When you hear the premise of Polishing Shakespeare — Dot-com billionaire, Grant, is bestowing generous grants to a team of eager writers prepared to translate the entire works of The Bard into *English*— it is easy to picture the original ten minute skit. What is impressive is the full length skewering of the dangerous shifting landscape of the arts that the script has become. Given the events of the last six month, it’s almost as if playwright Brian Dykstra is writing in real time. And he’s doing so in iambic pentameter! (In fact, the actors’ improv skills are all so sharp that actually did happen during the performance I attended.)
The clawing back of money for the arts from the current administration forms a solemn backdrop for this timely comedy. Though it makes its point numerous times, the exaggerated set-up is moved forward by three characters, each with a strong motive. Grant (silver-tongued playwright Dykstra) doesn’t want to have to think when he attends a live performance. He sees his project as a way to make Shakespeare entertaining for the masses, ignoring, of course, that Shakespeare has been just that for hundreds of years. Ms. Branch (a beautifully tightly wound Kate Levy), the company’s director is just trying to be financially responsible now that she is almost completely reliant on her board for funds. And though she genuinely loves and appreciates the Folio, Jane (a brilliantly bold Kate Siahaan-Rigg) sees a way to use her acute observational skills and talent with a pen to get out of crushing debt. Alliances shift as each seeks an opportunity to move closer to their goal with the help of one at the expense of the other. It becomes such a battle of wits, you can almost see the gleaming sabers.
What makes the piece sparkle is the spirited speed with which the lines are delivered. Only someone completely comfortable with Shakespeare could set the necessary tempo with wink-and-nod style. There is an ease to Dykstra, who has not only performed roles in numerous productions of the real thing (King John, Much Ado About Nothing, Twelfth Night, and MacBeth among others) but also participated in Season 6 of Mos Def’s well respected spoken word poetry program on HBO. He plays with the audience like a cat with an amused mouse. Siahaan-Rigg is a marvel, rattling off several sublime soliloquies that celebrate all those who have been exploited and marginalized by the mass market. Levy navigates the intricate pathway between the stuffiness of her character and the humor in her lines.
Director Margarett Perry’ s assured hand highlights the flows of power. Supporting the rapid fire exchanges is the strategic lighting by Tyler M. Perry who also designed the hilarious Shakespeare tchotchke-ladened set.
Eliciting both belly laughs and tummy knots, Polishing Shakespeare has been extended through August 24. Performances run approximately 90 minutes with no intermission. The show is presented in Theater B at 59e59. $44 full price tickets ($30 for Members) can be purchased at https://www.59e59.org/shows/show-detail/polishing-shakespeare/.
The Unforgettable Line 