BY DAISY YUHAS

In print | Published April 27, 2006

Love, murder and madness were among the themes woven through the various selected scenes performed in “Shakespeare in the Crum: An Afternoon of Scenes,” directed by Micaela Baranello ‘07 and Phil Katz ’07. The selected scenes from the works of William Shakespeare were performed Saturday in Upper Tarble and Sunday in the Fragrance Garden, making good use of both spaces not only for staging but to create a distinct, inviting and enchanting atmosphere for enjoying the Bard’s verse. An additional highlight was the use of live lute music, performed by Avery Schwenk ’08, contributing to the charming tone of the performances.

The scenes were selected from both the familiar (the ubiquitous balcony scene of “Romeo and Juliet”) and less familiar works like “Pericles” and “Prince of Tyre.” They ranged in tenor from the light comedic romantic mishaps of “Much Ado About Nothing” to the darker dangers of regicide in “Macbeth.” The scenes even included a history play, “Henry V,” in which Tess Clearman ’09 and Judy Browngoehl ’09 playfully posed their French to the English King, portrayed by Jackie Vitale ’09. The wide selection of plays was designed to present the audience with a broad view of Shakespeare. “I hope we managed to portray how varied Shakespeare plays can be, and I hope that the audience gained an appreciation for the accomplishments of Shakespeare through our portraying excerpts from five different plays,” said Maria Dalini ’09, who portrayed Don Pedro in “Much Ado About Nothing.”

Though the space was distinctive and the acting dynamic, costumes and props were minimal. Sven David Udekwu ’09 said that the choice to keep these elements simple was to call more attention to the words of the play itself, requiring “a deeper understanding without too much of the fluff that is in some other Shakespeare productions.” Udekwu portrayed both the tormented Macbeth and the “psychotic old man” Pericles, a role he adopted eloquently and with gusto. “Getting to throw Judy Browngoehl around, that was the high point of the show for me,” Udekwu said. “I usually play very straight-edge roles, and playing the madness was a really good part for me.”

In the scene, Browngoehl plays Pericles’ long lost daughter, who is more than a little bewildered by his sudden arrival and erratic behavior. As in all of the scenes, the dynamics between the performers breathed life into the text. “Because it was a very small group of people working on each scene, we had the time for everyone to contribute his or her ideas about … the relationships between the characters,” Browngoehl said in an e-mail.

Audience reactions were also moved by the enthusiasm of the performers for the text, laughing at the flippant flirtations and startled by the passion of more severe soliloquies. “I was disappointed that it rained on Saturday, it was suited to an outdoor venue,” Cara Arcuni ’09 said. However, despite disappointment that the first performance was moved indoors, both days were well received. “I thought it was interesting that, while ordinarily in traditional Shakespeare, guys would be playing all of the roles, this production had the reverse situation, with the exception of Sven,” Dianne Seo, ’09 said. “I also really liked the lute playing; it really set the mood!”

Ultimately, performers were also satisfied by the production. “It went really well,” said Nicole Boyle ’09, who performed in both “Macbeth” and “Much Ado About Nothing.” Katz and Baranello succeeded in designing a program sampling the offerings of the most famed playwright in English literature, an ambitious task to say the least, and all involved participated with levity and

sincerity.

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