Shakespeare Performances
1978:
Henry VI, Pts. 1-3, Aldwych Theatre, London.
Alan Howard, Helen Mirren, John Rhys-Davies, the entire
trilogy in little more than a 24-hour period!
1989:
Richard III, Phoenix Theatre, London, with Derek Jacobi.
2008
August:
As You Like It, Four County Players, Barboursville, VA
King Lear, American Shakespeare Center, Staunton, VA
James Keegan as Lear, with Sarah Fallon (Regan), Allison
Glenzer (Goneril), Alyssa Wilmoth (Cordelia) and John
Harrell (Fool) – powerful, funny, moving.
Twelfth Night, American Shakespeare Center, Staunton, VA
Alyssa Wilmoth wonderful as Viola.
November:
Richard II, American Shakespeare Center, Staunton, VA.
John Harrell superb in portraying the vacillating moods
and lack of moral compass of Richard II.
December:
Twelfth Night, Shakespeare Theater Company, Washington, DC
Hamlet, Royal Shakespeare Company, London, UK
Twelfth Night (with Derek Jacobi as Malvolio), Wyndham’s
Theater, London, UK. Jacobi brought out both the puffed-up
inane conceit and the sorrowful pathos of Malvolio.
2009
March:
Henry VI, 1 , American Shakespeare Center, Staunton, VA
May:
Hamlet (with Luke Eddy). ASC, Staunton, VA
The Comedy of Errors, American Shakespeare Ctr., Staunton, VA
June:
King Lear (with Stacy Keach), Shakespeare Theatre Co., DC.
Did not like the 1930s Yugoslav staging, and Keach was a
bit over the top.
July:
Troilus and Cressida, Old Globe Theatre, London, UK
September:
The Merry Wives of Windsor, ASC, Staunton, VA
Henry IV, part 1, ASC, Staunton, VA
Much Ado About Nothing, ASC, Staunton, VA
2010
March:
Richard II, Shakespeare Theatre Co., Washington, DC
Henry V, Shakespeare Theatre Co., Washington, DC
April:
Henry VI, pt 2, ASC, Staunton, VA
Romeo and Juliet, ASC, Staunton, VA
August:
The Winter’s Tale, Shakespeare & Co., Lenox, MA
October:
Henry IV, pt II, ASC, Staunton, VA
Othello, ASC, Staunton, VA
November:
Henry VIII, Folger Shakespeare, Washington, DC
2011
February:
The Merchant of Venice (with Al Pacino), Broadhurst Theatre,
New York
The Comedy of Errors, Worcestershire Mask and Wig Society,
Folger Shakespeare Theatre, Washington, DC
Cymbeline, Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, Columbia, MD
(Vince Eisenson as Iachimo, was also in STC Imaginary Invalid)
March:
Cymbeline, Shakespeare Theater Company, Washington, DC
The Comedy of Errors, American Shakespeare Center, Staunton
Henry VI, pt. 3, ASC, Staunton, VA
July:
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Chesapeake Shakespeare Co.
The Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare Theatre Co.
August:
The Tempest (with James Keegan), ASC, Staunton, VA
October:
The Tempest (with Keegan), ASC, Staunton, VA
Hamlet (with John Harrell), ASC, Staunton, VA
Othello, Synetic Theater, Arlington, VA
6th Blackfriars Conference, Stephen Booth and others
December:
Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare Theatre Co.
2012
January:
Much Ado About Nothing, American Shakespeare Center
February:
The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Shakespeare Theatre Co.
March:
The Merchant of Venice (with Greg Burgess) Chesapeake
Shakespeare Company, Columbia, MD
May:
The Taming of the Shrew (Cody Nickell and Kate Eastwood
Norris), Folger Shakespeare, Washington, DC
September:
Hamlet (Globe Theatre production, with Michael Benz as superb
young Hamlet, Carlyss Peer a very good Ophelia, and only 8 actors
in all, some playing 4 or 5 parts!), Folger Shakespeare,
Washington, DC
2013
March:
The Two Noble Kinsmen, American Shakespeare Center;
Julius Caesar, ASC. High school performance, marvelous energy.
Rene Thornton (Brutus) and Sarah Fallon (Cassius) led the way.
The Tempest, Synetic Theater, Arlington, VA.
April:
Coriolanus, Shakespeare Theatre Co., Washington, DC
June:
Antony and Cleopatra, Chesapeake Shakespeare Co., Ellicott City,
Isabelle Anderson (Cleopatra) was superb.
September:
Measure for Measure, Shakespeare Theatre Co., Washington, DC
Setting in 1930s Vienna, staging that triplicates prison, convent,
and brothel was superb. Jonathan Munby, Director.
October:
All’s Well That Ends Well, ASC, Staunton, directed by Ralph Alan
Cohen. Thoroughly delightful, an unexpected treat. Great banter
in scenes between Helena (Tracie Thompson) and Lavatch
(Gregory John Phelps) and Lafew (Rene Thornton) and Parolles
(Benjamin Curns).
Return to the Forbidden Planet (The Tempest), ASC. A fun 1950s
musical of Forbidden Planet, but not Shakespeare.
Titus Andronicus, Taffety Punk Theatre Co., Washington, DC
Isabelle Anderson (Titus), Tiernan Madorno (Aaron) the
standouts.
November:
King John, WSC Avant Bard, Arlington, VA. Good production, with
strong performances by Ian Anderson (King John), Bruce Alan
Rauscher (Philip ‘Bastard’ Faulconbridge), Christopher Henley
(Cardinal Pandulph).
December:
Macbeth, Vivan Beaumont Theatre, Lincoln Center, NY. Ethan
Hawke (not a fan) and Anne-Marie Duff (rose to the role at times).
Men played witches, which worked over all, with John Glover
(also the Porter) especially good, and Byron Jennings and Malcolm
Gets also good. Production did include Hecate, well played by
Francesca Faridany. Other roles were really so-so (Banquo,
Macduff, Malcolm) and Richard Easton almost comically unroyal
as Duncan.
2014
March:
Richard III, Folger Shakespeare Theatre. Drew Cortese, Alyssa
Wilmoth Keegan (Lady Anne), Naomi Jacobson (Queen Margaret),
Julia Motyka (Queen Elizabeth), Paul Morella (King Edward).
Ultimately disappointing. Cortese too glib as Richard III, no real
sinister/pathological edge to the character. The other male
characters cookie-cutter the same: virile, toned, demonstrative,
except for Morella as Edward, who had good range. The women
were better, especially Jacobson. Nice seeing Alyssa Wilmoth
(Keegan) again, but this role not nearly as memorable as her
Cordelia and Viola at ASC in 2008 (Alyssa married, not James, but
his brother John!). Motyka came alive in her one-on-one with
Richard when he tries to use her to woo daughter Elizabeth.
March:
Timon of Athens, American Shakespeare Center. René Thornton,
Apemantus (Josh Innerst), Flavius (Tim Sailer), others in multiple
roles. Usual high ASC standards; superb dialogue, with crackling
interchanges between Timon with both Apemantus and Flavius.
Innerst and Flavius are newcomers to ASC, as is Abbi Hawk, and all
three are wonderful.
October:
Pericles, Prince of Tyre, American Shakespeare Center,
Rene Thornton (Gower), Gregory Jon Phelps (Pericles), James
Keegan (Antiochus), Sarah Fallon (Dionyza), Allison Glenzer
(Lychordia, Bawd). ASC stalwarts wonderful as always, with
Thornton setting the tone as a expansive tongue-in-cheek Gower.