Category Archives: Outdoor Venue

NY Classical’s Henry IV

Outdoor Venue, Play July 4, 2024 Leave a comment

It’s summertime, the season of delightful outdoor (mostly free) performances.  Among my favorite companies is New York Classical Theatre.  Artistic Director Stephen Burdman has a one-of-a-kind flair for molding even the densest of texts into a compact and entertaining two hours.  This year he has impressively taken on Shakespeare’s Henry IV Parts I and II.  More than any of the history plays, Henry IV is a love letter to Shakespeare’s country and all its colorful facets.  Part I covers the early years of Henry’s reign soon after he has taken the crown from his weaker cousin Richard II.  He was not Richard’s chosen successor and rebellion is brewing.  To make his situation even more precarious, the King’s heir, Prince Hal, is far more interested in palling around with his jolly friend Jack Falstaff and his wayward circle than in taking his rightful place at court.  Part II continues the story, ending with a post-battle Hal stepping into his role as responsible King Henry V and disavowing his relationship with Sir Falstaff.  

Burdman has cut away much of Henry’s lamentations, but despite the title these were never Henry’s plays.  Falstaff is what we would call a fan favorite (so much so that Shakespeare gave him a cross-over role in The Merry Wives of Windsor.)  In this production, he is played with wit, charisma, and a dose of self-awareness by NYCT artistic associate John Michalski.  Counterpoint is Hotspur, a hero in an old-fashioned mold, who begins as a Henry ally and ends as a central force among the rebels.  Even passersby could identify this personification of gallantry by Damian Jermaine Thompson’s ramrod posture and elegant demeanor, two qualities he sheds when he also plays the meeker John of Lancaster.  As a nod to the power of Queen Elizabeth I who was on the throne in Shakespeare’s time, Burdman has changed Mortimer’s gender.  This allows us the pleasure of more time with magnetic Anique Clements, who also takes on Beth (formerly Ned) Poins, Hal’s closest friend.  Burdman has also converted Worcester to a Countess interpreted by Carine Montbertrand who doubles as put-upon tavern owner Mistress Quickly.  Her physical and verbal shifts between classes earns her special appreciation.  The overly self-confident Owen Glendower gets plenty of exuberance from Ian Gould who also portrays the King’s Brother-in-Law Westmoreland.  Ian Antal, another of the artistic associates, plays young Prince Hal with a devilish smile and much whipping of lustrous hair. The remaining cast members — Briana Gibson Reeves, Nuah Ozryel, Nick Salamone, and Juan Luis Acevedo — help move the story along with the high energy and wonderful timing this production demands.  

In most settings, this company has the audience change locations several times.  In Carl Schurz Park they are more physically restricted, so the actors move through the crowd.  They speak their lines cheating to the viewers and those who suddenly find themselves at the back are given permission to stand.  The trees form a lovely backdrop and the birds add to the soundtrack.  You have only to look at the long list of fight, movement, and vocal professionals in the program to get a sense of what it took to get this well-rounded creation on its many feet.

Henry IV and all his parts is a particularly welcome offering in the year when the Delacorte, home of the Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park, is shuttered for renovations.  It can best be enjoyed with friends, a snack and perhaps a well-behaved dog.  A perusal of the cleverly written program notes beforehand (https://theunforgettableline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/efd4d-dramaturgyh42324.pdf ) is highly recommended.  You can catch New York Classical Theatre’s Henry IV among greenery at Carl Schurz Park through Sunday, July 7 or with water and an actual castle July 9 through 14 at Clinton Castle at Battery Park.  To make a free reservation and for more information visit https://nyclassical.org/

Young, Gifted, and Black

Live Stream, Musical, Outdoor Venue September 2, 2023 Leave a comment

Young, Gifted and Black lived up to its title with a lineup of talented musicians of color ranging in age from 12 to early 30s.  Most grew up in the neighborhood of the Classical Theatre of Harlem, which produced the evening as part of Bryant Park’s Picnic Performances.  Made available by Bank of America as a free first-come-first-serve live event with a streaming simulcast, the concert was enjoyed by over 4000 people according to Producing Artistic Director, Ty Jones, who hosted with sincere enthusiasm and praise.

The poised 12 year old pianist, Emery Mason, opened with three short pieces punctuated by the rapidly changing tempos of Debussy’s Cakewalk.  She was followed by 16-year-old Kaden Kennedy, a cellist who somehow also finds time to compete in track and field.  His selections honored both beauty with  Camille Saint-Saëns’ “Le Cygne” (“The Swan”) and pain with Élégie, Op. 24, which Gabriel Fauré wrote for his deceased wife.  Kennedy later returned to play Johann Sebastian Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1 in G major, an ambition of his since the age of 7.  Accomplished 15 year old Melissa Mosley — an attendee of the Special Music High School who recently returned from concerts in Canada — closed out the first part of the program with Chopin’s Nocturne in C-sharp minor and the downright jazzy 1984 composition by Nikolai Kapustin, Concert Etude, Op. 40, No. 3: Toccatina.

For her solo, 14 year old Roen Jones, who has performed in prominent public spaces including the Metropolitan Museum, chose Violin Partita No. 3 in E major by Johann Sebastian Bach, a work she said has made her a better violinist.  Wrapping up the instrumental portion was the extraordinary violinist/composer/teacher Edward W. Hardy.  He began with his own composition, Evolution, which required employing a variety of styles in a single song.  Commencing with musical phrases from Wading in the Water and inspired by the evolution of Black music, the piece was included in the opening night program at the Smithsonian’s African American Museum in Washington D.C.  After a smooth re-arrangement of Chopin and a swirling Tennessee Whiskey dedicated to his “Colorado Family” at the University of Northern Colorado, Hardy switched gears. As a child, his mother had encouraged him to play his violin in the subway as a way to build confidence in front of a crowd.  So he reached back to his hits previously heard in the 103rd street station.  Shouts of “OK!” and grass-muted toe-taps accompanied his rendition of If I Ain’t Got You by Alicia Keys.  He ultimately brought the crowd to its feet with his mind-blowing twist on Freddie Mercury’s Bohemian Rhapsody.   

As a coda to a lovely evening, Tony nominee Crystal Lucas-Perry interpreted a monologue from “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes.  The words honored those who have smoothed the way and the power of a community to elevate others.  Then the mezzo-soprano ended on a literal high note with her performance of Greatest Love of All by Michael Masser.

With its approachable blend of classical and modern selections, The Classical Theatre of Harlem’s Young, Gifted and Black fulfilled its goal of shining a well-earned spotlight on the exceptional Black youth of New York City.  The full show is available to stream on demand at https://bryantpark.org/calendar/event/the-classical-theatre-of-harlem/2023-09-01.

Cymbeline – FREE in NYC

Outdoor Venue, Play June 30, 2022 Leave a comment

For its 23rd season, New York Classical Theatre has chosen Shakespeare’s Cymbeline.  This inventive, lively company is the perfect troupe to take on a work that even Will’s Mum likely thought a headache.  Equal parts comedy, tragedy, romance, and fairytale, the work has a cast of nearly 40 and spans multiple locations.  With a wink and a smile, NY Classical’s jovial band of seven actors skillfully tackles the Everest-high pile of coincidences and present an evening of pure enjoyment. 

The group’s signature style includes traditional staging from the 19th century and the use of New York City parks as a natural backdrop.  In years past, viewers would physically move with the actors as the scene changed.  This year, the city has requested that a single area be used in each location, but the action is staged so that the audience remains the focus of attention. Costumes are minimal with a simple hat or cloak often distinguishing between multiple characters.  (Thanks to designer Sabrinna Fabi, Queen looks as if she shaved the neighbor’s cat to trim her dress, which befits her character.)  Lighting is provided by stagehands holding common flashlights; all the better to focus on engagement and storytelling.

I will not recount the sprawling tale of Cymbeline, which isn’t even about that king so much as his feisty daughter, Imogen.  A read through the dramaturgical notes provided on the website and via email is highly recommended for your enhanced enjoyment of the production.   Even if you do not heed this advice, the cast will give you a helping hand in their concise introduction to the evening, which also sets proper expectations and tone.

Artistic Director/Director Stephen Burdman has wonderfully edited the dialogue and uses each space to full advantage.  Fight scenes are amusingly choreographed by Sean Michael Chin and punctuated with Batman-like sound effects.  Oft-tangled pun-filled lines are delivered with clarity and wit.  Moments that could have been groan-inducing are transformed into delightful farce, as if we and the actors are together chuckling behind Shakespeare’s back.  Evan Moore-Coll is a standout in his four roles including the juicy part of Cloten the clod.  Also pivotal to success is Terrell Wheeler, who undergoes several hot changes between a kindly servant (Pisanio) and a powerful warrior (Caius Lucius).  He makes an imposing contrast to the slight Nick Salamone as the easily manipulated Cymbeline.  Holding the heart of the story as Imogen is an elegant and fiery Aziza Gharib, who also appears as Jupiter in one of the plot’s more outrageous moments.  Brandon Burk, Christian Ryan, and Jenny Strassburg complete the strong company.

