Will, of course, is William Shakespeare, and while the Bard himself doesn't appear, the Blue Horse Repertory Company, based in Albany, collected the funniest bits from 11 of his plays to create Dinner With Will, presented today at the Arts Center For The Capital Region as part of the 40th anniversary Victorian Stroll.
The hour long production begins with Romeo & Juliet, served as hors d'oeuvres. Cast members will cheekily let the audience know which play is being excerpted as the show progresses. Some were performed with modern interpretations of the script, while others used the "thee"'s & "thou"'s of Shakespeare's time. These days, the only places you'd find that would be in the King James translation of the Bible and old Mighty Thor comic books.
Digression over. You know you have something when a scene from The Merry Wives of Windsor turns into a round of the inner city insult game, the dozens, which entered the pop culture lexicon thanks to In Living Color and Benson years ago. This got the biggest laughs of the afternoon. Pity the poor jugglers (Susan Carmody & Amber Acosta) who were mercilessly booed by the rest of the troupe sitting behind them, waiting for the next act.
The standing room only crowd appreciated every minute of this production, and director Lora Lee Ecobelli has promised to return next year. She's already created a tough act to follow.
Rating: A.
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