Now that the show has closed, and my words cannot deflect one potential audience member from attending, I am moved to register my lonely dissent from the flood of praise for Richmond Shakespeare's recent Comedy of Errors.
I saw the show on a Sunday evening and left after intermission. Although it featured some of my favorite actors - indeed, some of my favorite people - in Richmond, I thought it was an uneven production without much heart.
This isn't going to be a full-on review, because I didn't see the whole show - and because I didn't take notes. But as someone who has performed fairly often with Richmond Shakespeare, and who has continued to support its efforts, I think this Comedy of Errors was emblematic of a disturbing trend.
To me, it was a show that insulted the intelligence of its audience.
In fairness, The Comedy of Errors is not a great play. In many ways, it's a silly play - a door-slamming farce based on highly improbable mistakes of identity. If I had a Shakespeare company, I would probably put it very low on the list of plays I would consider for a season - not down with Titus or Merry Wives, perhaps, but certainly no higher than Pericles.
Merely including Comedy in a season says a certain amount about a company's regard for its audience. Comedy is Shakespeare as a graphic novel. It allows Richmonders of a certain type to tell their social equals, "I saw the Shakespeare at Agecroft" - without having to open their minds, much less their hearts. There aren't many Shakespeare plays which demand so little of an audience.
But having made the decision to stage the play, it is at least important to do it honestly. Comedy is an early play, but it is not devoid of genuine humanity. Antipholus of Syracuse has undertaken a long, arduous journey in order to find a lost brother. Old Egeon has undertaken an even more arduous journey to find his wandering son. Adriana, wife of the other Antipholus, is a heart-broken woman whose husband is straying. Her sister, Luciana, longs for a husband and - when an attractive man finally attempts to woo her - he seems to be her brother-in-law.
In other words, Comedy contains characters with genuine, human emotions. As silly and slapstick as the action is, it gains piquancy from real love, real loss, and real heartbreak.
But very little of this was in evidence at Agecroft Hall - at least in Act I.
There were exceptions - and these generally were to be found among the contingent from Syracuse. Jon Conyer's Antipholus and James Murphy's Dromio seemed, for the most part, to be playing geneuine intentions and genuine emotions. As did Barry Pruitt as Egeon.
The only native Ephesian who matched this honesty was Alex Wiles (Luciana), who was a breath of fresh air in her moments onstage.
I enjoyed these four performances - but not much else. The remaining actors seemed to be playing strictly for laughs - and the cheapest, easiest sort of laughs. Knowing many of these actors - and having worked with more than a few of them - I'm sure they were doing what they were directed to do. But the results were sadly lacking. There was no heart - no humanity - in their over-the-top antics.
There have been some exciting moments since Jan Powell took over Richmond Shakespeare from founding Artistic Director Grant Mudge. Last fall's King John, for example, was a fascinating production of a difficult play.
But I have yet to be blown away by an Agecroft production under the new leadership. Merry Wives was a pleasant romp, but it's not a great play. Cymbeline - a fascinating play, but something of a fireside tale - was simply an odd choice for an outdoor summer festival.
There are those who decree that a critic should not address the choice of a play, but only the manner in which it is acted and staged. I disagree. There are plays which should never be performed, plays which are too often performed, and plays which (if well done) cannot be seen too often.
Besides, I'm not sure I'm a critic, here - or at least, not in the usual way. After twenty years as a professional actor - most of it spent as a resident of the Richmond area - I have seen enough to believe that Richmond's theatrical community will never prosper until it stops congratulating itself and accepts the challenge of having something to say.
That said, I look forward to Richmond Shakespeare's Othello, in hopes that it will aim higher than its adolescent Comedy of Errors.
