Happy 457th Birthday, Mr. Shakespeare

 Happy 457^th Birthday, Mr. Shakespeare

The Drilling Company
Shakespeare in the Parking Lot
April 23, 2021

                        Photo courtesy of The Drilling Company                      

How did you spend William Shakespeare’s 457^th birthday?  I spent it at The Drilling Company’s Shakespeare in the Parking Lot celebration at The Clement (107 Norfolk).  Yes, I attended my first live theatre performance in over a year.  It was outdoors, spacious, everyone wore masks (actors and audience), and Shakespeare was performed and celebrated.

If you’ve read this blog before, you know of my respect and admiration for the work of The Drilling Company.  Their Shakespeare in the Parking Lot productions have presented FREE summer Shakespeare on the Lower East Side for twenty-five years.  You might have seen them in Bryant Park Shakespeare in recent years.  This William Shakespeare birthday celebration was an outstanding evening of songs, scenes, and soliloquies.  It started with the conjuring of three witches from the Scottish Play, and ended with Puck’s ”If we shadows have offended…”  One scene seamlessly blended into the next, filling the audience with joy from both the recognition of these recreations of past productions and the healing energy of the long-missed communal theatre experience.  

Director Hamilton Clancy is gifted in making Shakespeare engaging and accessible for a wide range of audience members.  He is dedicated to making quality performances FREE to the public.  He gathers a masterful troupe of skilled actors every season.  The cast of veteran Drilling Company actors in this celebration were enthralling.  They recreated their former roles and gave a sneak peek into what is being considered for this coming summer.  Yes, they will be back this summer both at The Clement (on the Lower East Side) and at Bryant Park.  Planning is still underway so check their website (drillingcompany.org) for up to date information.  Keep in mind that seating will probably be limited due to social distancing, so even though ALL performance are FREE, reservation will need to be made in advance. 

Domenick Danza

Othello

Othello

The Drilling Company

Bryant Park Shakespeare

August 31, 2019

Photo courtesy of The Drilling Company

The Drilling Company brings the summer to a dramatic close with their Bryant Park Shakespeare production of Othello.  Director Hamilton Clancy brings together a talented cast who delivers moving performances of these classic characters.  His choice of modernizing the costumes and setting allows for accessibility to the complex story line and simplicity to the stage pictures.

Iago (played by David Marantz), a third ranking officer, is passed over for a promotion by Othello (played by Emmanuel Elpenord), the top ranking General.  When Othello secretly marries Desdemona (played by Liz Livingston), Iago sees an opportunity to seek his revenge.  He plans to fill Othello’s head with lies about Desdemona cheating on him with Cassio (played by Bradford B. Frost).  The proud and strong general falls into Iago's deceit,  and is overcome with jealousy and emotion.  His reactions and behavior threatens his own authority.  Once Iago supplies physical proof of this fabricated story, provided by his unsuspecting wife, Emilia (played by Karla Hendrick), Othello is easily manipulated into take desperate action.

Liz Livingston & Emmanuel Elpenard
Photos courtesy of The Drilling Company

Emmanuel Elpenord is a solid and commanding Othello.  He builds a trusting and open relationship with David Marantz’s Iago.  The two men have a strong chemistry, which makes the plot build and unfold in a believable manner.  David Marantz plays Iago’s duality with a balance of charm and cunning that creates an aura of evil treachery.  Liz Livingston portrays Desdemona with grace and sincerity, which heightens the impact of the tragic ending.  Karla Hendrick is outstanding as Emilia.  You gain a visceral understanding of her marriage to Iago through her glances, tone, and physicality.  Her respect and care for Desdemona are genuine.  Bradford B. Frost portrayal of Cassio is honest and bold.  Jack Sochet, David Sitler, Kendra Lee Oberhauser, Kyle Maxwell, and Jake Lesh also deliver strong performances.

