Shakespeare in Hollywood is light-hearted with a whimsical twist.
Todd Dickinson, left, Kevin Shafer and Lindsay Branton appear in the Scarborough Players' production of, 'Shakespeare in Hollywood'.
Photo/COURTESY
In Ken Ludwig's Shakespeare in Hollywood, the opening show for Scarborough Players, hilarity ensues as Shakespearean characters meet Hollywood's golden age starlets and producers in this fast-paced comedy about love, mishaps and the making of a Hollywood movie.
The theatre was set reminiscent of old Hollywood. A large red carpet with the stars of the 1930s gracing us with their presence for the opening of famous director, Max Reinhardt's (Ben Gans) new picture, A Midsummer's Night Dream by William Shakespeare.
A nice element of this play is that it's based on a real premise - Reinhardt escaping Austria when Hitler came into power to make this film, and contained real people from history such as reporter Louella Parsons (Robin Phillips), actress Olivia Darnell or de Havilland in real life (Lindsay Branton), Will Hays (Chris Hardess) and Joe E Brown (Kevin Shaver).
The action begins after actress Lydia Lansing (Marisa King) who is dating one of the Warner Brothers, Jack (Tom Girling), convinces him to make Max's movie. It gets interesting when characters from A Midsummer Night's Dream, Oberon (Luke Robinson), the King of the Fairies and his servant Puck (Anna Ross), end up on set after a travel spell goes wrong.
Not sure what to do or how to get back, the two end up fascinated by elements of modern-day life, such as champagne and sunglasses, while embroiled in all the drama that ensued while making this picture which ironically, is about them.
Spells are cast by Puck that go horribly (and hilariously) wrong and those who anger Oberon pay the price, but after he meets Olivia, an actress in the movie, the love affair brings a sweetness and fairytale-like element to this comedic story.
This show turns from funny to farcical at times because of some of the over-the top characters such as ditzy starlet Lydia, fantastically played by King whose range and talent as an actress is always a pleasure to watch.
There were many standout scenes, notably a love spell which sees Hardess, who plays Hays, fall in love with himself, and Shaver as Brown dressed like a woman becomes the object of many people's affection because of that love spell gone wrong.
Branton was also fantastic and gave the show an authentic feel with her portrayal of sweet Olivia, and the beautiful costumes she and the other ladies in the cast wore also lent well to bringing the era to life.
Robinson's portrayal of Oberon was spectacular - he had the right combination of presence and humour. Scenes with Puck, played by Ross who had an unwavering energy and charm throughout, were some of the funniest in the show. Using fairy magic to cast spells on humans can't be anything but.
Gans gave a great performance and played the determined director Reinhardt with such believability and humour that you could not help but like his character.
Although it may seem like an absurd storyline, the play is light-hearted and funny and ideal for those who like a comedy with a whimsical twist.
Shakespeare in Hollywood runs until Oct. 22 at 8 p.m. with 2 p.m. matinees on Oct. 17 and 23, Scarborough Village Theatre, 3600 Kingston Rd. Tickets are $17 and $14 for students and seniors on Thursdays and matinees only. For tickets, please call 416-267-9292.