“Random Acts of Shakespeare” was performed by the Mesa College Theatre Company on Dec. 2-4.
Classical guitarist, Ricky Dominguez, was playing before the show began. It created an atmosphere that transformed the Mesa Quad into a Shakespearean set.
“To be or not to be… outside,” said George Yé to friends and families bundled up with blankets to watch the performance as the scenes were about to begin.
The four main acts of the night consisted of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” Act II Scene I, “Taming of the Shrew” Act I Scene I and “The Tempest” Act I Scene II. In addition to the Shakespeare plays, there was an introduction and a closing scene that engaged the audience.
The joyous introduction was made by the cast and the Chorus. Then the audience was submerged into a scene from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Helena desperately wanted to be with Demitrius. Helena, played by Day Hernanez, was dressed in an icy-blue floor-length gown while dramatically chasing Demitrius. They got into a fight that ended with Demitrius running off to find Hermia. Even though Helena got rejected several times, she was evermore hopeful that he would be with her.
The next scene was from “Taming of the Shrew.” Petruchio was overconfident about his ability to win Katharine over. In order to receive the dowry, he would have to marry her. Cayden Lehr, who played Petruchio, captured the character’s blind persistence and will to do anything to marry Katharine.
Despite his rather irritating efforts to win her over, Petruchio would say, “I am a gentleman.” The character would then go make more ungentlemanlike attempts at winning her over but with Katharine’s displeasure, Petruchio had no chance.
Katharine, played by Yavaughn Taylor, did an incredible job of warding off Petruchio with snide remarks and plain refusal. In this scene, again we have one character chasing after the other which led into another fight. It was as though all of the actors had trained for a wrestling match which gave a spin on the typical portrayal of Shakespeare plays.
The third part of the show came from “The Tempest.” The scene started with a loud crash of lightning created by Ava Moslehi, who does sound design as part of the production team. The use of sound in this scene was a major part of its quality and effect on the audience.
Stephano, a butler, and Trinculo, a jester, got stranded on an island. The pair had gotten separated during the shipwreck. Trinculo was stumbling around with a drink in his hand. The storm got worse and he took cover from the storm under Caliban’s cloak.
Stephano came along to find this creature. He was afraid because the monster had four legs and two voices. Afraid at first, Stephano starts poking at the creature only to find Trinculo under the cloak. As the storm continues they all hide under the cloak with the knowledge of Caliban being a monster.
The cast seemed to have an amazing time together. For anyone interested in acting, Day Hernandez said, “You build such a great sense of community. And in a way it’s so corny but you find a sense of belonging.” With the hard work of everyone involved, it created a show that was hilarious, intense, and engaged its audience.
