Even Shakespeare Would Have Loved this Play

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The production of a script such as Matt Saldarelli's absurdist comedy Getting Even With Shakespeare, running as part of this summer's Fringe Festival at the Players Theatre, always brings with it a potentially-inherent danger, in making a wrong turn midway through, and becoming too clever for its own good. Mercifully, this is one of those all-too-rare occasions where the playwright and director, Laura Konsin, as well as the stunning ensemble of seven, know exactly where and when to call a halt, and never create a runaway train that courses over the collective head of the audience.

Though it may not have an immediate future in a larger theatre or on a national tour, it is situated perfectly on stage at the historic  theatre on MacDougal Street, and proves a perpetually-delightful ninety minutes of artistic bliss.
                                                                                                                                                                                                           
An admittedly odd concept, the action over four scenes takes place in a nondescript Manhattan cocktail bar, where various Shakespearean characters gather to commiserate over a libation or two. These include Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear, Romeo, Juliet and Ophelia. The latter, however, is not in fact the original character, but merely Ophelia #482, also now a young barkeep/actress named Jill Shanley. But all of the characters have been put through the proverbial wringer to update them for modern times; Juliet argues with Romeo in language normally reserved for instant messaging (replete with "OMG" and "BTW," and referring to him as "R"), Macbeth is positively oily with long coils of black hair and a green military jacket, and other conventions that make it pointedly clear that they are somehow living in modern times. Each is also notified by cellphone every time a production featuring their character is to be performed somewhere on the globe. Where the action takes an even greater turn for the funny is the introduction of the character of playwright/attorney Saldarelli himself, put through a similar wringer by the six characters, pressured not only to succumb to three trials to prove his commitment of getting even with Shakespeare, but to write a play about it, and later undergo an intervention led by Romeo. The remainder of the action and dialogue is at times side-splitting, and proves that one not necessarily be a devotee of Shakespeare to get the jokes and appreciate the motivations of all on stage. And at the risk of giving anything away, a final scene between Hamlet and Macbeth in the bar, brilliantly brings the evening to a stupendous wind-up.

The performances are equally striking, and each thespian assembled is first and foremost a team player; it's a joy to see a group of actors not merely having such a good time working together, but that none of them makes any attempt to upstage another. Josh Odsess-Rubin is truly terrific as Hamlet from the very first lines of the play, and there are moments where Patrick Pizzolorusso as Macbeth appears as though made of lightning. Kelsey Formost as Ophelia/Jill isn't only riveting, but she has one of the standout lines of the play when crumpling to the floor and solemnly uttering, "I am slain!" in a moment of deadpan comedy usually found only in the most seasoned of stage actresses. Amanda Tudesco couldn't be more brilliant as Juliet (and it's a pleasure to see this promising young talent in a role far less intense than her work in Pintauro's highly-dramatic Raft of the Medusa earlier this summer), and Ben Holmes wisely underplays his Romeo as a mix of henpecked boyfriend and eager puppy. John D'Arcangelo is equally superb as King Lear, and there simply aren't enough superlatives with which to praise Greg Ayers as Saldarelli, as his performance is abject perfection.

The show's final performance played on Friday, August 27, but it would be a wise producer to step in and give Getting Even With Shakespeare a more permanent home at the Players or a similar theatre. The play unquestionably deserves a wider audience, and should be the next natural step in what could be its long and happy life.

To see their trailer/promo: