JACK HATH NOT JILL

LOVE’S LABOUR’S LOST
Directed by Bill Van Horn; written by William Shakespeare
With: Dustin Tucker, Sally Wood, Tracie Merrill, Mark S. Cartier, Nick Gallegos, Carmel Javaher, Henry Bazemore, Jeri Pitcher, and Janis Stevens
At The Theater At Monmouth in Monmouth, Maine
In repertory from August 5 to August 25

Reviewed by Laurie Meunier Graves

Since seventh grade, I have been in love with the Bard. We read The Merchant of Venice and Julius Caesar, and I was astonished by the cascade of language, the intensity of emotion in the stories, the wonderful speeches, and, of course, the unforgettable characters. In particular, Portia and Shylock caught my attention, but I was also drawn to the melancholy Antonio. At best, I only understood one quarter of what I read, but it didn’t matter. I was hooked and have been ever since.

Therefore, I can only be grateful that my teacher didn’t start with Love’s Labour’s Lost, one of Shakespeare’s earliest comedies, written before the bard became the Bard. (Titus Andronicus, also an early play, would have been another poor choice.) Love’s Labour’s Lost certainly has the cascade of language, and, as I was leaving, I even heard one young woman complain, “There are so many lines in this play.” Yes, there are, but unfortunately, there’s not much else in Love’s Labour’s Lost besides the verbal tomfoolery that Shakespeare loved so well. There are no unforgettable characters, no stirring speeches, and few of the plot twists that move his other plays along. Admittedly, the puns and wordplay are fun to listen to, but, in the end, not much really happens in Love’s Labour’s Lost.

The plot, such as it is, revolves around Ferdinand, King of Navarre (Dustin Tucker) and his desire to outwit “devouring Time” and make Navarre “the wonder of the world.” He plans to do this by turning his court into a kind of monastery of education, where, for three years, he and his lords will forswear women, fast one day a week, eat only one meal on the remaining six days, and sleep just three hours a night.

Almost immediately, the vows are broken when the princess of France comes to discuss the “surrender up of Aquitaine.” The king and his lords instantly fall in love with the princess and her ladies, and before long, love letters are being written. The king and his lords disguise themselves and try unsuccessfully to trick the women; the women, in turn, put on masks and succeed in tricking the men. After much pouting, teasing, and arguing, the lovers pair off only to be torn apart by bad news, which settles heavily on this confection of a play. Sprinkled in among the lovers are the “fantastical Spaniard,” Don Adriano de Armado (played by Janis Stevens who is dressed like Puss in Boots); the schoolmaster, Holofernes (Jeri Pitcher); and the curate, Nathaniel (Tracie Merrill). These three use language in such an extravagant and inappropriate way that they all sound like asses.

In fact, the main point of Love’s Labour’s Lost seems to be to poke fun at pedants and at overblown ideals that lack common sense and earthiness. The play has its share of young fools and old fools, who, of course, do not recognize their folly.

The exception is Berowne (Sally Wood), one of the king’s lords. Right from the start, he understands that the king’s plan is doomed to failure, and he tries to dissuade the king from carrying on with his scheme. Naturally, the king is not persuaded.

Berowne has some of the wittiest lines in the play, and he meets his match with Rosaline (Carmel Javaher), one of the ladies attending the princess. These characters almost work, and in them one can see the glimmers of characters to come—Benedick and Beatrice, Orlando and Rosalind, and even Kate and Petruchio. However, in the end, Berowne and Rosaline are neither sharp enough nor vivid enough to give the characters the necessary snap to make them come to life on stage.

In The Theater At Monmouth’s capable hands, Love’s Labour’s Lost is an entertaining production, and for this particular play, this is probably as good as it gets. In an attempt to give the play some much-needed sparkle, some of the men’s characters are played by women and, some of the women’s characters are played by men. This move is only partially successful. It does indeed serve to jazz things up, and, in particular, Nick Gallegos, who plays the princess, and Henry Bazemore, who plays Maria, are quite funny. Unfortunately, they also act like drag queens, which serves to distance the romance between the women and their suitors.

For this reviewer, who has been in love with Shakespeare for over thirty years, this was a good opportunity to watch one of the Bard’s infrequently performed early plays. In it, one can glimpse the promise of his later plays, and, at the same time, take note of how Shakespeare progressed and improved as he matured. Shakespeare has become such an iconic figure that it’s easy to forget that he was once young and green, a playwright with promise but far from the height of his powers. 

 

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