Photo courtesy fo The Drilling Company
& Bryant Park Shakespeare

Othello is playing at Bryant Park at 7:00 PM, Thursday through Saturday, September 5-7.   This is your last chance to enjoy FREE Summer Shakespeare.  After twenty-five years of producing outdoor Shakespeare in NYC, The Drilling Company is one of the best.  Make it a classic ending to your summer and go see it.

Domenick Danza

Hamlet

Hamlet

The Drilling Company

Shakespeare in the Parking Lot

July 28, 2018

Photo courtesy of The Drilling Company

Celebrating their 24^th year of presenting free Shakespeare on the Lower East Side, The Drilling Company’s Shakespeare in the Parking Lot production of Hamlet rings fresh, truthful, and alive.  Director Karla Hendrick trimmed down Shakespeare’s book, kept the action flowing, and guided the actors to dive deeply into the characters to deliver genuine performances.  Ms. Hendrick makes some bold and brilliant choices, especially in casting women in roles written for men, adding levels of humor and social commentary not normally seen in Hamlet.

Jane Bradley & Una Clancy
Photo courtesy of The Drilling Company

Hamlet (played by Jane Bradley) is visited by the ghost of his father, King Hamlet (played by Bill Green).  He asks Hamlet to avenge his death.  The King was murdered by his brother, Claudius (played by Robert Arcaro), who then married the anguished Queen, Gertrude (played by Una Clancy).  Claudius now wears the crown and plots to get rid of Hamlet.  Hamlet feigns madness in order to prove the ghost’s message and plan his revenge.  

Jane Bradley is remarkable as Hamlet.  Her melancholy is heartfelt and her madness is cunning.  She takes the audience deeply into Hamlet’s inner thoughts during the soliloquies, bringing nuance and clarity to every word.  Gracie Winchester is charming and coy as Ophelia.  The audience feels for her when she is rejected by Hamlet.  She and Ms. Bradley develop a warm, tender, and truthful connection.  When Hamlet arrives at Ophelia’s burial, Ms. Bradley creates a genuine moment of sorrow and heartache.  

Jane Bradley as Hamlet
Photo courtesy of The Drilling Company

Robert Arcaro and Una Clancy both have a strong presence as Claudius and Gertrude.  Their relationship and position are real, and the tensions between them and Hamlet is tangible.  Elowyn Castle is powerful as Laertes and Ophelia’s mother, Polonia.  The famous advice to Laertes speech is touching and heartfelt.  She then transitions into a political manipulator when playing scenes with Claudius and Gertrude.  John Caliendo delivers an honest performance as Laertes.  The relationship he and Ms. Winchester create as brother and sister is playful and caring.

Aly Byatt and Lulu Fairclough-Stewart bring a humorous aspect to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Hamlets friends from school.  Together the three women have the timing, humor, and bite of set of mean girls.  Strong performances are also delivered by Bill Green, Dan Teachout, Kendra Lee Oberhauser, Niamh Ryan, Colleen Cosgrove, and Margo Tillstrom.

The final performance of Hamlet was July 28.  If you missed it, don’t dismay.  There is one more show in The Drilling Company’s Summer Shakespeare Season.  Macbeth will be performed at Bryant Park on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:00 PM from August 24 through September 8.  It is sure to be a great production.  Yes, it is FREE, so don’t miss it!

Domenick Danza

Gabriel: A Polemic

Gabriel: A Polemic

The Drilling Company

North of History

March 10, 2018

Photo courtesy of The Drilling Company

In her play, Gabriel: A Polemic, playwright C. Denby Swanson exuberantly explores the concept of free will.  The Drilling Company production, now running at North of History, invites the audience into Ms. Swanson’s well developed debate by gathering us around the dinner table with the characters.  The intimate setting, honest performances, and precise direction beautifully blend to make a highly engaging experience.  Director Hamilton Clancy builds the conflicts in Ms. Swanson’s skillful writing with the volatility, faith, and genuine affection that the characters have within their hearts.

