Veteran Performers Among Cast for ‘Love’s Labors Lost’ at Shakespeare Festival St. Louis

Veteran Performers Among Cast for ‘Love’s Labors Lost’ at Shakespeare Festival St. Louis

Veteran performer Philip Hernández, the only actor in Broadway history to play both Valjean and Javert in “Les Misérables,” will headline the 2019 Shakespeare Festival St. Louis production of “Love’s Labors Lost,” May 31 through June 23, at Shakespeare Glen in Forest Park. Preview performances are scheduled May 29-30. Performances are held nightly, excluding Mondays, and begin at 8 p.m. 

Philip Hernandez

Hernández will portray Don Adriano de Armado, the lovelorn soldier considered to be one of Shakespeare’s finest comic creations. The actor made his Broadway debut in the Original Cast of the Tony Award-winning “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” directed by Harold Prince, and created the role of Reverend Gonzalez opposite Marc Anthony and Ruben Blades in the Original Broadway Cast of Paul Simon’s “The Capeman.” TV credits include roles on “Nurse Jackie,” “Mysteries of Laura,” “Law and Order” and “Ugly Betty,” among others. 

Joining Hernández in the Festival production are Bradley James Tejeda (Duc de Biron), a native of San Antonio, Texas, and a recent graduate of the Yale School of Drama, as well as New Yorkers Kea Trevett (Princess of France) and Sky Smith (King of Navarre), both emerging stars within the Shakespeare theater circle. Trevett has appeared on stages nationally with the Classic Stage Company and the Roundabout, as well as internationally in “Antigone” (Africa Tour). Her TV and film credits include “Fosse/Verdon” (FX), “Milkwater” and “The Kindergarten Teacher.” Smith’s most recent credits include “Twelfth Night” (Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival) and “Love’s Labours Lost”* (The Acting Co.). 

Kea Trevett

Festival veterans include Patrick Blindauer (Costard), who appeared in 2018’s “Romeo & Juliet”; Katy Keating (Nathaniel), most recently seen with the Festival in “Into the Breeches!” and “Blow, Winds”; and Michael James Reed (Forester/Marcadé), marking his seventh park appearance. 

Other area performers making their Festival debut include Jeffery Cummings (Boyet); Carl Howell (Dull), returning to St. Louis after appearing regionally at the Repertory Theater; Carine Montbertrand (Holofernes), most recently of Titan Theatre at Queens Theatre; Naima Randolph (Moth), an alumni of the Festival’s Shakespeare Squadron and Camp Shakespeare programs; Laura Sohn (Rosaline), a graduate of Rutgers University; Molly Meyer (Jaquenetta); and Sam Jones (Longueville). Also joining the cast are Webster University Conservatory graduates Vivienne Claire Luthin (Maria) and Kiah McKirnan (Catherine), and current student Riz Moe (DuMaine). 

Tom Ridgely, executive producer of the Festival, will direct the production, his first since taking the helm of the organization last spring. This marks the company’s 19th season of free, outdoor, professional theater in the park. 

Creative team members include Jason Simms (Set Design) of New York; Melissa Trn (Costumes), a former St. Louisan currently living in Los Angeles; and John Wylie (Lighting) and Rusty Wandall (Sound). This marks Wylie’s sixth season with the Festival, and Wandall’s eighth.

*A note on the title, “Love’s Labors Lost”:

Spelling and punctuation in early modern English weren’t nearly as regularized as they are today. Shakespeare famously never even spelled his own name the same way twice. Similarly, the first quarto of this play is titled “Loues labors lost”; the first folio has it as “Loues Labour’s Lost”; and, the second folio, “Loues Labours Lost.” Given the lack of certainty about what exactly Shakespeare intended, there are various schools of thought on how best to render those three words in modern English. Since the British “u” in “labour” was optional even in Shakespeare’s day, the Festival has opted for the more familiar American spelling. In addition, since the title contains an allusion to the Labors of Hercules, which are referred to often, along with the work of Cupid (aka Love), the Festival opted for the plural over the contraction — hence, “Love’s Labors Lost.”

About Shakespeare Festival St. Louis

Shakespeare Festival St. Louis presents Shakespeare and works inspired by his legacy of storytelling. Since 2001, the festival has grown from producing a single production of Shakespeare in the Park to a year-round season of impactful theater in exciting and accessible venues throughout the St. Louis community. The festival’s artistic and education programs reached over 50,000 patrons and students during the 2018 season and have reached over one million since 2001. Leadership support for Shakespeare Festival St. Louis’ 2019 season is provided by the Whitaker Foundation. The festival is also funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Missouri Arts Council, the Regional Arts Commission, and the Arts & Education Council of Greater St. Louis. For more information, please visit www.sfstl.com, or call 314-531-9800.

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Timely ‘Alabama Story’ fuels censorship arguments

Timely ‘Alabama Story’ fuels censorship arguments

By Lynn Venhaus
Managing Editor
State Librarian Emily Wheelock Reed would have largely gone unnoticed in a job
she did quite well had it not been for a children’s book, “The Rabbits’
Wedding,” which became a lightning rod for deep South segregationists in 1959.

This play by Kenneth Jones, written in 2015, has
illuminated a time not that long ago – 60 years – where people were judged by
the color of their skin.

While the true-life story about censorship is
heart-wrenching and fascinating – and still shocking today – the addition of a
fictional subplot to hammer home the fractured friendships and divisive mindset
before the civil rights movement seems contrived and superfluous, rendering
less effective.

The initial firestorm might have been merely a historical
footnote, but now, in these emboldened nationalist times, it serves as a
reminder to beware of conniving people with agendas who try desperately to
control a narrative.

