‘The Winter’s Tale’ is a Beautifully Staged Production

Posted on December 11, 2018 by Karen Nowosad
The Winter’s Tale by William Shakespeare. The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey 2018. Directed by Bonnie J. Monte . Pictured (left to right):
Ames Adamson as Old Shepherd, Courtney McGowan as Perdita, Patrick Toon as Camillo and Lambert Tamin as Archidamus. Photo credit: Jerry Dalia.

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey completes their 2018 season with Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale.  Last seen at the Theatre in Madison in 2008, The Winter’s Tale combines both a winter theme and some passionate romance for theater goers. This production is a form of a fable which uses the story by the Bard but enhances it with clever scenery, great lighting, music and dance, and a fabulous cast.

Bonnie J. Monte directs a cast of 20 actors in a show categorized as a tragicomedy romance.   As the play opens, all is well and happy in Sicilia where Leontes reigns as King. He is devoted to his wife Hermione and she to him. They have a young son and she is pregnant again; life is good. When Leontes’ long time friend, Polixenes, comes to visit, he wants him to extend his stay. Only when his wife speaks with him does he agree which makes Leontes jealous and suspects them of having an affair. This jealousy leads to a series of incidents which eventually results in Hermione and her son’s deaths. However, her child is born and taken away secretly to Bohemia. Perdita grows up as the child of a shepherd and falls in love with Florizel who is the son of Polixenes.

There is a return to Sicilia in the second act. Leontes, who has been in mourning ever since his wife’s death welcomes Perdita home and makes peace with Polixenes. Everyone goes to see a newly completed statue of Hermione. The highlight of the show occurs when the statue comes to life. This miracle in the play is what make it a fable. It also allows great rejoicing to take place giving a very festival air just right for the holiday season.

Elements of the production

Not only does the story line lend itself to a festive season, but elements of the production also do. The scenery is not elaborate but it is unique and very pretty onstage. The back drop panels are covered in many roles of wrapping tissue paper giving it a soft, wintry look. The lighting is superb throughout the production especially when it hits those back drops with different colors. There is singing, music, and dancing during various parts of the show; something not seen in many Shakespeare plays. The lightness of the music adds a touch of joyfulness to a play that has dark moments alongside of happy ones.

Cast

It is a large cast of 20 that makes up The Winter’s Tale. Each one is very skillful in their roles. Erin Partin plays Hermione, Queen of Sicili, who is passionate and very beautiful especially as she poses as her own statue. Jon Barker plays Leontes. King of Sicilia, who aptly displays extreme jealousy and then grief at the results of his actions. Marion Adler plays Paulina with fire in her character. John Keabler regally plays Polixenes, the King of Bohemia.

Raphael Nash Thompson is eloquent as Antigonus/Time and William Sturdivant plays the conniving Autolycus. Ames Adamson gives a warm glow to the Old Shepard. Patrick Toon plays a noble Camillo and Seamus Mulcahy as the Clown provides a light and active touch. Courtney McGowan as Perdita is a sweet and lovely daughter.

Rounding out the cast are Robert S. Gregory, Ryan Woods, Devin Conway, and Katie Langham. Also there are Joseph Leitess, Léna Chilingerian, Lambert Tamin, David M. Farrington, and two local boys Xander Egbert-Crowe and JeffLin.

Additional information

Running Time: 2 hours 30 minutes with one 15-minute intermission

Location: Shakespeare Theatre of NewJersey is located on the campus of Drew University. Go to the Main Stage, F. M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre, 36 Madison Avenue, Madison, NJ 07940.

Performances: Tuesdays – Sundays

Contact for Info and Tickets: Patrons can call the Box Office at 973-408-5600 or visit www.ShakespeareNJ.org

Tickets

The 30 UNDER 30 program is available for this show. Patrons aged 30 and under can purchase tickets for only $30 with a valid ID, subject to availability. There are also $15 student rush tickets, which are available 30 minutes prior to each performance with a valid student ID, as well as a limited number of Pay What You Can tickets for every performance on a first come, first served basis.

Special performances

Symposium Series: For The Winter’s Tale, the symposia will be held following the Tuesday, December 11 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, December 15 at 2:00 p.m., and Saturday, December 22 at 2:00 p.m. performances.