Susan (played by Jane Bradley) invites her sisters in faith, Brenda (played by Rachel A. Collins) and Jennifer (played by Brandi Varnell), to Christian Sabbath dinner.  Her topic for discussion is free will.  More specifically: Did the Virgin Mary have free will when Angel Gabriel announced to her she was with child?  Jennifer adamantly quotes the bible to answer Susan’s question.  Brenda has a naive faith in Jennifer’s citations.  Susan is clearly experiencing a crisis of faith.  Six month earlier, she had a miscarriage and continually brings up the hurtful fact that all three of them are unable to bear children.  When Louise (played by Elaine Ivy Harris) arrives, who has been absent from their sisterhood for a number of months, she is pregnant and unmarried.  The four women face their fears, doubts, and resentments as their debate gets personal and heated.

Jane Bradley, Brandi Varnell, Rachel A. Collins, & Elaine Ivy Harris
Photo courtesy of The Drilling Company

Jane Bradley portrays Susan with a dexterous balance of cynicism and hope.  Her actions are fueled by a deep longing for support, understanding, and forgiveness.  The reveal of the specific cause of her crisis is genuine and heartbreaking.  Elaine Ivy Harris is honest and open as Louise.  She is vulnerable in her opening monologue, then skillfully transitions her demeanor when confronted by her sisters at the dinner table.  This creates a clear and emotional arc for her character.  Brandi Varnell’s Jennifer is resolute and impassioned.  She vehemently takes on Susan’s challenge and has no trouble judging Louise’s situation.  Ms. Varnell takes the character to her breaking point.  She finally waivers, but never fully relinquishes her point of view.  Rachel A. Collins’ portrayal of Brenda is fresh and trusting.  When the character finally breaks out of her passive exterior toward the end of the play, we see the depth of her optimism, dedication, and true belief. 

Playwright C. Denby Swanson
Photo courtesy of C. Denby Swanson

C. Denby Swanson wrote four extraordinary characters.  They are intelligent, zealous, and complex.  Mr. Clancy keeps the action focused so you can appreciate the polemic (a passionate, strongly worded, and often controversial argument) from all sides.  Gabriel: A Polemic is playing through March 26 at North of History (445 Columbus Ave., between 81^st and 82^nd St., NYC).    Get your tickets on smarttix and be prepared to have your point of view challenged.

Domenick Danza

Twelfth Night

Twelfth Night

The Drilling Company

Bryant Park Shakespeare

July 29, 2017

 

Photo courtesy of Bryan Park Shakespeare

The Drilling Company’s production of Twelfth Night fills Bryant Park with laughter and frivolity.  Director Jane Bradley sets her groovy rendition amid the 1960s free-loving sexual revolution.  Her eye for detail brings out the romantic comedy in Shakespeare’s bawdy, error filled, classic tale.  Her staging and timing keep the action flowing smoothly and the laughs erupting spontaneously.  According to her program notes, Ms. Bradley’s goal was to create a setting that is “peculiar, outrageous, and above all else, a delightful escape,” and she gallantly succeeds.  

Viola (played by Natalie Smith) washes up on the shores of Illyria after her ship is lost at sea.  She disguises herself as a man, Cesario, in order to present herself to Orsino (played by Emmanuel Elpenard), the Duke she remembers as a friend of her deceased father.  Orsino takes her in his service and sends her to deliver a message to his love, Countess Olivia (played by Kathleen Simmonds).  Olivia, uninterested in Orsino, is madly attracted to Cesario, and begins to pursue him, not realizing he is a she.  Meanwhile, her loyal steward, Malvolio (played by Lukas Raphael), is taunted by adversaries in courts, causing him to make a fool of himself to the Countess.  When Viola’s twin brother, Sebastian (played by Brandon Reilly), arrives in Illyria, he is mistaken for the disguised Viola, adding mayhem to the identity confusion. 

