Even Ricky Martin doesn't have anything on the Bard lately. An Oscar-winning 1998 film and more productions around the New York City area than can be counted are only a few ways you can catch Shakespeare in action. Subtitled "A Midsummer Night's Disco," this latest incarantion of Shakespeare's glory is a delightful surprise. With the aid of gloriously chosen disco classics of the 1970s (with the occasional `80s track thrown in), the tale is presented in a nightclub setting aptly named Club Oberon, where all of love's misunderstandings take their toll. This production still has its lovelorn heroines pining for their men, with predictably Shakespearean mishaps, except this time they're contending with Rollerina, an androgynous Puck-like roller skater/troublemaker and Oberon, the seedy club owner who orchestrates all the wrongdoing. And the show's requisite fairies (played as four fey and striking young disco bucks) still flutter about, except on their feet this time around.
The results are more charming than you'd expect, as the show keeps its sense of humor intact and never wallows in pretentious territory for a second, which is why it's such fun.
This is the third move for the show, from downtown's Piano Store to Club Pyramid (host of the long-running and immensely popular gay party "1984") to El Flamingo, their biggest venue yet. If you caught the show downtown, you may miss the intimate settings; Pyramid actually put you right in the middle of the action, and its infectious nature really grew on you there. El Flamingo is significantly larger, so that feeling has diminished, but the theatrics of the show have improved; it feels more like true theater this time around, and the talented cast's performances are even more playful and relaxed.
Creators Diane Paulus and Randy Weiner obviously know the story's strengths, though more dialogue has been added this time around. That's kind of unfortunate, because the show is so deftly directed and Shakespeare's themes are so apparent. The story works on its own boogie-down terms, so the extra dialogue seems arbitrary.
It's always nice to see a show that celebrates the joy of music, though it helps to be a disco fan in this case. If you are, the simple transcendence of many of the classic tunes (my faves used are "Car Wash," "Don't Leave Me This Way" and the disco "Star Wars" song, always a treat) create a world of atmosphere. I think it's a move that Shakespeare, a known music enthusiast based on many of his works, would whole-heartedly embrace. I don't know if I'm quite ready for The All-Goth Metal Version of Richard III, but I wouldn't blame anyone for trying.
Ended:
2006
Country:
USA
State:
New York
City:
New York
Theater Type:
off-Broadway
Theater:
El Flamingo
Theater Address:
547 West 21 Street
Phone:
(212) 307-4100
Genre:
Disco Musical
Director:
Diane Paulus & Randy Weiner
Review:
Parental:
nudity, adult themes
Cast:
Anna Wilson, Rachel Benbow Murdy & Lucas Miller
Miscellaneous:
Critic Jason Clark is the co-creator and theater editor of Matinee Magazine (www.matineemag.com). His reviews are reprinted here by permission of the author and the website.
Critic:
Jason Clark
Date Reviewed:
August 1999
