate bats!) and the possibility of rain (bring the umbrella and the bug repellent).

Beyond that, make no mistake, this Comedy of Errors is truly one of the biggest hits of the year, and you will “coitainly” leave smiling.

Director’s Note

I to the world am like a drop of water that in the ocean seeks another drop, who, falling there to find his fellow forth, (Unseen, inquisitive) confounds himself. So I, to find a mother and a brother, In quest of them, unhappy, lose myself. – Antipholous of Syracuse

After seven unsuccessful years of searching for his family, Antipholus of Syracuse finds himself in a strange land under the threat of death. Feeling lost, he begins to question the choices that brought him to Ephesus. Has his obsession with finding his family completely consumed him? And, as the strangers in Ephesus seem to know him better than he knows himself, has he begun to lose his mind? Has the journey been worth his loss of identity?

The plot for The Comedy of Errors is taken directly from the Roman comedy Menaechmi by Plautus. It is one of Shakespeare’s earliest plays and also his shortest. For these reasons, it is often dismissed as a slight work: merely a farce of mistaken identity. But while the mistaken identities provide a great deal of the comedy, Shakespeare brilliantly alters Plautus’s work giving the play a structure and depth, not found in the original.

Shakespeare’s many improvements include: adding a second set of twins, framing the action in an urgent timeline creating Egeon and Emilia’s backstory, and providing the possibility of new romance by inventing the character of Luciana. But perhaps his most important improvement is giving many of the play’s major characters time to wrestle with their own issues of identity. And, by including the modern notion that identity is closely linked to the very human need to connect with others, he answers Antipholus of Syracuse’s question. The key to self-knowledge can be found in allowing ourselves, at least for a time, to be like Antipholus’s drop of water and to get lost in the madness around us. The journey is always worth it, because we know so much more about ourselves on the other end of the madness. A madness brilliantly represented here in Shakespeare’s broad comedy.

-Steve Perigard

Photo Gallery

Matt Lipscomb as Antipholus of Ephesus and Molly Hood as Adriana	Molly Hood as Adriana and James Murphy as Dromio of Syracuse
Alex Wiles as Luciana and Molly Hood as Adriana	Jonathan Conyers as Antipholus of Syracuse and Alex Wiles as Luciana

Photos provided by Richmond Shakespeare Festival

Cast (in alphabetic order)

• Jailer/Balthazar/Ensemble: Beau Bryan
• Antipholus of Syracuse: Jonathan Conyers
• Duke/Luce: Thomas Cunningham
• Merchant: Adrian Grantz
• Adriana: Molly Hood
• Angelo/Dr. Pinch: David Janoski
• Courtesan/Ensemble: Irene Kuykendall
• Antipholus of Ephesus: Matt Lipscomb
• Dromio of Ephesus: John Mincks
• Dromio of Syracuse: James Murphy
• Egeon: Barry Pruitt
• Servant/Ensemble: Katie Robey
• Officer/Ensemble: Connor Scully
• Abbess/Ensemble: Jody Strickler
• Luciana: Alexandra Wiles

Production Team

• Director: Steve Perigard
• Assistant Director: Melissa Rayford
• Producer : Cheryl Fare
• Composer/ musician: Michael Knowles
• Dramaturg: Twyla Kitts
• Text Coach: Jan Powell
• Stage Manager: Kathryn Cohen
• Assistant Stage Manager: Hannah Adaway
• Lighting Design: BJ Wilkinson
• Lighting Assistant: Brittney Page
• Costumer: Liz Hopper
• Costume Assistant: Anna Bialkowski
• Wardrobe Assistant: Cherish Maldonado
• Properties Design: James Murphy
• Properties Manager: Paige Skidmore
• Fight Director: Kevin Inouye

Disclaimer: Richmond Shakespeare Festival provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.