The cast of Twelfth Night
Photo courtesy of The Drilling Company

This cast builds relationships that make the production ring true on many levels.  Emmanuel Elpenard is romantic, beguiling, and commanding as Duke Orsino.  He creates a strong bond with Natalie Smith’s Viola.  She is charming and resourceful, and keeps the audience absorbed and engaged throughout the show.  Kathleen Simmonds shines in her interpretation of Olivia.  She is dark, sexy, and bold, and equally matched by Lukas Raphael as Malvolio.  His skill gives him the range to play Malvolio’s serious, egotistical side and then effortlessly hit the comic timing in the later scenes.  Jack Socket (Sir Toby), Jarrod Bates (Sir Andrew), Haylee Louise Simmonds (Maria), and Rachel A. Collins (Fabian) deliver the laughs with warmth and heart by building honest camaraderie among their characters.  Rachel A. Collins’ physical characterization of Curio, a small role in two short scenes early in the play, is superb.  Brandon Reilly and Arif Silverman have a strong chemistry as Sebastian and Antonio that heightens the humor in the final scene as true identities are revealed.

Unfortunately, Twelfth Night only ran for one weekend in Bryant Park.  You will, however, have three weekends to see the upcoming production of The Tempest.  It opens August 25 and runs Fridays and Saturdays at 7:00 PM through September 9.  It will be directed by Lukas Raphael, and is sure to be captivating.

Photo courtesy of The Drilling Company

In addition, be sure to see The Drilling Company’s Shakespeare in the Parking Lot production of Henry VI Part 3, directed by Artistic Director Hamilton Clancy.  It runs Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:00 PM through Aug. 12 at the Clemente Cultural & Educational Center Parking Lot.  Check the website for directions (shakespeareintheparkinglot.com).  All these shows are FREE.  You have no excuse not to attend. 

Domenick Danza

Measure for Measure

Measure for Measure

The Drilling Company

Bryant Park Shakespeare

September 2, 2016

Photo courtesy of The Drilling Company

The summer might be coming to an end, but there is one more free Bryant Park Shakespeare performance to enjoy.  The Drilling Company’s Measure for Measure is playing Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays through September 17.  Director Hamilton Clancy brings life to one of Shakepeare’s darker comedies with a remarkable cast and colorful concept.  He sets the play in present day in Viennaville, Louisiana with singing and live music that frame the action and energize the pace.

The synopsis from The Drilling Company’s program:  “Mayor “Duke” Vincentio, seeing his beloved town torn by lax oversight of the law, leaves Emergency Financial Manager Angelo in charge of righting the city.  Angelo decides to begin arresting people for petty offenses and putting them to death to show he’s serious.  Claudio is thrown into prison for getting Juliet pregnant (different Juliet from Romeo).  He asks his pal Lucio if he’ll go to the Nunnery and ask his sister Isabella to plead for mercy for him.  She does.  The righteous manager sees an opportunity to manage more than the city.  Meanwhile, Vincentio disguises himself as a Friar, visits prison, learns of Angelo’s proposition to Isabella, and plots to help her win mercy for Claudio.”

The Stage at Bryant Park
Photo courtesy of Bryant Park Shakespeare

Lukas Raphael is cunning and unscrupulous as Angelo.  Ivory Aquino captures your heart as Isabella.  Together they are beguiling and generate startling intrigue through Shakespeare’s complex scenes.  Emanuel Elpernord commands the Bryant Park stage as Duke Vincentio.  Michael William Bernstein is captivating and entertaining as Lucio.  Jarrod Bates shines in every scene, skillfully portraying six distinct characters ranging from serious to slapstick, as well as playing the trumpet and mandolin.  Rachel A. Collins, Serena E. Miller, Aly Byatt, Eric Paterniani, Kendra Lee Oberhauser, TJ Wagner, Veronica Nolte, Andrew Dahreddine, and Wesley Zurick all create colorful and genuine characters who engage in truthful relationships which conjure a realistic setting that evokes the culture of the Louisiana.

Photo courtesy of The Drilling Company

End the summer season with quality outdoor Shakespeare that The Drilling Company is famous for.  Measure for Measure plays Thursday nights at 9:00 and Friday and Saturday nights at 7:00 through September 17.  All performances are FREE at Bryant Park.

