Review: Chaos ensues at Rover Dramawerks with THE SHAKESPEARE CONSPIRACY

Pictured L-R: Kerra Sims, Nancy Lamb, Sara Carraway

The Shakespeare Conspiracy

by Andrew Shepherd

Directed by Carol M. Rice

Audience Rating: PG for innuendo and lots of swords
Run Time: 2 hours 30 minutes with intermission
Accessible Seating: Available
Hearing Devices: Not available
Sensory Friendly Performance: Not available
Production Sound Level: Comfortable Volume
Noises or Visuals to Prepare for: Some quick light changes

Reviewed by Bradford Reilly

 

Entering the black box theatre at the Cox Playhouse in Plano, TX, you will find a yellow ribbon dividing center stage. For the Shakespeare Conspiracy by Andrew Shepherd, directed by Carol M. Rice, the ribbon signifies the border between the realm of reality and fiction: our world, and the world where Shakespeare’s entire dramatis personae (and then some!) live in a liminal space they are itching to get out of. Shakespeare-headed by the infamous and manipulative Iago, Shakespearean villains aim to escape the world of fiction so they can change how they are written, and, at least for Iago, to destroy the world. To do so, they must break the rules of theatre and fulfill a prophecy about the Last Descendant of William Shakespeare, which brings us to our modern day hero—Martin. Martin Shakespeare.

 

The characters who occupy the realm of reality are our hero Martin Shakespeare (played earnestly by Michael McMillan) and Garfield Oberon (played with subtlety and mystery by Matt Gunther)—an M-16 spy who recruits Shakespeare to save the world. Oberon is more than a spy, though—he is the head of the Royal Shakespeare Company, a governmental branch fully aware of the border between reality and fiction, and gate keepers of Shakespeare’s original scripts. 

 

What’s important to the RSC is that the “rules of theatre” remain unbroken, otherwise chaos will ensue. The realms of fiction and reality blur, plots invade other plots, characters stop knowing who they are, and Catwoman (you heard me!) gets in a duel to the death with, well…you’ll have to see for yourself. Chaos is exactly what Iago wants to create. 

 

Shepherd’s script doesn’t really go into what the “rules of theatre” are, and is a point of confusion. However, if I may offer some guidance to the audience, the original theatre critic Aristotle might have a key into Shepherd’s script, and help discern what kind of destruction Iago wants to enact. To Aristotle, the important aspects of a good play are (in order of importance): Plot, Character, Idea, Words, Music, and Spectacle. And, I think, these are the rules Iago wants broken: so that the world becomes one of meaningless absurdity. 

 

In the Shakespeare Conspiracy, Martin Shakespeare has a Chekhovian realization (as stated from the Seagull, not the other one referenced in the play): younger generations are obliged to create new forms. Often, new forms are born as high-concept ideas based on old stories, but in such a way that those stories lose their power. In essence, high concepts aren’t rooted in plot or character. If stories lose plot, characters lose what they drive toward. If stories lose character, stories are left as an abyss of abstract ideas. As each component of “good” theatre devolves into another, meaning becomes noise. That is what the fight is really about: if we don’t give our imagination rules or structure, or give it agency rooted in character or plot, then (as Martin Shakespeare laments) there really are no ideas left. 

 

Among a wacky cast of characters there are definite highlights. Cameron McElya’s Iago was sinister, cool headed, and successfully manipulative. Heather Walker Shin’s Lady Macbeth (and Iago’s sister in the play) delivered a grounded and equally manipulative performance—from scheming to going mad, as William Shakespeare wrote Lady M to do. Sara Parisa as Jules (guess who!) was also an excellent romantic interest—spunky and matured--knowing who she is and what she wants in a partner. Ernesto Alanis plays Puck with fantastical otherworldliness, and plays the blended realms between reality and fiction well. Scenes between Beatrice and Benedick (played by Savannah Valdez and Erik Knapp) were full of chemistry and excellent comedic timing typical of your favorite Much Ado heroes. The fictional realm is fully occupied by the well-known cast of characters in Shakespeare’s cannon, so if you aren’t a Shakespeare aficionado, you won’t be completely lost. As entrenched as Shakespeare’s plays are in our culture, there is at least one good reference for everybody!

 

The production’s designers should also be highlighted. Kerra Sims’ costumes are gorgeous and thoughtfully conceived for the story—the paisley patterns for our Shakespearean characters, the leathered spy gear for our heroes. My personal favorite, however, was a bejeweled "Cleopatra" outfit, which, among the chaos leading to the climax, was a delightful detail. In lieu of blood, the lighting design by Kenneth Hall added to fight scenes, punctuating fatal blows and building the chaos as the fictional and real worlds collided. The sound design by Jason Rice provided an excellent backdrop full of fun texture and delightful jokes. I dare you to attend and hear for yourself!

 

Come enjoy this never-before-seen script! Be prepared for chaos, but it’s an exciting comedy that challenges that very chaos and our own personal fights for telling our own stories to find our own meaning. You’ll be laughing all along the way.

Sincerely, 

Bradford

Pictured L-R: Zeke Fayble, Jenny Wood

Pictured L-R: Matt Gunther, Ernesto Alanis, Michael McMillan