A Muse of Fire: The Passion of Shakespeare, the Possession of Parkview
Theatre VentouxFresno, California, USA
www.theatreventoux.net
Genre: Dramatic Monologues
60 minutes
Rated: PG-13
NO late comers admitted
Disclosures: 13 and up
It is a “normal” day at Parkview; as normal as a day can be in a sanitarium. The patients are in the dayroom, prisoners of their inner demons. One by one, they are possessed by the Muse of Fire and become Shakespeare’s most famous characters, including King Lear, Lady Macbeth and Hamlet, performing the Bard’s most memorable monologues. Audience members will receive $5.00 of Theatre Ventoux’s production of “This Flattering Glass,” an adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Richard II,” premiering in April.
$5
All shows performed at Dianna's South, 726 N. Fulton
Fri. March 2, 7:00 PM
Sun. March 4, 8:30 PM
Thur. March 8, 8:30 PM
Fri. March 9, 10:00 PM
REVIEW THIS SHOW!
(review function below will be activate when the festival begins.)
All shows performed at Dianna's South, 726 N. Fulton
Fri. March 2, 7:00 PM
Sun. March 4, 8:30 PM
Thur. March 8, 8:30 PM
Fri. March 9, 10:00 PM
REVIEW THIS SHOW!
(review function below will be activate when the festival begins.)
Labels: diannas south, dramatic monologues, mainstage, march 4, march 8, march 9, march2, rated pg 13, theatre
4 Comments:
I found this play dissapointing. The concept was interesting; a group of mental patients spouting shakespeare. The intro of inserting patients into the audience and around the stage was fun.
Unfortunately the transition from patients to orators was absolute and thus uninteresting. To have someone act as a mental patient one moment and then act completely different as a Shakespeare character then next, seemed pointless, and even frustrating. If the muse takes over the body of a mental patient it must utilize the instrument that it has taken over, not instantly convert it to something else.
As an example; if the muse normally plays a trumpet, but suddenly takes up a clarinet, the clarinet should not suddenly be a trumpet. What would be the point in that? The clarinet must remain a clarinet trying to sound like a trumpet.
The interesting premise could have been, "How does the muse express itself through people with different mental afflictions?" The only character who attempted this to some extent seemed to be the laughing fellow. He did maintain some semblance of the mental character through the oratory.
I would have much prefered to see the characters deliver the lines of Shakespeare using the handicaps imposed on them by the setup. I would have prefered to see what motivation they invented for speaking such lines. I would have prefered to see some interaction between the patients and between the doctor and the patients to set up the shakespeare lines.
I agree almost almost wholly with tha prior post. I don't think I was quite as dissappointed tho. It was good, but could have been better if they had used "tha patients" themselves. ~Rell
The play is based on a very interesting concept (do yourself a favor and read the program before the show starts so you’ll have a better idea of what’s happening). Theatre Ventroux assembled some of the best of Fresno’s frequenters of the stage for A Muse of Fire, and all of the individual monologues are fantastic. However, there was little to no interaction between the performers, so the show felt fragmented, and it didn’t really grab me. That said, I was really impressed all the same! I’m looking forward to their production of “This Flattering Glass” this April/May.
Read more reviews at www.fresnoundercurrent.net.
Muse of Fire doesn’t disappoint – not in established writings (Shakespeare) nor in the original introductions, carefully crafted, by Greg Taber.
The idea of setting monologues in a mental institution where the patients are possessed by the muse was interesting and a great way of exposing local talent. It broke the unwritten rule of the Rogue for small casts and it bursts out brilliantly. Sprinkling the cast throughout the audience pulled one into the asylum, into the lives of these patients, and made one anxious to see into whom they would develop and somehow kept you at arm’s length at times. I like how the characters were introduced piecemeal, setting up the environment. The lack of interaction between cast seemed appropriate as they each remained in character throughout, to showcase their dual personalities. It was a great production overall, including the music and direction. I liked the feel of a professional presentation as well.
I look forward to “This Flattering Glass”!
Entandem Productions
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