Shakespeare's Labour Not Lost on Riverside

by James Trainor

Love's Labour's Lost is a tough play. Sitting down with the text, one can easily become lost in the footnotes, attempting to parse corrupted Latin and borrowed French and skimming through long diversion into European history. Also disconcerting is the play's style, which hops swiftly from traditional English comedy to Commedia dell'arte and back for eight scenes and suddenly somersaults into a third, highly unexpected thing in the last 200 lines.

One wonders what Shakespeare is up to. He treats us to a delightful romp, then pulls the rug under us; a tactic not unheard of, but Shakespeare seems to wait until we're flying on a magic carpet to perform his coup de théâtre. Fortunately, Riverside's company does a spectacular job of embracing the dizzying heights of the ride as well as plumbing the troubling depths of the fall.

The plot is actually quite simple and very amusing. The King of Navarre (played here with comic dignity by Zachary Andrews) has entered into a legal contract with his friends to endure three years of rigorous study without the distractions of women. Berowne (Michael Daniel Anderson) is quick to point out that these restrictions are not only too harsh, but are, in fact, impossible to keep: the Princess of France and her coterie of beautiful ladies has just arrived to do business with the King. Puffed with pride, they sign anyway, and in a delightfully awkward scene the King must explain to the Princess that, due to his oath, he cannot welcome them inside and they must spend their visit in a field a mile away. His friends, meanwhile, are smitten with the French women and immediately begin to write gushing sonnets behind each other's backs.

The main plot is interspersed with pastoral scenes involving characters lifted from the Italian Commedia dell'arte. Armado, the braggart (Tim Budd in a hilarious triumph), has been smitten with the country girl Jaquenetta (Jessica Flood), and must use his rival Costard (Patrick DuLaney) as a go-between. The characters here are larger than life, crass, unpolished, and extremely funny. DuLaney is at his comic best as Costard, finding ample opportunities to wink at the audience in a play loaded with double-entendres. David Tull creates a wonderfully bumbling cop in Constable Dull, and Jody Hovland a particularly preposterous pedant as the learned Holofernes. Dennis Florine is the quick-witted Moth, and he delivers his comic asides with excellent precision and timing.

The whole thing is a laugh riot. It's fun to watch the men make fools of themselves (with a little help from the women) in the main plot, and the Commedia scenes, with their bawdy humor and over-the-top staging, remind us why these characters have such a central place in theatrical history. The resolution, however, is an unexpected and disorienting sudden shift in tone.

Instead of dovetailing together as in most Shakespeare plays, the two worlds practically collide. During the Pageant of the Nine Worthies, Holofernes presents to the court Judas Maccabeus - not to be confused with Judas Iscariot. The lords delight in just this confusion, however, and mercilessly mock the poor scholar. Deflated, he pleads for dignity, "This is not generous, not gentle, not humble." The scene, played with incredible skill by Jody Hovland, casts a pall on the festivities. The pageant continues, however, until it is interrupted by Costard, who challenges Armano over Jaquenetta (now pregnant by Armano). This too is interrupted by a messenger bearing dark tidings: the King of France has just died, and the Princess is now the Queen. The French women, ever more coolly rational than the impulsive men, declare they will not hear any suits of love for a period of one year and prepare to depart.

If this sounds like a mystifying and illogical series of events, that's because it's intended to be. The moment is so awkward, in fact, that the characters feel the need to comment on it.

"Our wooing doth not end like an old play," complains Berowne. "Jack hath not Jill. These ladies' courtesy might well have made our sport a comedy." Berowne is appealing to the spirit of cooperation, suggesting the women should enter into marriage simply to appease the expectations of dramatic structure. It sounds ridiculous because it is. Shakespeare is insisting we take a closer look at this whole "romantic comedy" business.

Think about it. Don't you ever want to grab Romeo by the shoulders and just shake him? "Think for a second, lover boy! You just met this woman." The trappings of stage romance, like Berowne's sonnets, are quite ridiculous. Of course, the idea of "love at first sight" does not go unexamined in Romeo & Juliet; in fact, it's laid quite bare in Friar Lawrence's admonitions and in Juliet's own reservations. Juliet, however, gives in to her youthful passion, and pays the price. In Love's Labour's Lost we see the same notions rebuked by more mature women.

The smart scenes with the French women are a great contrast to the silly romps of the lovesick men, though Ron Clark is a bit too bombastic as the subtle and smarmy Boyet. The women, very civilized and composed in early twentieth century blue summer-dresses, are a delight. Kalen Harriman is charming as the willful Princess of France, though she is frequently upstaged by Cristina Panfilio as the sassy Rosaline. Panfilio is bright, quick, and plays the courting game with a playfulness that somehow does not tarnish the serious tone beneath it. When she chides Berowne, she does so with the respect of a good teacher who trusts her pupil, and it seems by the end he takes the lesson to heart. She finally decides she will marry him in a year, like the others, but he must spend that year among the terminally ill and see if he still finds himself so funny in front of so tough a crowd.

