Coming Attractions: "As You Like It"

Overlapping with performances of Measure for Measure, we're now in full-time rehearsal mode for the beloved comedy As You Like It, opening March 28.

Directed by Andrew Hamm, with costumes designed by Rebecca Cairns, the show stars Patrick Bromley, Frank Creasy, Sunny LaRose, Adam Mincks, and Julia Rigby. Frank is a mainstay of our stage, having appeared in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Twelfth Night, and The Tempest, the latter which also showcased Patrick's comedic skills. It's been a decade since Sunny has played with Richmond Shakespeare, and Julia and Adam are both making their debuts with us.

This production celebrates Richmond Shakespeare's (then the Encore Theatre Company's) first-ever Shakespearean production over a decade ago, and is being presented in our trademark five-actor format, complete with cross-dressing and chaos. I've been describing it as "a love letter to the five-actor format." Patrick plays both the romantic Orlando and the love-struck Audrey. Frank begins as the usurping Duke Frederick and finishes the play as the melancholy Jaques, who muses, "All the world's a stage..." Sunny is our story's hero, the brilliant Rosalind, who disguises herself as a boy; she also gives a hilarious turn as the bumpkin William. Adam is our big character actor, playing the flamboyant LeBeau, the wicked older brother Oliver, the clown Touchstone, and the, ahem, "irresistible" Phebe. Julia brings spunk and smarts to Celia and unrequited devotion to poor spurned Silvius.

Somehow, four couples must be married by the end of this show. How that's going to work with only five actors? You'll have to come out and see.

It's a play about love and hate, devotion and despair, brothers and cousins, fathers and daughters, country life versus city life. Mostly, though, it's about a girl dressed as a boy pretending to be a girl. Comedy!

We began the rehearsal process by working with ComedySportz's Christine Walters on improv, then Jill Bari Steinberg on multiple-character skills, and these two ladies have really made their mark on this show. I'm now in the process of composing the music for the show, and I'm pretty excited about finally taking advantage of the fact that our theatre has a Bosendorfer baby grand piano in it...

The show previews on March 27th and opens on the 28th. Don't miss it!

RAPT-urous Music from Liz Blake & Andrew Hamm

This past Monday night was our monthly gathering of voting members and at-large folk of the Richmond Alliance of Professional Theatres (RAPT), of which Christine Walters is president. This was called a Thirteenth Night celebration, held at ComedySportz, Walters' professional improv theatre company/club (RAPT's event has previously been held at Fielden’s on or about Twelfth Night each year). ComedySportz is doing great work there in a leetle hole-in-the-wall place at Staples Mill and Glenside. Really great. We also shared New Year’s Eve with this hilarious troupe, and if you get the chance, check out their shows. (And, see RS actors Pete Schmidt and Stephen Ryan, at ComedySportz on March 6&8, part of "Cousin Sheckie Improv!")

So, before the festivities, RAPT approved an important structure of RAPT’s foundation for Richmond Theatre Artists. Those in our community who fall on the hardest of times, whether due to illness, injury or extenuating circumstances, who have made significant contributions to Richmond’s theatre scene, may apply for financial aid. Artists dealing with life-threatening disease, life-altering circumstances may apply, or others may apply on their behalf, for assistance. It’s a great program, for whom the fiscal agent is Theatre IV/Barksdale; the fund is run through the Community Foundation. Great folks, great oversight, great mission. Win, win, win. Call our offices if you have any questions. (804-232-4000)

We were pleased to pass this policy structure, which was recommended by the Community Foundation, to govern the fund. Thereafter, Richmond Shakespeare offered to host one of the upcoming meetings. (summertime, to help showcase our wonderful summer venue at Agecroft Hall) Richmond artists do indeed take care of their own.

Next, Liz Blake and Andrew Hamm kicked off the entertainment portion of the evening, singing with skill, beauty, pleasure, grace and passion. In a word, they were fantastic. I’m biased, but I love to hear them sing. They kicked off their set (the evening included standup and improv to follow, but these guys were one hell of an opening act) with "Honor Riches Marriage Blessing," the primary song Andrew composed for this past summer’s 2006 production of The Tempest, followed by a song from Measure for Measure, also lyrics-by-Shakespeare-music-by-Hamm. The song, and its placement in the top of our show’s second half are consistently my favorite moments of Measure. They followed this with a piece from Andrew’s graduate thesis adaptation of Grammy winner Joe Jackson’s Night and Day, "Breaking Us In Two," which showed their full harmonic range together and showcased Liz splendidly scoring passionate low, LOW notes with aplomb. They sounded great. Andrew rounded out the evening with a song inspired by his experiences on Measure, and it might have been sung from the perspective of Angelo, “feasting on her eyes.”

All in all, a great evening. Four chances left to see Hamm & Blake in Measure for Measure.