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16
WASHI
3
BY EMILY JENSEN
J
ohn Dennis’ script “The
Comical Gallant” hasn’t
been performed onstage
since 1709. Now, over three
hundred years later, it will
come to life again at the
Venetian Theater in
Hillsboro
—
but this time
with a twist.
“We are doing it in the style of a
black and white 1950s television
sitcom,” says Scott Palmer, director of
the Bag&Baggage theater company.
Palmer has laced Dennis’ script, itself
originally an adaptation of
Shakespeare’s “The Merry Wives of
Windsor,” with live-action jingles, Mad
Men-inspired decor, and sharp 50’s-style
costumes. To top it all off, the entire
production will be done in greyscale,
with everything from the makeup to
the props designed to mimic the look of
black and white television.
The amalgam of Shakespeare,
Dennis, and Palmer-infused theater
will be called, “The Merry Wives of
Windsor, or The Amorous Adventures
of The Comical Knight Sir John
Falstaff.”
“It pays homage to not only the
stylistic time period, but also a very
particular time in media history,”
explains set designer Megan
Wilkerson. Just as Dennis’ adaptation
reflected his Restoration-era
sensibilities, so does the monumental
shift from radio-based entertainment to
television in the 1950s.
Palmer believes that those early
years of television paralleled the work
of 18th century dramatists like Dennis,
who appropriated “a previous era’s
entertainment for use in a new time,
and altered for new artistic
Rollicking ‘Wives’ lights up the black-and-white 1950s
Hilarity in Hillsboro begins with Falstaff
John Falstaff (Gary Strong) confronts (left to right) Mistress Page (Cassie Greer),
Mistress Ford (Megan Carver) and Anne Page (Arianne Jacques) in an updated—at least
to the 1950s—version of the Shakespeare comedy in the Bag&Baggage production at the
Venetian Theater in Hillsboro.
sensibilities.” Much like adapting
Shakespeare.
Though the action of the play is set in
mid-20th century Manhattan, the bones
of Shakespeare’s original plot remain
intact. Anne Page, daughter of the
influential Master Page and Mistress
Page, is in love with Mr. Fenton. Her
parents, however, have other plans for
Anne, each wishing for her to marry a
different suitor. Anne calls on the title
character, Sir John Falstaff, to help create
a series of diversions, and hilarity ensues
from there.
Palmer’s theater company,
Bag&Baggage, has built a reputation for
its provocative, playful takes on classic
scripts. They’ve made such a strong
impression on their audiences that the
City of Hillsboro has awarded the
company a $30,000 grant to put towards
its productions in 2013. Palmer is well
aware that the city’s money could have
gone towards infrastructural
improvements, but he is fierce in his
conviction that an investment in the arts
is equally important.
“I truly believe that theater elevates
our consciousness,” says Palmer. “It
challenges us to think about our culture,
our relationships, our past and our
future.”
Performances will run fromMarch 7
through March 24 at the Venetian
Theater. Ticket prices and show times
can be found at www.bagnbaggage.org.
CASEY CAMPBELL