Monday, July 30, 2012

Joe Dowling's William Shakespeare's R and J etc - Peanut Butter Factory


"Zounds.  God's wounds.  You hack!"

"Two space households - both alike in space dignity - in fair Verona, where we lay our space scene, from ancient space grudge break to new space mutiny where civil space blood makes civil space hands unclean."

full title
Joe Dowling's William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet on the Moon, featuring Kate Capshaw as Lady Capulet

I have to be honest. I thought this title was a joke at the Fringe Lottery in February, like "An Intimate Evening With Joe Dowling" clearly was. When it became clear this was the actual title, I have to admit it sounded like a horrible idea.  Just to start with there are about 12 different kinds of inside joke geekiness in that title.  Then what you imagine the concept is going to be... But this is Christopher Kehoe and the Peanut Butter Factory we're talking about, so I should have known better. I really enjoyed Kehoe's one man St. Christopher of Financial Aid, and I was bummed to have missed his Fringe show in 2011. As I have said many times before, Romeo and Juliet is one of my least favorite Shakespeare plays. The script, for all its beautiful poetry, drives me crazy. But here, they're playing it for laughs, so I'm on board. I'm also on board because the concept in this preview was damn funny. Paul Rutledge and Max Wojtanowicz are involved, and they're among my favorite actors lately. They picked a Shakespearean fight from the top of the play with an increasingly more befuddled guy speaking to them in modern English. The misunderstandings and insults were delightful. I actually can't wait to see more, which is a most welcome surprise in this case.

(Sadly, there is no video of the preview.  Perhaps Joe Dowling's representatives are still clearing it for the public.  There is, however, a little video blurb from Kehoe himself to tide you over...)

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