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| Doug Schutte and Ryan Watson in Chasing Ophelia. Photo - The Bard's Tow.n |
Chasing
Ophelia
Written
by Doug Schutte
Directed
by Scot Atkinson
Review
by Keith Waits
Entire
contents are copyright © 2013 Keith Waits. All rights reserved.
I missed seeing this play, a
wholly original piece of material from Doug Schutte, in its premiere production
almost (can it really be?) two years ago. Luckily, since it features a nearly
identical cast, we can see what I imagine to be a very close approximation of
the original. Allowing for the inevitable growth and development of these
actors, it might even be an improvement.
A hapless fellow by the name
of Ned Mark enters and seems to have little to no sense of himself. That is
because he is a character devised by a writer, or ”Creator,” but incomplete. Lacking
in motivation or details, the plot follows his journey after a young woman
named Joy, who seems to be in the same pickle. She attaches herself to William Shakespeare
and the character of Ophelia, and before long Ned begins to encounter all
manner of people from Hamlet, Julius
Caesar and MacBeth.
The post-modernist
examination of the relationship between fictional characters and the writer who
created them is nothing new. But if you believe it has been thoroughly
exhausted, think again. This script is smart, quick and very funny; and it
succeeds, in part, because it chooses to occupy a limited world of literary
reference: the works of Shakespeare. Not that such environs are not populated sufficiently
enough to allow over-indulgence, but Mr. Schutte never over-reaches in his
attempts to spin our minds in circles. He achieves a fine-tuned balance of
circular narrative and populist sense of humor that engages the intellect
without unduly straining credulity.
We know the cast is familiar
with the material, but that doesn’t entirely account for the expert playing and
comic timing. These guys are good. Director Scot Atkinson keeps the action
disciplined but leaves the actors enough space to go slightly out on a limb. Ryan Watson as Ned displays one of the driest, surest deadpans
in town and guides us through the convoluted plot machinations with confidence.
Beth Tantanella brings effortless charm and energy to Joy, and the various
alter egos she inhabits. John Scheker, the one cast member who was not in the
first production, seems entirely at home here, and his authoritative,
professorial presence is just right; while Tad Timberlake’s impossibly rich,
plumy voice effectively contrasts against the silliness and only makes it
funnier. The silliness factor is ratcheted up by Jason Cooper and author
Schutte, who make such a good comedy duo that one wonders why Mr. Schutte’s
obviously fertile mind doesn’t get busy dreaming up a new script that could
highlight their effective chemistry.
This highly entertaining
remount opens The Bard’s Town’s third season of original productions.
Besides their own shows, the cozy venue hosts various other companies and
boasts a performance calendar with nary an empty weekend. I dare say that there
is not another theatre space in town that can claim such a varied roster of and
as many offerings from Louisville-based companies. That it houses a regular
company committed to original work, often by local writers, is as important as
the Shakespeare-centric menu offered in the first floor restaurant.
Chasing Ophelia
February 21 – March 3, 2013
at 7:30 p.m.
The Bard’s Town
1801 Bardstown Road
Louisville, KY 40205
502-749-5275
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