  

Domenick Danza

The Drilling Company's Summer Shakespeare Season

Much Ado About Nothing

Bryant Park

June 4, 2016

Photo courtesy of The Drilling Company

You know the summer is finally here when you find yourself sitting in Bryant Park watching the first production of The Drilling Company’s summer Shakespeare season.  Then it starts to rain.  Yes, the closing night performance of Much Ado About Nothing was rained out about half way through Act II.  The disappointment was high as everyone ran for cover because the production was magical.  Artistic Director Hamilton Clancy is the master of outdoor Shakespeare.  He is a skilled director with a keen insight for how to keep the pace moving, and a focused instinct for great casting. 

McKay Carpenter & Anwen Darcy
Photo courtesy of The Drilling Company

Before it started to rain, the stage was overflowing with enchantment and vitality.  Mary Linehan (as Hero) and Andrew Gombas (as Claudio) were a charming, romantic couple.  The chemistry between McKay Carpenter (as Benedict) and Anwen Darcy (as Beatrice) was fiery and dazzling.  Eric Paterniani’s physical characterization of Conrad was boldly inventive and humorous.  Michael Bernstein’s comic timing delivered a playful Borachio.  Drew Valins created a strong Don Pedro.  Brandon Reilly was charming and endearing as Don John. 

The rain might have prevented the last chance I had to see Much Ado About Nothing, but The Drilling Company has four additional productions coming up this summer.  As You Like It (July 21 - 23) and Measure for Measure (September 1 - 18) will be at Bryant Park.  This marks their third summer partnering with Bryant Park Presents.  Shakespeare in the Parking Lot will celebrate its 21^st year with A Midsummer Night’s Dream (July 7 – 24) and The Merchant of Venice (July 28 – August 14) at the Clemente Cultural Center parking lot (114 Norfolk Street).  All performances are FREE, and are sure to be great experiences.  Check out their website for performance times and details, and enjoy the best summer Shakespeare New York has to offer.  

 

Photo courtesy of The Drilling Company

Domenick Danza

The Taming of the Shrew

The Taming of the Shrew

The Drilling Company

Bryant Park

September 4, 2015

Photo courtesy of
The Drilling Company

The Drilling Company’s production of The Taming of the Shrew opened at Bryant Park on Friday, September 4.  Director Alessandro Colla’s rendition of this raucous Shakespeare comedy takes place in “Padua by the Sea,” a North Eastern fishing town similar to Amity from the move Jaws.  When Petruchio takes on the challenge of conquering the “great white shark” Kate, the outcome is abundant hilarity and true love.

Eric Paterniani, Alessandro Colla, Eli Branson
Photo by Jonathan Slaff, courtesy of The Drilling Company

In addition to directing, Mr. Colla also takes on the role of Petruchio.  His vision for the play is sharp and his interpretation of the character is impeccable.  He is equally matched and challenged by the fiery Evangeline Melody Fontaine as Kate, the shrew.  Mary Linehan is mischievous and beguiling as Bianca, and Lukas Raphael is charming and sincere as Lucentio.  Eric Paterniani and Eli Branson deliver the laughs as Grumio and Curtis.  The entire cast deserves a shout out: Jarrod Bates, Michael Bernstein, Colleen Cosgrove, Jonathan Eric Foster, Bill Galarno, Brandon Reilly, Jack Sochet, and Mike Taylor.  They work as a team creating strong, appealing characters that make this production of The Taming of the Shrew a winner. 

Evangeline Melody Fontaine, Bill Galarno, Mary Linehan
Photo by Jonathan Slaff, courtesy of The Drilling Company

Jen Varbalow’s set design is clean and simple.  She is able to focus the audience’s attention on the specific locations of the play in the expansive Bryant Park outdoor space.  Anna Grossman’s sound design transports the audience to these locations with updated music and atmospheric effects.

This is the final production of The Drilling Company’s 2015 summer season.  Over the past six months, Artistic Director Hamilton Clancy successfully produced five free outdoor Shakespeare performances in two different locations in the city.  The Taming of the Shrew plays at Bryant Park Fridays and Saturday at 6:30 PM and Sundays at 2:00 PM through September 20.  End the summer on a high note… go see it!  Yes, it is FREE!