Once again, quicksilver mob mentalities rear their ugly
head. We’re in Montgomery, Alabama, coincidentally where Martin Luther King
Jr.’s church is located – but long before Dexter Avenue Baptist Church was a
memorial and the Rosa Parks Museum was nearby.

Carl Palmer is lizard-like as good ol’ boy State Senator
E.W. Higgins, a Dixie traditionalist and narrow-minded blowhard, who believes
he’s the righteous gatekeeper of the populace. He is convinced the children’s
book in question is advocating interracial marriage, which offends him.

With all his mighty power, Higgins tries to stop the book’s
availability. But he meets his match in the state librarian. Emily is thrown
into a reluctant fight, with her loyal assistant Thomas Franklin showing her
what matters.

They both display exemplary character, valuing literature
and ideas, and the principles they hold dear, but it’s a bumpy, winding road,
and they grapple with the harsh glare of the national spotlight.

Jeanne Paulsen stands tall as the prim and proper librarian
who struggles with doubt but stays firm as the challenges mount. This is where
Carl Howell as Franklin shines, conveying how this mild-mannered wingman earns
his hero stripes.

Howell’s thoughtful performance as Franklin, as meek as
Palmer’s is blustery, shows the inner fortitude of an unassuming introvert who
grows in stature as he reveals how he feels, and the realities of the world he
inhabits. Howell is unforgettable as his moral compass nudges this kind, gentle
soul into activism, as he discovers his voice.

The book’s author, Garth Williams, who was a well-known illustrator
of such classic books as “Charlotte’s Web” and “The Little House on the
Prairie,” is the narrator, and provides witty comments. He speaks directly to
the audience with wide-eyed amusement over what havoc is wreaked about two
rabbits – one white, one black in a children’s storybook.

Larry Paulsen is endearing portraying the author, who says
with sincerity that he thought it was an innocent story about two rabbits of
contrasting colors. Paulsen also fills several supporting roles, including a
local newspaper reporter.

In the overwrought subplot, Corey Allen is affecting as
Joshua Moore, a bright young black man caught up in the maelstrom. However, his
counterpart, Anna O’Donoghue, as aprivileged, clueless white woman, is more
broad-stroke caricature.

As she walks down a rose-colored memory lane, her drawn-out
drawl seems more affected than effective, and her behavior suggests she watched
too many showings of “The Long, Hot Summer” and other turgid stereotypical
Southern romances.

Director Paul Mason Barnes is not subtle at all yet
effectively builds the tension to the climactic result.

William Bloodgood’s scenic design is quite clever in an
obvious way – and overwhelming, in a good way. Towering bookcases filled with
tomes are covered in shades of grey. Bold news headlines paper the flooring.

Kenton Yeager’s lighting design enhances the drab color
palette and punctuates the conversation.

While the themes of racism, bigotry and censorship are not
new, the points on freedom of expression are skillfully presented.

And the fact that we’re still talking about these
intolerance issues – and in a current context – should be cause for alarm.

“Alabama Story” runs Jan. 2 – 27 at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, 130 Edgar Road. For tickets, call the box office at 314- or visit, www.repstl.org.

Art and Politics Collide in ‘Alabama Story’ Coming to The Rep

Art and Politics Collide in ‘Alabama Story’ Coming to The Rep

Alabama Story continues The Rep’s Mainstage season with a potent collision of art and politics. Running January 2-27, this new play by Kenneth Jones is directed by Paul Mason Barnes.
A determined librarian and a segregationist senator face off over an innocent children’s book in 1959 Montgomery. Depicting the marriage of two rabbits – who happen to have different-colored fur – the story has Sen. E.W. Higgins calling for a book ban. But even as the pressure mounts, librarian Emily Wheelock Reed refuses to yield to censorship. Inspired by true events, Alabama Story is a stirring testament to free expression.
Jones will be in town during the play’s opening week and available for interviews with local media.

Jeanne Paulsen stars as the no-nonsense librarian Reed. Nominated for a Tony Award in 1994 for her performance in The Kentucky Cycle, Paulsen makes her Rep debut in this production.
Carl Palmer portrays the antagonistic Senator Higgins, while Corey Allen and Anna O’Donoghue play a pair of long-lost friends whose unexpected reunion provides the play with its other narrative thread. Larry Paulsen (Hamlet, 2017) plays Garth Williams, the author of the children’s book at the heart of the play, along with several other characters, while Carl Howell (Hamlet, 2017) appears as Reed’s assistant at the library.
The Rep’s casting director is McCorkle Casting Ltd.
This production the 10th play Barnes has directed at The Rep, following 2017’s well-received mounting of Hamlet.
The design team includes scenic designer William Bloodgood, costume designer Dorothy Marshall Englis (The Humans, 2018), lighting designer Kenton Yeager (Peter and the Starcatcher, 2015) and sound designer Barry G. Funderburg (Hamlet, 2017). Tony Dearing will stage manage the production.
Alabama Story is sponsored by Wells Fargo Advisors and St. Louis Public Radio.
Tickets for Alabama Story are now on sale at repstl.org, by phone at 314-968-4925 or in-person at The Rep box office, located at 130 Edgar Road on the campus of Webster University. Ticket prices range from $19 to $92. Pick-your-own subscriptions of The Rep’s three remaining Mainstage shows are also available.
Show times are Tuesdays, selected Wednesdays and selected Sundays at 7 p.m.; Thursdays, Fridays and selected Saturdays at 8 p.m. Matinee performances are selected Wednesdays at 1:30 p.m., Saturdays at 4 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.
For more information on the production, visit repstl.org/alabama-story