The Know the Show pre-show talks: Offered free-of-cost. Prior to the show, an artist from The Shakespeare Theatre presents a pre-performance talk providing background information and an inside perspective on the production. This program is free with the purchase of a performance ticket, and for The Winter’s Tale will be held on Thursday, December 13 at 7:00 p.m., with the show beginning at 8:00 p.m.

The closed captioned performance for The Winter’s Tale will be on Sunday, December 9 at 7:30 p.m.

The Audio Described performance will be on Sunday, December 16 at 7:30 p.m. For more information, please contact the Box Office or visit the website.

A student matinee performance will be offered on Wednesday, December 19 and Thursday, December 20 at the very affordable price of $17 per ticket.

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The Ride Holiday Edition: A Great Way to Celebrate the Season

Posted on December 11, 2018 by Karen Nowosad
The Ride Motor Coach

New York City is a town that roles out the Red Carpet for all to enjoy during  wonderful season of celebration. Starting with the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and running through the first week of January, there is much to do and see. In conjunction with that celebration is a unique attraction called The Ride, Holiday Edition which runs now through January 6, 2019. The mother ship, The Ride, runs all year. Created, written and directed  by Richard Humphrey, it has won many awards including its sixth TripAdvisor® Certificate of Excellence Award. If you walk the streets of New York City, you are bound to have seen the boldly painted Motor Coaches used for The Ride.

The Ride is designed to give people an opportunity to see the sights and the streets become a stage as performers speak to you, dance, sing, or both.  An unscripted part is the way typical New Yorkers just walk past the street performers and carry on about their own business. But it is also fun to see people walking who spot the ride and wave to you on the bus.

I had an opportunity to take The Holiday Edition of The Ride on a very busy Saturday night in December.   In addition to being a freelance writer, I am  also a Licensed New York City Tour Guide and the area that they cover is in my agenda for walking tours. So I was interested to see how they would handle this busy area.

How was is? In a word, it was fun. But it was more than that. Please read on!

Very Good Customer Service

Departure time was scheduled for 7:00. We were asked to arrive at 42nd and 8thAve. at least 15 minutes before that which my companion and I dd. When we got there, it was obvious to see that 42nd Street was experiencing major traffic which caused gridlock leading into and past 8th Avenue. When there was no bus by 7:00, the staff immediately came and informed us of a problem and gave an estimate of when the bus would arrive. That alone would have been enough, but they also came around to each group and spent time talking with us. They were personable, funny, and they really helped pass the time.  They continued to update us and were right on target with the bus arrival. By 7:45 we were loading onto the Motor Coach for our experience.

The Ride Motor Coaches

As a long-legged person who needs ample seating, I can attest to the fact that The Ride is very comfortable. Seating is set up in three rows stadium style facing out one side of the motor coach. The seating goes higher on each row so there is no one blocking your view. Temperature inside the coach was just right especially on a night where the mercury was starting to drop.

Inside the motor coach, there are interactive screens with custom created videos.  Speakers are mounted that play music created for The Ride. There are LED light panels and software to run everything that is comparable to that used in a Broadway show. It is a totally unique experience to go through New York City in this motor coach. It’s part tour vehicle and part live theater. The driver knew how to smoothly drive through the traffic. I don’t know when I have ever felt so comfortable riding through New York City.

To see what happens on The Ride, Holiday Edition, take a look at this video.

What We Saw and Experienced

As we began our trip, two guides, a man and a woman, introduced themselves. It’s hard to define who works in these positions as they are part tour guide, part group facilitators, and another part entertainer including singing and stand-up comedy. They did a wonderful job on the 90-minute excursion as they interacted with the performers located on the street. In between stops, they engaged in discussion with us bus riders as they told us many things about the attractions, we were riding past. Traffic continued to be heavy so there were times we slowed down.The two had plenty of information and quips to keep the show going at a lively pace.

The Holiday Edition of The Ride goes past many of the sights so popular this time of year. We rode past the tree at Rockefeller Center and saw the Saks Department Store beautifully lit up. An unexpected highlight was riding past Bryant Park as we saw one side of the Holiday Markets lit up. We rode up 8th Avenue and had a performer dressed as a grown up Tiny Tim follow us and sing and dance for several block. As we approached Columbus Circle we saw the Time Warner Building and several other large facilities elaborately decorated. At Columbus Circle, we stopped and watched a ballerina start dancing by the famous statue in the Circle. A partner came out and they performed to music from the Nutcracker.