Domenick Danza

Macbeth

Macbeth

The Drilling Company

Shakespeare in the Parking Lot

August 1, 2015

Photo courtesy of
The Drilling Company

The Drilling Company is batting a thousand this summer with their twenty-first season of Shakespeare in the Parking Lot.  Macbeth opened on July 30 in the parking lot behind The Clemente Soto Velez Cultural and Educational Center (located at 114 Norfolk Street - east side of Norfolk Street between Delancey and Rivington Streets).  The production, directed by Jesse Ontiveros, had a very strong and haunting opening weekend.  It has a limited run, so don’t miss it.

Dan Teachout is solid as Macbeth.  His guilt-ridden downward spiral into destruction is clear and complex.  As Lady Macbeth, Sheri Graubert portrays an insatiable hunger for power that leads to obscure madness.  Together these two actors lead the audience into the depths of Shakespeare’s most haunting play.  Other strong performances are Lucas Calzado as Malcolm, Veronica Cruz as Lady Macduff, Kineta Kunutu as Hecate, and, for most needed comic relief, Bill Green as the drunken Porter. 

Macbeth (Dan Teachout) and the Witches
(Gracie Winchester, Kineta Kunutu, and Llewie Nunez)
Photo by Jonathan Slaff and courtesy of The Drilling Company

Costumes, by Lisa Renee Jordan, and set, by Leontine Greenberg, are simple and effective.  Sound design, by Anna Grossman, adds just the right texture needed to transform the informal parking lot into a dark castle, a witch’s forest, and a bloody battlefield.

Macbeth runs Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8:00 PM through August 15.  Admission is FREE, so get there!  The final show of the Shakespeare in the Parking Lot season will be The Taming of the Shrew at Bryant Park September 4 – 20.  Mark your calendars!  It is sure to be another classic sensation from The Drilling Company.

Domenick Danza

As You Like It

As You Like It

The Drilling Company

Shakespeare in the Parking Lot

July 11, 2015

Photo courtesy of
The Drilling Company

There is only one thing better than free outdoor Shakespeare in New York City, and that is free outdoor Shakespeare produced by The Drilling Company and performed in the middle of a New York City parking lot.  As You Like It marked the opening of Shakespeare in the Parking Lot’s twentieth season and was greeted with an enthusiastic audience reaction.  The Drilling Company consistently and successfully creates an intimate performing venue in an open, public space where everyone can experience and appreciate the poetry of classic theatre.

Artistic Director Hamilton Clancy is an expert in making Shakespeare accessible in this informal setting.  He has gathered together an extremely skilled ensemble of sixteen actors who bring heart and soul to this venture.  Highlights are Jane Bradley’s Rosalind paired with Ahmed A. Kouddous’ Orlando, and matched by Elaine Ivy Harris’ Celia.  Scott Baker delivers a touching Seven Ages of Man Speech, while Bill Green depicts tenderness in the manservant Adam.  Alessandro Colla and Hayley Louise Simmonds are both vibrant as Touchstone and Audrey.  Eric Paterniani will

The cast of As you Like It
Photos courtesy of The Drilling Company

make you laugh as both LeBeau and William.  Brandon Reilly’s idealistic Silvius plays well against Rachel Collins’ vivacious Phoebe.  All in all, the cast is astounding.

For those of you who have experienced Shakespeare in the Parking Lot before, you need to know they have changed locations.  The new parking lot is behind The Clemente Soto Velez Cultural and Educational Center (located at 114 Norfolk Street - east side of Norfolk Street between Delancey and Rivington Streets).  As You Like It runs Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8:00 PM through July 25, followed by three weeks of Macbeth.  The Drilling Company is also

Shakespeare in the parking Lot
Photo courtesy of Eric Paterniani

producing Romeo & Juliet at Bryant Park from July 17 through August 2.  All performances are FREE!  Take advantage of these great opportunities to see quality work by a quality company.

Domenick Danza