Attendance on the Circle Lawn in Carl Schurz (enter at 87th and East End Avenue) is limited to 200 people.  Reservations are recommended in large part so you will receive helpful information including notice of a rain cancelation.  If you do not regularly attend a yoga class, I recommend bringing a short beach chair.  (Taller chairs are permitted, but you will be seated to the side.)  The logistics are described well on the company’s website.  

Above all, this entrance into N Y Classical’s line-up reminds us that sometimes Shakespeare can be FUN!  The strangled twists of Cymbeline are in support of an all-is-well ending that is sorely needed at this time.  Performances continue in Carl Schurz Park in Manhattan through Sunday, July 3, and then move to Brooklyn Commons Park at MetroTech from July 5 through 10.  Tickets are FREE to encourage every theater goer with a pulse to come out and enjoy the show.  Donations to support the professional actors are highly encouraged.  Visit https://nyclassical.org/cymbeline for further information.

Shakespeare in the Park: Merry Wives

Comedy, Outdoor Venue August 9, 2021 Leave a comment

The Merry Wives of Windsor — Shakespeare’s only play that centers around everyday working folk — is a wonderful selection for the Public Theater’s 2021 offering.  This production arrives after a difficult stretch which renewed awareness of our neighbors and neighborhoods.  For this rendition, the location has been dropped from the title and the spouses in question have been moved to South Harlem.  There, Farai Malianga engages with the audience as a congenial street drummer.   After a quick lesson in African diaspora, he ushers in the local residents who will share their story.  Layabout John Falstaff has grown weary of his VR light saber and nutrition-free snacking and is ready to get out and mingle.  He has his eye on Mmes Ekua Page and Nkechi Ford, two close friends with husbands of means. Even his wooing is lazy and he sends the exact same love letter to them both.  Thankfully they are clever bad ass women who know how to handle themselves.  Ekua has the additional responsibility of finding a suitable match for her beautiful daughter, Anne.  She has her heart set on the prestigious Doctor Caius, while Mr Ford has selected Slender, a sweet but rather simple young man.  But like her mother, Anne has a mind of her own and her lover of choice is not negotiable.  

Jacob Ming-Trent as Falstaff and Susan Kelechi Watson as Madam Ford in Merry Wives

Saheem Ali’s staging takes advantage of the Delacorte’s airy space, filling it with the vibrant energy of his enthusiastic ensemble.  Jacob Ming-Trent is a total joy as a noisy, brash, and notorious-in-his-own-mind Falstaff.  His journey via laundry basket has never been funnier.  There is such warmth and charm in his performance, one feels a bit sorry about his treatment at the hands of far wittier Wives.  Susan Kelechi Watson’s Madam Ford grabs attention with her fabulous moves while Pascale Armand’s Madam Page is a commanding and calculating conspirator.  Both employ West African accents which add flavor though may present a challenge for unaccustomed ears.   Shola Adewusi as Mama Quickly and David Ryan Smith as the dapper doc make the most of their two dimensional characters with their impeccable timing.

Ghanaian-American writer Jocelyn Bioh has condensed Shakespeare’s comedy to a brisk 110 minutes and spiced up the language with modern slang and appropriate cultural references from jollof rice to Dreamgirls.  Upbeat musical cues by composer Michael Thurber as well as Dede Ayite’s brilliant outfits set off with hair and wigs by Cookie Jordan punch up the energy.  Stagehands outfitted as sanitation workers work speedily to redress the backgrounds.  The colorfully rendered settings by Broadway vet Beowulf Boritt  include a hair braiding salon, laundromat, family clinic and walkup apartment house, though nothing tops the natural beauty of the park itself, revealed in its natural splendor for the final scene.

The material is not the only part of the equation that is an appropriate match to this moment.  While much of the venue is seated at full capacity, sections are reserved for those who prefer to remain masked and distanced.  A fleet of volunteers help everyone find their place quickly and enforce protocols as needed.  The touchless program is accessed using a QR code on the seatback.  

The entirety of Merry Wives is a celebration of life, tolerance, and togetherness.  It is a love letter to New York and New Yorkers and a wonderful excuse to share a belly laugh in a crowd after a long stretch in isolation.  In particular, it is a fitting tribute to the residents of Seneca Village, the 19th Century Black community that lived on the land that is now occupied by Central Park.  Performances have been extended through September 20.  Visit https://publictheater.org/productions/season/2021/sitp/merry-wives/ for free ticketing information.