Whether he passes this test we don't find out. We're left with hope, however, and whatever the ultimate resolution, the play is an interesting reflection on our notions of love and courtship. It reminds us that the vows we make in the heat of summer had better be able to withstand the frigid winter.

Love's Labour's Lost is a great counterpoint to Romeo & Juliet, as the plays deal with similar themes in quite different ways. Riverside's company, under the direction of the Theodore Swetz, does a marvelous job with the bombastic comedy and isn't afraid to address the "problem play" parts of the piece. The result is a night of theatre that is both entertaining and thought-provoking.

Love's Labour's Lost will be presented on the Festival stage in Lower City Park until July 11th, in repertory with Romeo & Juliet. Tickets are $15-$37 and can be reserved by phone at 319.338.7672. See Riverside's website for more information.

2010 Shakespeare festival opens Friday!

Riverside – William Shakespeare's Love’s Labour’s Lost, directed by Theodore Swetz, will open the 2010 Riverside Theatre Shakespeare Festival on June 11. The Festival will also include performances of Romeo and Juliet. All performances are Romeo and Juliet will open on June 18 and the two shows will be performed in rotation at the Riverside Festival Stage in Lower City Park until July 11. This is the first time Riverside has produced Love's Labour's Lost; Romeo and Juliet was last performed in 2002.

One of Shakespeare’s most romantic and wittiest comedies, Love’s Labour’s Lost is a feast of young love, ripe with parody, puns and surprises. A king and his noblemen swear off women to concentrate on their studies. Then, four of France’s most alluring beauties arrive! Kansas City director Theodore Swetz is a founding company member of American Players Theatre in Spring Green, Wisconsin, and is currently head of graduate actor training at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Love’s Labour’s Lost features Zachary Andrews as the young King of Navarre. His lords are played by Michael Daniel Anderson, Andrew Truschinski and Michael Perez. The Princess of France is played by Kalen Harriman; her ladies are Cristina Panfilio, Kersten Haile and Emily Draffen, and an attending lord is played by Riverside co-founder Ron Clark. Comic characters include Tim Budd as Armado the Braggart, Patrick DuLaney as Costard the Clown, David Tull as Dull the Constable, Dan Stearns as Nathaniel the Curate, and Riverside co-founder Jody Hovland as Holofernes the Pedant. Jessica Flood, Andrew Clancy and Dennis Florine round out the cast. The costumes are designed by Lindsay W. Davis, scenic and lighting design by Paul Sannerud, original music and sound design by Timothy Munger.

To make an evening of the Festival, audience members are invited to bring a blanket and enjoy a picnic in City Park. Concession items are available for sale before the show and during intermission. One hour before each main stage performance, patrons may gather at the Green Show stage (located next to the pavilion) to brush up on the plot of that night’s play with original story theatre versions of the evening’s play performed by the Festival Intern Company.

Patrons are also invited to take advantage of Family Night discounts. On Family Nights, up to two adults accompanying a youth (18 or younger) will receive their tickets at the $15 youth price. Family Night performances for Love’s Labour’s Lost are scheduled for June 22 and July 6; Family Night on June 29 will feature Romeo and Juliet. Family Night shows begin at 7 p.m.

Directions to Lower City Park and information about parking can be found at www.riversidetheatre.org. Ticket prices range from $15 to $37, with discounts available for youth, students and seniors. Group discounts are also available. To purchase tickets, call the box office at (319) 338-7672 or visit www.riversidetheatre.org.

2010 Riverside Shakespare shows set

Riverside – Riverside Theatre is proud to announce the plays that will be featured in the 11th annual Riverside Theatre Shakespeare Festival: Romeo and Juliet and Love’s Labour’s Lost. Both shows will run in rotation from June 11 through July 11, 2010 at the Riverside Festival Stage in Iowa City’s lower City Park. Tickets will go on sale in April 2010.

Ron Clark will direct Romeo and Juliet. Perhaps the most enduring love story of all time, the play follows two teenagers pulled by passion into a desperate struggle to be together, despite the violent feud between their families. Clark says he intends to direct a very “romantic and exciting production with lots of good swordplay, dance and a brand new musical score.” Clark is Resident Artist and Production Manager at Riverside Theatre. He directed last summer’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Kansas City director Theodore Swetz will direct Love’s Labour’s Lost. This witty, wild comedy presents four young noblemen who swear off interactions with women in order to focus on intellectual pursuits, only to then be visited by four of France’s most alluring ladies. Swetz says that in the play, “man’s impulsive nature rules the day, but women’s wisdom and depth are ultimately celebrated.” Swetz is a founding company member of American Players Theatre in Spring Green, Wisconsin, and is currently head of graduate actor training at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Romeo and Juliet and Love’s Labour’s Lost will be performed at the Riverside Festival Stage in Lower City Park. For more information, please go here.