Roberto Williams and Chris Fine (Photo by Christopher Burke)
Reviewed by Madison Mellon
Shakespeare by the Sea at various locations throughout the South Bay
Thru August 2
RECOMMENDED
Cardenio: Or Double Falsehood is an interesting twist on Shakespeare by the Sea’s usual repertoire of existing Shakespeare plays. Performed outdoors at a series of South Bay parks (I saw it at the lovely Dominguez Park in Redondo Beach), Cardenio is a metatheatrical comedy that explores the concept of authorship and how stories change over time. The play, under the direction of Jonathan Fisher, never fully explores the possibilities of its unique premise — but it is still consistently entertaining and even occasionally thought-provoking.
Cardenio presents a fictionalized account of the creation of the real lost Shakespeare play of the same name. Written in 1613, the original Cardenio is believed to have been a collaboration between William Shakespeare and John Fletcher, and is loosely based on a section of Don Quixote. Adapted by Jonathan Fisher and Anna Miles, this modern re-telling imagines the tumultuous behind-the-scenes partnership between Shakespeare (Ryon Thomas) and Fletcher (Megan Ruble). The two writers butt heads as Fletcher, a woman disguised as a man, attempts to push the play in a fresh, new direction.
This framing device, while certainly an interesting way to present a lost text, feels underdeveloped. Ultimately, the conflict between Fletcher and Shakespeare comes across as vague and surface-level. Fletcher attempts to move the play-within-a-play in a more progressive, feminist direction, while Shakespeare is more interested in falling back on cliches and swordfights. This facilitates plenty of amusing banter, but only occasionally goes deeper than that. The play is clearly gesturing at issues of inequality and patriarchy but seems hesitant to unequivocally shine a light on some of Shakespeare’s less modern views.
That said, the moments where Cardenio does delve below the surface are quite effective. A scene in the play-within-a-play that deals with sexual assault is especially impactful, even if it is too quickly buried in more slapstick. The second act is where the play really starts taking shape. Fletcher begins to interact meaningfully with the characters, particularly the women she is writing about, leading to some touching moments. The ending of the play-within-the-play also presents the most cogent critique of more regressive Shakespearean tropes and ideas.
The cast is also game and brings a great deal of energy and fun to the proceedings. As Fletcher, Ruble has a bright, youthful optimism that is endearing without being grating. Violante (Savannah Moffat) and Leonora (Amanda Godoy), the two protagonists of the play-within-the-play, both effectively balance comedy with pathos and are responsible for most of Cardenio’s more introspective, heartfelt moments. The other players are also strong: Mario Silva, as Julio, is an excellent physical comedian and, the night I attended, garnered some of the biggest laughs of the evening. The sound in the large, outdoor space occasionally hampers the actors, as they have to push their voices to be heard, but this is a relatively minor issue and is handled as well as possible considering the venue (Cinthia Nava and Andrea Allmond are the sound designers, and Nada Jawad is the sound engineer).
Ultimately, Cardenio is a supremely well-intentioned show that raises some interesting questions about the nature of storytelling. Even if the framing device is somewhat thin and the issues it addresses feel underexplored at times, there is still plenty to appreciate here. It is, above all else, a clever way to present a lost play to modern audiences and to show how stories from hundreds of years ago can continue to grow and shift and speak to us.
In rep, see website for schedule. Various locations throughout the Southern Bay and further north; thru Aug. 3. Free. Two hours and 15 minutes with an intermission. https://shakespearebythesea.org
