Shout out to your peeps!
"...the most entertaining
evening of Shakespeare in recent memory!"
- LA Weekly's Pick of the Week!
SUNDAYS at 7pm beginning July 30, 2000!
Tickets: 15 Bones
Reservations: (323) 993-72Gs
or
Reservations2Gs at aol dot com
HIP-HOP
AFTER PARTY! |
The Martini Lounge
5657 Melrose Ave. (2 Blocks E. of Vine)
(Two Gentlemen of Verona)
Word by William Shakespeare
A Scott Rabinowitz Joint
Produced by Bil Garrity & Joe Hernandez-Kolski
![]() |
Featuring...
Carla Jo Bailey, Herschel Bleefeld,
Ransford Doherty, Joe Jordan, G.
Anthony Joseph, Ameenah Kaplan, Matthew Yang King, Jeffrey Landman, Lisa Lovett-Mann,
Scott McShane, Peter Anthony Moore, Gretchen Morgan, R.C. Ormond, Cheryl Tsai,
Matt Scanlong, Shakespeare & DJ Al Jackson
Assistant Director - Ben Davis
Sets/Lighting Design - Aaron Francis
SFX lighting - Norman Gilmore
Choreographer - Joe Hernandez-Kolski
Costumes - Elif Inanc with Mary Hayes
Stage Manager - April Byrd
B-Boy/Producer, Joe
Hernandez-Kolski
freestyles
Thanks to KCRW's Chocolate
City for hostin' us all night! |
LA WEEKLY *Pick of the Week Several divine coincidences make Scott Rabinowitz’s hip-hop adaptation of Two Gentlemen of Verona a perfect fit into contemporary America — from the abbreviated title, to an actor named A Dogg who plays the canine role, to the implicit racial overtones of a white woman addressing her black lover as "servant." Rabinowitz sets Shakespeare’s comedy about betrayal of friendship and love in an American nightclub called Milan, complete with hip-hop DJ and dancers. The sprinkling of current slang into the text works so well, it’s occasionally difficult to distinguish the Sacred Fools company’s jabs from the Bard’s. And the uncomplicated story lends itself well to Rabinowitz’s modern spin: A cad named Proteus (R.C. Ormond) breaks girlfriend Julia’s (Ameenah Kaplan) heart when he plots to steal best friend Valentine’s (Ransford Doherty) girl, Silvia (Gretchen Morgan). The chemistry between the principals and a strong supporting cast (especially outstanding comedians Herschel Bleefeld and Scott McShane as clownish servants Launce and Speed), combined with breakdancing and fly-girl/b-boy ensemble dancing — and DJ Al Jackson’s groovalicious soundtrack — all adds up to the most entertaining evening of Shakespeare in recent memory. Kudos to Rabinowitz for his expert reading between the lines and inspired sight gags; to Elif Inanc and Mary Hayes for costumes (particularly drag queen Sir E’glamour’s colorful wardrobe); and to Aaron Francis and Norman Gilmore for lighting and special-effects lighting, respectively. —Miriam Jacobson |