MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM: IT’S GLOBAL, IT’S PHYSICAL AND MOSTLY IN THE INDIAN LANGUAGE

This North American Premier of Shakespeare’s singsong recitation comedy coupled with a foreign language makes it even daffier and confusing than the original. The Dash Arts production assumes that everyone knows the story. As I looked around – I saw a lot of young people who were probably seeing this play for the first time. And you know what, the look on their face said: “What the hell is going on?”

Then there was the man in front of me that fell completely asleep after the first ten minutes after trying to decipher the Indian Language. By the way, those people left at intermission.

Now isn’t it about time to unmask the “Bard?” I’ve never really believed that he wrote all those plays about royalty. And, I’m not alone in that theory. Many people believe it was a Duke, who wanted to poke fun at those higher up in the Royal ladder than he was. Shakespeare was just a struggling actor that the Duke conveniently used, by using Shakespeare’s name.

When you compare those wonderful tales with “Dream,” it couldn’t be the same author. So I will give “The Bard” credit only for this so-called comedy with very little laughs. Oh sure, there is a snicker to be heard here and there, but nothing that could be called robust. Maybe way back then they had a different sense of humor. Apparently anything made them laugh.

The star of the production really is the Drum pounding music from the musicians who are sitting on both sides of the stage. On the creative set are hidden bamboo rails for the actors to romp around on. Gauzy material draped in strategic places for the actors to appear and disappear is a clever and intriguing device also. Continuing with the Circus like performances are trapeze ropes and interesting half nude male bodies.

The action on the stage could be Cirque du Soleil. Nothing really new is going on here. We have all seen the Red Material hanging from the ceiling where the actors crawl up and down and tie knots around the material to use as a bed or a chair. The obnoxious Puck is still interfering with the mortal lovers. Puck (A.J. Kumar) and his misguided meddling annoyed me no end.

They kept sprinkling fairy magic on everyone – but I remained the same. Still Grumpy. The play within a play business has always annoyed me, but this time it annoyed me to the point of wanting to turn off the lights and telling everyone – Shows over --get out! Have I used the word annoyed too many times?

I will say that it was a handsome and talented cast of mixed up lovers up there on the stage. They did what they could with one of the world’s most pretentious plays ever written. There was only one “Dream” in history that was halfway decent. It was set in the Old West with the language and attitudes of the day. And they made it clear, when it was the play within a play, and when it wasn’t.

Tim Supple’s direction was just O.K. Not great, but functional.

At The Curran Theatre

RATING: ONE GLASS OF CHAMPAGNE! –trademarked-

(Lee Hartgrave has contributed to the San Francisco Chronicle’s Sunday Datebook and produced a long running Arts program on KQED FM.)


Shelley Winters and Dan Duryea in "Larceny."

LARCENY – 1948 NOIR

Tough guys and fast talking dames where what the 40’s movies were all about. The dialogue crackled with stuff like this: Shelley Winters says to her boyfriend who is roughing her up: “Quit twisting my arm. They’ll think we’re married!”

Later on in the movie – Winters utters this gem, while looking at a photo in her boyfriends place. “Who is this she asks?’ Dan Duryea says: “That’s my kid sister”. To which, Winters replies: “Yeh, and I’m a Cobra that wears high heels.”

The story about con men, a war widow and drop-dead beautiful dames is based on the novel, ‘The Velvet Fleece’ by Lois Eby and John Fleming. George Sherman directed this taut movie play that at the time was probably taken pretty seriously. Today, the dialogue becomes the star. The writers words by William Bowers and Lois Eby pop right off the screen in this cross, double cross and triple cross drama. The Con Man crosses his buddies, they double cross him, and the dame triple crosses them all.

Basically this is the story. A con man (John Payne) sets out to swindle a widow out of the money she’s received to build a memorial to her war-hero husband that was killed in action. But, of course – the con man at first wants to get the $100,000 dollars but falls in love with her instead and ends up in deep do- do.

In glorious black and white with shadows for days – ‘Larceny’ is endlessly entertaining. It was one of the studios “B” movies that they cranked out. Many of them made big stars of contract players like Shelley Winters, John Payne and Dan Duryea, who spent his whole career on being a menacing bad guy. Why so many shadows you ask? Well, as I was told at the screening of this dark gem. “The studio didn’t want to spend a lot of money on lighting for these “B” movies. The director was allowed only so many lights. And so they got Shadows that gave the movies the creepy look that so many of those 40’s and 50’s films had. Now known as Film Noir.

Shelly Winters was asked years later what she did in Larceny. She snapped. “Lousy acting.”

Here is the full cast: John Payne, Joan Caulfield, Dan Duryea, Shelley Winters, Dorothy Hart, Richard Rober, Dan O’Herlihy, Nicolas Joy, Percy Helton, Walter Greaza, Patricia Alphin, Harry Antrim, Russ Conway, Paul Brinegar and Don Wilson.

Next up at this mysterious secret society of Film Noir aficionados :
Will be “Ride the Pink Horse” (1947), starring Robert Mongomery, Wanda Hendrix, Andres King and Thomas Gomez. Plot: In the bordertown of San Pablo, preparing for an annual ‘Mexican Fiesta,” arrives Gagin: touch, mysteries and laconic. His mission” to find the equally mysteries Frank Hugo, evidently for revenge; or is it blackmail? To find out you must rsvp for directions and information to: Donations accepted. noirscreennings@yahoo.com (Note: None of these films are on DVD)

And that’s a Wrap!



The Photo of Lee Hartgrave Boy Reporter is by Jim Ferreira – Film Noir & Hollywood Glamour. www.lafterhall.com.

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