Stage Write

  Shakespeare's Will is a one-woman show about the Bard's wife. At a brisk 90 minutes, the show covers a lot of ground. The famous playwright leaves grief in his wake, but Anne Hathaway was a woman with her own story. Tracy Michelle Arnold brings an almost impossible balance of playfulness and grief to the role of Anne. She is not a one-dimensional spouse from a Shakespeare biography. She is complex, imperfect, angry, sensual, fearful, lonely, and so much more. As impressive as her range is in the characters she plays (Shakespeare, her father, her bitter sister-in-law, etc.), it’s Anne that is the heart of the story. How many women have stood behind their famous husbands throughout history, making the men’s success possible through their sacrifices? In the role of Anne, Arnold’s graceful, captivating performance, gives voice to those women. Brenda DeVita’s direction captures the perfect timing needed for the story. Moments of sweet remembrance intersperse with Anne’s painful pr...

Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen At its heart, Sense and Sensibility is not about romantic love, though it does include swoon-worthy moments, it’s about the love between sisters. As vastly different as they may be, that connection was deeply understood by Jane Austen and was lovingly captured in this story. Laura Rook is perfect as Elinor; the picture of quiet grace and strength even in the most trying circumstances. Marianne (Samantha Newcomb) is the fire to Rook’s ice and sparkles with passion. Jamal James’ Edward steals all the scenes he’s in. He and Rook have a sweet chemistry that embodies the reserved affection of their characters. This beautiful adaptation by Jessica Swale fleshes out the scenes between Edward and Elinor. It played up lovely moments of humor and used Margaret as a tool for added interaction between the characters. Director Marti Lyons makes use of every moments. The audience was so swept up that some people were gasping and calling characters names...

  To return to the American Players Theatre after the pandemic hiatus is magical. All the elements that we’ve missed for the past year are waiting for audiences at the top of the hill. Cymbeline The theatre’s production of Cymbeline is a revelation. The all-female cast flips the tone from oppressive misogyny to tongue-in-cheek barbs and iconic strength. What originates as a story about the value of women based on their chastity and rooted in the mistrust of Imogen’s word over an almost stranger’s transforms into a story of her carving out her own life. The core of that strength always existed in Shakespeare’s words, but the show is often played with Imogen acting only as a casualty of circumstance, a path to her husband Posthumus’ fall and redemption. In director Marti Lyon’s hands and Melisa Pereyra’s barely-contained rage, Imogen has a chance to rise above the role of victim. Cymbeline has always been a fascinating show because unlike Othello and other popular Bard plays, the cha...

Hamlet This season the American Players Theatre is tackling one of Shakespeare’s most revered tragedies, Hamlet. This production includes the full text and clocks in at three and a half hours with one 20 minute intermission. And they’ve made every single minute count! The show stars Matt Schwader as the tortured prince. He nails Hamlet’s infamous rise and fall of emotions and his delicate balance of sanity. He also manages to infuse just the right amount of humor and snark into Shakespeare’s lines. He is broken and grieving and yet he embraces his role of feigned madness to achieve his goal. It’s a powerful performance. The intense drama deals with the issue of grief and love in equal parts. Hamlet is reeling from the death of his father when he finds out that his mother has married her former brother-in-law. Their marriage comes so quickly on the heels of the death that Hamlet resents both of them. Soon he learns his father was actually murdered by the usurping king, his...

(The Tempest) The American Player Theatre, a place of extraordinary talent, is nestled in the Wisconsin hills. As always, this year's season contains some wonderful plays. The APT has an indoor and outdoor theatre, both of which provide intimate venues for performances. The outdoor theatre is particularly unique. The versatile stage moulds easily to each production. It sprouts curved planks, rising towards the sky like wooden waves or sails for The Tempest. Then bronze doors and benches transform it into an Italian town for Taming of the Shrew and crab grass and barn rafters appear for Of Mice and Men. One of the APT’s many strengths is its tradition of using a talented core of actors in multiple shows each season. It truly highlights the performers abilities when you can see them in such different roles in the same weekend. One great example of this was Susan Shunk's role as the timid Laura in The Glass Menagerie and then her turn as the strong-willed Miranda in The Tempest. T...