As we continued our journey back to 42nd Street, we encountered several more street performers who sang and even did some break dancing on the sidewalk.  As our journey ended back at 42nd and 8th, we were very happy with all that we saw and experienced on our trip.

Who Will Enjoy The Ride Holiday Edition?

Promotional materials advertise this for shoppers, students, seniors, groups, and corporate holiday parties.

I would also include:

Tourists looking for a unique event.

Local people can enjoy this too because it gives them a chance to get a good look at all the lovely decorations, lights, and attractions with the ease of being seated and not having to do walking or driving themselves.

All in all,The Ride Holiday Edition is a very enjoyable experience. It gives you a chance to see the sights and enjoy the spirit of the holidays New York City style.

For more information, visit The Ride’s website.

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‘A Doll’s House, Part 2’ Questions Answered and New Ones Arise

Posted on December 7, 2018 by Karen Nowosad
A Doll’s House, Part 2 GSP 11-18 208 A Doll’s House, Part 2, by Lucas Hnath, directed by Betsy Aidem at George Street Playhouse 11/25/18 Scenic and Media Design: Deb O Costume Design: Olivera Gajic Lighting Design: Rick Fisher Hair and Wig Design: Troy Beard Photo Credit: T Charles Erickson © T Charles Erickson Photography tcepix@comcast.net

A Doll’s House, Part 2 by Lucas Hnath is playing now through December 23rd at New Brunswick’s George Street Playhouse. This play ran on Broadway in 2017 and received eight Tony Awards Nominations and a Tony for Best Leading Actress Laurie Metcalf.  The play is the story of what happened to Nora Helmer of Henrik Ibsen’s classic play A Doll’s House, as she returns to the house she left 15 years earlier. No prior knowledge of the original play is necessary. According to George Street Playhouse’s Artistic Director, David Saint, “This is a contemporary sequel and stands on its own as a fantastic comedy.”

Betsy Aidem directs this show which is a comedy, but there is a good amount of drama as the play unfolds. Ms. Aidem brings with her a strong acting background which may account for the way the play moves at such a fine pace. The well written dialogue helps bring the action to life to tell and develop the story. The show runs approximately 85 minutes with no intermission, but it does not lag at all.

The set is very basic. It is a bare bones room with the famous door Nora goes through when she leaves 15 years before and returns through in this show. The presence of such a sparse room allows the focus to remain on the actors as they move through the achievements and heartaches of their lives.

the play as a barometer of action

A Doll’s House, Part 2 has special appeal for anyone interested in the progress of women over the years. The original Ibsen play caused a sensation because it showed a woman who realized her marriage was a sham. She walks out on her husband and three children. So now, in this new contemporary play, Nora returns to the home she shared with her husband. She is first greeted by Anne Marie who helps take  care of the household. She tells her of the success she has had making her way in the world as a woman alone earning her living as a writer. And as happened to other women who wrote in that time period, she represented herself as being male. Legal issues have come about and she needs to discuss them with Torvald.

Photo Credit: T Charles Erickson © T Charles Erickson Photography tcepix@comcast.net

What occurs in their discussions is surprising. It allows theater goers to see Nora, who is regarded as an early champion of better rights for women, to delve into the price she pays for what she gained. It also gives a good view into Torvald, and the price he did not pay. When information comes out about what he did to protect his own image in town, feelings of resentment arise. As a man in that society, he was able to come out on top and equality for both partners in the marriage does not exist.

With superb acting by Kellie Overbey as Nora and Andrew Garman as Torvald, we see the dynamics of a couple who were in a marriage with all the customs and expectations of that time period, late 1800’s. Without giving away too much, let it suffice to say that Torvald continued a style of behavior that drove Nora out. The resolution of what he did may surprise you and it may not. Casting also includes Ann McDonough as the outspoken Anne Marie and Lily Santiago as one of the couple’s three children who is a lovely and understanding woman.

In the end, we have answers to what Nora did during those 15 years. But we end up with new questions as to what her future will hold for her. Did Nora give in too quickly to Torvald because in the end, she didn’t really believe in herself? This is a question you might find yourself asking when you see this very fine production. A Doll’s House Part 2 gives theater goers something to sink their teeth into besides tasty cookies this holiday season.0000

For more information about the show or to purchase tickets, visit George Street Playhouse’s  website.

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