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Box Office: 312.642.2273
The romantic comedy featuring the foibles of Beatrice, the wry and witty woman, and Benedick, the man she usually gets the better of. Like all the plays we classify as romantic comedies, this one has the potential for tragedy but ends happily. This production is directed by David Bell (1996 nominee for the prestigious Laurence Olivier Award in London). He directed last season's The Comedy of Errors at Shakespeare Rep. Lisa Dodson stars as Beatrice and Timothy Gregory stars as Benedick. Lisa Dodson is a familiar face to patrons of Shakespeare Rep. She is also a residential artist at Chicago's acclaimed Court Theater in Hyde Park. Ms. Dodson, who is a wonderful dramatic actress, also handles comedy with great aplomb. She is a fine Beatrice, and she carries the delicate balance between comedy and drama that the role demands. Beatrice is a laugh a minute, until Hero's reputation is temporarily destroyed. Dodson crosses this bridge with an equally strong dramatic performance. She easily slides back to the comedic once Hero's reputation is restored, and again becomes one of the most delightful of Shakespeare's female characters. Dodson's performance creates a well-rounded character -- not a simple clown or foible for Benedick. Timothy Gregory (Benedick) is returning for his fifth production with Shakespeare Rep. He is an excellent Benedick, also straddling the comedic/dramatic stretches his role demands. He uses his body as an additional tool in his comedic performance, doing great bits with his time on the stage when Benedick is falling into the trap set for him by Don Pedro, Claudio and Leonato. You must see Greg Vinkler as Dogberry. I have seen him in many comedies and he truly has a flair for comedy. His Dogberry is outstanding -- far above any performance I've ever seen. Dogberry is a pivotal role in the play, as the audience's giddiness collapses, it is up to this character to keep us light-hearted enough to enjoy the happy ending. Mr. Vinkler is superb and accomplishes this task with ease. The play runs through Sunday, December 6, 1998. There are discussions following the Wednesday matinees on November 18, November 25 and December 2. Henry IV, Part 1 will play in repertory with Calendar of performances available here. The Henry Plays are directed by Barbara Gaines, the artistic director of Shakespeare Rep and the visionary responsible for Shakespeare Chicago. Greg Vinkler (see review of his performance as Dogberry) will play Falstaff. Prince Hal will be played by Kevin Gudhal, and King Henry by Larry Yando. Greg Vinkler should make an outstanding Falstaff. I saw Mr. Vinkler play Polonious in Hamlet at the Shakespeare Rep a year or so ago. Polonious is a difficult character to portray well. The character waffles between the statesman and the fool (or maybe they're the same?) and many actors are not nimble enough to maintain the balance. Falstaff, too, maintains the persona of a lovable scoundrel, the slave to hyperbole, the drunk with a heart of gold. Yet, he has serious ambitions and depth of thought that require an actor who can move seamlessly between these two sides of the character. Greg Vinkler is such an actor. The second richest part in the Henry IV plays is Prince Hal. Kevin Gudahl is taking on a "bigger" part than I have seen him in to date. One of the first plays I saw at Shakespeare Rep was the Winter's Tale. Mr. Gudahl played Autolycus, a singing ne'er do well. Mr. Gudahl was magnificent in voice and in character. He made the play jump to life from the printed page. I saw this play with my Shakespeare class (I was a student) and everyone talked about this performance. They couldn't get over how a character that had laid lifeless on the page had sprung to life and taken on depth that we readers had never seen. I'm looking forward to seeing him expand from the Prince Hal in Part I who becomes more "kingly" in Part 2. Larry Yando is playing King Henry IV. This important role belongs to Larry Yando who I last saw in Timon of Athens. He played Timon. Timon is such a difficult part because he falls from the top to the bottom and then stays. Mr. Yando kept the interest of audience even as Timon spiraled into the depths of cynicism. I'm looking forward to seeing the Henry IV plays. I'm kind of nostalgic about my season seats and the many wonderful performances I've seen at the old theater. We still talk about the Othello we saw and the Richard III. You are always in for a treat when you spend an evening at with the Shakespeare Rep. |
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