‘Shakespeare in Hollywood’: Comedy in Rockaway!

By Dan Guarino

From Athens’ woods to Hollywood by way of Rockaway, the quick-witted and zany “Shakespeare in Hollywood” will make its screwball comic debut at the Rockaway Theatre Company on Friday, September 20. Laughter will follow as movies meet magic as the show runs through to October 6, with performances Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.

Following up on hits like the dramatic “Cat On A Hot Tin Roof” and musicals “Footloose,” “Urinetown” and, coming in November – “Rent,” RTC says it’s best to get “Shakespeare” tickets early as their shows are tending to sellout fast.

Set in glamorous 1934 Hollywood, “Shakespeare’s” cast of actual, fictional and fantastical characters come together in this freewheeling, yet often touching, farce as famed director Max Rheinhardt is trying to shoot a star-studded production of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” for Warner Brothers Pictures.

Literal and literary worlds collide, RTC show director Bernard Bosio explains, when two of “Shakespeare’s most famous fairies, Oberon and Puck,” magically materialize on the Warner Brothers’ Hollywood set. “Instantly smitten by the glitz and glamour of showbiz, the two are ushered onto the studio soundstage to play ‘themselves’ by the director, who has no idea that they’re the genuine article.” Misunderstandings, star-crossed loves, potent misfired magic, egos, feuds, premieres and Hollywood parties which end in mayhem ensue as real-life characters like actor James Cagney, studio head Jack Warner, fledgling starlet Olivia de Havilland and film censor Will Hays get tossed into the mix.

“Many of the characters in the show are based on actual people involved in showbiz at the time,” Bosio notes, including celebrity gossip columnist Louella Parsons, Max Reinhardt, comedian Joe E. Brown, heartthrob Dick Powell and the others. “My favorite character is Max, the director, who invites the audience to be a fly on the wall of his world.” Other characters include the hopeless yes-man Daryl, hilarious rising star Lydia Lansing, and, of course, an imperious Oberon and mischievous Puck.

“Shakespeare In Hollywood,” originally written for the Royal Shakespeare Company, premiered on September 5, 2004 at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. It takes its inspiration from Warner Brothers real-life attempt to make a ‘prestige’ film of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” starring James Cagney and Mickey Rooney, and directed by Rheinhardt, who had been staging a successful live version of the play at the Hollywood Bowl. This would be the Austrian director’s one and only Hollywood film.

As playwright Ken Ludwig, famous for freewheeling comedies like “Crazy For You,” “Moon Over Buffalo” and “Lend Me A Tenor,” the last two both previously successfully produced at RTC, once stated, “Wouldn’t it be fun if Puck and Oberon…the real Oberon and Puck, the magical characters, ended up in Hollywood during the filming of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’?”

Indeed, the problems and disputes which plagued the production are played to comical effect on the Rockaway stage. Bosio notes, “In real life, the actor playing Oberon, Victor Jory, had an attack of ‘artistic differences,’ and walked off the set… The actor cast to play Puck, Mickey Rooney, went skiing with his mom and broke his leg. These real-life occurrences set the stage for Ken Ludwig’s inspiration to have the real Puck and Oberon show up on the soundstage to save the day…for the moment.”

Bosio’s directing credits include “Noises Off,” “Picasso at the Lapin Agile,” “Vanya and Sonya and Masha and Spike,” “Beyond Therapy,” “As Bees in Honey Drown,” and “Run for Your Wife.” His favorite acting roles have included “Lend Me A Tenor’s” Tito Merrelli, Juror #3 in “Twelve Angry Men,” George Milton from “Of Mice and Men” and Duke Mantee in “The Petrified Forest,” plus both Señor Sanchez in “Cactus Flower,” and Oscar Madison in “The Odd Couple” at RTC. He says, “My first exposure to theater was watching my high school’s theatrical productions; that experience kindled my fascination with theatre.”

Now deep in rehearsals, along with assistant director Thom Harmon and stage manager Alison Goldman, he says as a director, he’s been blessed with wonderful and talented casts, “and this cast is no exception. They’re all very talented, and very creative – they bring a lot to the stage. Everyone has worked hard, is very conscientious of learning their lines, and overall, fun to work with.”

“Shakespeare’s” cast of 18 includes an able mix of new faces and RTC veterans, including Michael Whelan, Julie Thaxter-Gourlay, Issac Echegoyen, Frank Freeman, Dante Rei, Hannah Brown, Gil Ventura, Sydney Schmeider, Mia Melchiorri, Anthony Foti, Jim Katen, Louis Santos, Steve Ackerman, Patrick Danaher, Dan Guarino, Tessie Tokash, Codi McGarry, and Anaia Gilfix. Each brings their own off-kilter energy and humor to the production. Several comedy high points include Oberon and Puck’s experience with this ‘brave new world’ of movie-making, Rheinhardt and censor Will Hays’ high-pitched clashes, the Warner siblings’ verbally sparing like Marx Brothers, and the high-class glitzy Hollywood party where romantic passes and roundhouse punches fly with unequal abandon.

Add to that the deep-voiced character of Oberon, who unknowingly quotes lines from Shakespeare thinking he made them up himself, and is surprised when people recognize them. Or Lydia turning Shakespeare upside-down while “often ad-libbing or altering the lines, to great comic effect.”

“The play is very cleverly written, very funny, and ultimately has the potential to be a magical experience,” Bosio said.

And, Bosio notes, no need to worry if you haven’t ‘brushed up your Shakespeare.’ “Ken Ludwig does a brilliant job of defusing Shakespeare by essentially making fun of all the ‘thee’s,’ ‘thou’s,’ and other “foresoothly” language. Most of the Shakespeare in the show is used for comedic effect, so Shakespeare-phobes need not be concerned that the language will have them squirming in their seats, while Shakespeare fans will have fun identifying the provenance of the occasional line straight out of his plays.”

So, will all be well that nearly ends well? Audiences will just have to find out as they laugh along at the Rockaway Theatre Company with “Shakespeare in Hollywood.”

For tickets go to www.Rockawaytheatrecompany.org.