Shakespeare
in Hollywood
(Arena Stage/Fichlander Theater, Washington, D.C.; An Arena Stage
presentation of a play in two acts by Ken Ludwig. Directed by
Kyle Donnelly.
Louella Parsons - Ellen Karas
Max Reinhardt - Robert Prosky
Dick Powell - David Fendig
Jack Warner - Rick Foucheux
Daryl - Michael Skinner
Lydia Lansing - Alice Ripley
Oberon - Casey Biggs
Puck - Emily Donahoe
Olivia Darnell - Maggy Lacey
Will Hayes - Everett Quinton
Joe E. Brown - Hugh Nees
Jimmy Cagney - Adam Richman
By Paul Harris
One of Hollywood's storied chapters, Max Reinhardt's 1935 filming
of "A Midsummer Night's Dream," is grist for Ken Ludwig's
latest farce, a defiantly corny yet amusing escapade that is given
a classy sendoff by Arena Stage. Chaos erupts on the soundstage
when the "real" Oberon and Puck appear by chance, eager
to make mischief and spark a romance.
Ludwig ("Lend Me a Tenor," "Moon Over Buffalo")
loves a showbiz story, and he finds Austrian producer Reinhardt's
brief experience in Hollywood a worthy topic. Not only did the
making of the film set up one of Hollywood's celebrated art-vs.-commercialization
clashes, but it gathered on one project some of the town's more
memorable characters -- Jack Warner, Jimmy Cagney, Olivia de Havilland,
Dick Powell, Mickey Rooney and Joe E. Brown. For Ludwig, this
mix was just a few ingredients shy of another madcap comedy: one
ditzy love interest, a cold-hearted villain (film censor Will
Hays) and two of Shakespeare's most enduring characters.
The result is a distinctly low-brow farce filled with goofy puns,
banal jokes and manufactured mayhem. Every supporting character
is a one-note stereotype, from the cigar-chomping Warner to the
sneering and belligerent Hays. (Perhaps that's why the Royal Shakespeare
Co., for which the play was originally written, lost interest
after reviewing the script.) The play gets its spark chiefly by
parodying the showbiz titans, toying with Shakespearean prose
and adding a magician's surprises.
Arena has assembled a terrific cast that, for the most part, delivers.
Former company member Robert Prosky as Reinhardt is the voice
of reason and the play's frustrated narrator, while Broadway's
Alice Ripley is comfortably over-the-top as the bimbo starlet
and peroxided playmate of studio boss Warner (Rick Foucheux).
Casey Biggs is just right as the bewildered but charming
Oberon.
Other bright perfs are turned in by Maggy Lacey as an adorable
de Havilland (renamed Olivia Darnell because Ludwig didn't want
to offend the screen star), Emily Donahoe as the spirited Puck,
Ellen Karas as irritating gossip columnist Louella Parsons and
Everett Quinton as the detestable Hays. Hugh Ness is the spitting
image of Joe E. Brown, the play's chief foil, and Michael Skinner
is the quintessentially blubbery yes man. The whole thing is packaged
frenetically by director Kyle Donnelly, who keeps the action perpetually
flowing.
For the record, Ludwig has taken some historical liberties with
the play's central theme. Ripley's character browbeats Warner
into producing the film as her star vehicle. In reality, Warner
OK'd the project after seeing Reinhardt's stage production at
the Hollywood Bowl.
Ludwig playfully lampoons Hollywood's famous phoniness by interpreting
it through the eyes of Shakespeare's characters. But in general,
the play disappoints, especially when the second act disintegrates
into an array of contrived couplings as Puck's magic flower falls
into the wrong hands. It's essentially a one-joke act that cries
out for more clever material.
With: Bethany Caputo, Scott Graham, Eric Jorgensen, Robert McClure.
Scenery, Thomas Lynch; costumes, Jess Goldstein; lighting, Nancy
Schertler; sound, Susan R. White; choreography, Karma Camp. Opened,
reviewed Sept. 12, 2003. Running time: 2 HOURS
© Copyright 2003, Sept 16 Reed Business Information,
a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. © 2003 Variety, Inc.
