By Marion Filler
No one knows what William Shakespeare was really like. But the production of Shakespeare in Love at Morristown High School this weekend invites us to imagine.
The play is based on the hit movie of 1998, still available on Amazon Prime. Transitions from film onto the stage can be unsatisfying. If audience reaction Wednesday was any indication, this one is an exception.
Senior citizens bused to the dress rehearsal quickly plugged into Lee Hall’s stage adaptation of screenwriter Tom Stoppard’s brilliant dialog, which glides between humor and pathos.
A struggling Will Shakespeare, nimbly played by sophomore Elliot Eck, wins but ultimately loses Viola De Lesseps, portrayed by junior Nina Helene Gringeri. Viola is a wealthy girl upon whom the character of Juliet is based, and whose marriage to the very rude gold digger Lord Wessex (Jackson Miller) is a foregone conclusion.
“Shall I compare thee to a what?” asks Will as he strives to get it right. “A summers day? A winter’s day?”
When his friendly rival Kit Marlowe (Trevor Williams) offers a long-winded suggestion, Will tosses him a withering look and asks, “What does that even mean?” He doesn’t get it and neither does the audience, much to its amusement.
Woven into the tale — a play within the play — is the story of how Romeo and Juliet came to be written. In yet another twist, Will and Viola perform the tragic drama before they, too, must say goodbye forever.
Queen Elizabeth has approved of the marriage of Viola to Lord Wessex but knows Viola loves the theater, a profession forbidden to women. “Can a play show us the very truth and nature of love?” asks the Queen (Josie Gulisano).
“I’ll wager my fortune,” responds Wessex.
“You have none,” quips the Queen.
‘YOU GOTTA MAKE IT A SURPRISE’
Gringeri sings in her church choir and is enjoying her first leading role. She appeared in the chorus of The Tempest, danced in Mary Poppins, and helped with hair and makeup in prior school productions. It took her awhile to try acting.
“It was just a self-confidence thing. I was really anxious about it. I wasn’t fully sure I could do it,” said the actress after Wednesday’s run-through.
Memorizing lines was “no easy feat,” she admitted. Thanks to a tip by Julia Cama, an MHS star who graduated last year, Gringeri discovered that writing her lines on note cards did the trick. (She filled three packs and toted them everywhere.)
As for mastering a British accent, she found watching Harry Potter movies to be helpful. Her role demands frequent costume changes as she pivots from a beautiful aristocrat to a performer disguised as a man. The hardest thing of all, she said, was “ripping off my mustache!”
Eck, who as a freshman starred as the Cockney-tongued Bert in Mary Poppins, acknowledged he is “good at accents.” He watched the Shakespeare in Love movie three times when researching this part, but refused to rehearse in front of his family.
“You gotta make it a surprise. Keep it fresh every time,” is his motto.
He memorizes lines easily. “I’m an enigma. I don’t do any of that stuff (that Nina does)… I would practice sometimes in front of a mirror and with other cast members. But a lot of this was just peer memory. We would just block everything on stage, and I was just like, okay, that’s the line. It’s in there now.”
‘Shakespeare in Love’ at MHS in 2024. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
Both actors were upbeat ahead of Friday’s opening night. Eck oozes confidence.
“You know, if we pulled it off today, we can pull it off in two days,” he said. Gringeri agreed.
“We’ve all worked so hard. And it came together so quickly…it’s just wonderful seeing it all come together and seeing everyone’s hard work pay off,” she said.
Shakespeare in Love edged out Saving Private Ryan to win seven Academy Awards, including Oscars for Gwyneth Paltrow and Dame Judi Dench, as well as Best Picture, Best Writing/Screenplay, Best Costume, Best Music and Best Art.
Directed by George LaVigne, the MHS show more than holds its own, with a talented cast, colorful costumes, innovative sets, and Ridley, a wonderful dog who plays the role of Spot.
Turns out LaVigne’s 3-year-old pooch is a scene stealer. At a critical spot in the dress rehearsal, Ridley appeared to experience a bit of stage fright and ambled back into the audience.
If that was not in the script, it should be. It was a hilarious moment, in a production that has many.
There also are nifty sword fights, lovely snatches of Elizabethan songs, and moving farewells that render Shakespeare in Love genre-neutral. Is it a comedy or a tragedy?
As characters repeat throughout the play: It’s a mystery.
Kevin Coughlin contributed to this report.
Morristown High School Theatre presents Shakespeare in Love for four performances: Friday, Nov. 22, 2024, at 7 pm; Saturday, Nov. 23, at 2 pm and 7 pm; and Sunday, Nov. 24, at 2 pm. Tickets: $8-$15, plus fees. At 50 Early St.
