Shakespeare In Hollywood – The Show and it’s Performances
FAST FACTS:
SHOW TIMES:
Evening Performances at 8 pm:
Thursday to Saturday
Matinee Performances at 2 pm:
April 22, 29 & May 6.
SHOW RUN:
Apr 14 – May 12, 2018
- The Director’s Talk was on Fri, April 20th.
- The Preview is on Friday, Apr 13th, – the final dress rehearsal.
- Running Time: about 2 hrs 15 min.
LOCATION:
1370 SW Marine Drive, Vancouver, BC. Next to the on-ramp to the Arthur Lang Bridge by Marine Drive and Granville.
TICKET PRICING:
Tickets are $25 for adults or $22 for seniors and students, with a special every Thursday 2 for $38. Preview performance $15.
Tickets can be reserved by calling the Metro Box Office 604 266 7191
BOX OFFICE WINDOWS HOURS start 4:30 pm on Performance Days
604 266 7191 voicemail or Contact Us form below can be used at other times.
LICENSED LOUNGE HOURS:
Performance Evenings – 7:00 – 11:00 pm
Performance Matinees – 1:00 – 5:00 pm
PARKING:
There is plenty of easy parking – in the parking lot, on the street, even ‘All Evening Parking’ for $4 at the Value Liquor Store Lot just up the street from Metro – 1450 SW Marine Dr, Vancouver, BC V6P 5Z9
BUS ROUTES:
We’re close to the Marpole bus loop and on the #10 route. Check out www.translink.ca for transit directions.
CONTACT:
Metro Theatre via the contact form at the bottom of this page for more information, publicity photos, and arrangements for interviews.
Show Pictures:
Press Release: Shakespeare In Hollywood
written by Ken Ludwig
directed by Catherine Morrison
The Story
It is 1934 Hollywood, and Jack Warner is in a “spot” ! His girlfriend, starlet, Lydia Lansing wants to be cast in a “class picture”, not the “dreck” she’s been in so far.
Enter Max Reinhardt, Jewish, German stage director escaping from the Nazis .He suggests making a movie of Shakespeare’s famous comedy “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” . Jack’s three brothers ( Sam, Harry, and Albert ) are not enthused about the idea. Sam Warner says “That’ll put us right in the crapper”. ( A man with a way with words ! )
However, Lydia’s talents ( and we’re not talking about acting talents ) – prevail. The studio decides to go ahead with filming , and Jack casts the girlfriend ( of course ) in the role of “Helena” . A young newcomer, Olivia ( based on the movie star, Olivia De Havilland starring in her first Hollywood film ) is cast as “Hermia”.
Various contract players at Warner Brothers studios are then added; Jimmy Cagney ( as “Bottom” the weaver), Joe E. Brown ( as”Francis Flute”,) and Dick Powell ( as “Lysander”.). These are actors with little or no experience in understanding or playing Shakespeare. ( But the studio is paying them on a weekly basis anyway, so why not use them ? Why not indeed ? )
Complications ensue with the arrival of the despotic and powerful movie censor, Will Hays. He comes with a long list of objections from ” The American Legion of Decency” ( a strong lobbyist organization in America at the time ). Another famous person of the period appears in the form of Louella Parsons, the influential gossip columnist. She could make or break a career, under all her smiles and cooing.
Into this mix enter the “real” “Oberon” and “Puck”, characters , from the actual Shakespeare play. These fantasy creatures are plunged straight into the confusing world of a movie studio.There they meet Daryl, the Hollywood “yes -man”, movie extras , movie fans, film crew ,and others.
Both Oberon and Puck start to impact, and are personally themselves impacted, by the people around them with hilarious results . Puck continuously gives a magic flower (with a powerful love potion ) to the wrong people ! Love blooms, but with unintended consequences.
Puck finally gets it right and lovers are re-united. Lives are changed, the movie gets completed, and. the interfering government villain is vanquished ( in a very ridiculous way ! ) Like Shakespeare’s beautiful play – love triumphs over all, by the end of the story.
Shakespeare’s Happy Hollywood
Cast and Production Team
CAST
Oberon ………………. Josh Zumstein
Puck ……………………. Kevin Sloan
Jack Warner ………. Kimball Finigan
Max Reinhardt ….. Adrian Maxwell
Will Hays ……………. Rob Gillespie
Daryl …………………… Kwasi Thomas
Olivia Darnell ……. Isabella Ciccone
Lydia Lansing ……. Erica Bearss
Louella Parsons … Alison Schamberger
Dick Powell / Albert Warner ….. Shane Steward
Jimmy Cagney / Sam Warner … Richard Guenther
Joe E Brown ………. Mark MacDonald
Harry Warner ……. Don McKay
Ensemble … Don McKay, Colleen Shook, Allison Kendall, Deborah Watts
PRODUCTION TEAM
DIRECTOR…………………………….. Catherine Morrison
PRODUCTION MANAGER….. Alison Schamberger
STAGE MANAGER………………… Shay Cameron
ASST STAGE MANAGER/PROPERTIES….. Colleen Shook
ASST STAGE MANAGER/PROPERTIES….. Deborah Watts
BACKSTAGE CREW………………. Allison Kendall
COSTUME DESIGNER…………. Rene Schindel
COSTUME DESIGNER…………. Catherine Morrison
COSTUME DESIGNER…………. Sean Ullmann
SET DESIGNER…………………….. Les Erskine
LIGHTING DESIGNER…………. Les Erskine
SOUND DESIGNER…………….. Catherine Morrison
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR……… Les Erskine
SCENIC CARPENTER………….. Robin Richardson
SCENIC CARPENTER………….. Jamie Horsley
SCENIC PAINTING/SET DECORATION….. Tracy-Lynn Chernaske
GRAPHIC DESIGN………………. Barbara LaBounta
PHOTOGRAPHY…………………. Tracy-Lynn Chernaske
Reviews & Being Said
The Delta Optimist says, May 1st 2018 …
“the script is hilarious, there are lots of dynamic characters and the play has a good flow to it.”
Director’s TALK
Catherine Morrison received her BFA from UBC majoring in theatre. She both directed and acted at the Frederic Wood Theatre and the Dorothy Sommerset Studio.
Catherine has directed over 30 productions at the Metro Theatre plus 3 pantos, as well as acting on stage and stage managing.
Catherine and the cast of Shakespeare in HOLLYWOOD held a informal session with members of the audience on Friday, April 20th. The discussions centred around:
• How multiple locations presented challenges to staging this production.
• The implications of vastly different time periods to costuming Shakespeare in HOLLYWOOD.
• Technical insights into producing a play of this magnitude.