Upper School Tackles Seldom Performed Shakespeare Comedy

All’s Well That Ends Well is not one of Shakespeare’s better known plays, but judging from BB&N’s Upper School production of it last month, perhaps its merit as a theater staple should be revisited.

Gerrit Thurston ’08, Talene Monahon ’09, and Dan Selden ’08 bring Shakespeare to life on the Upper School theater stage.

The plot is typically Shakespearean with narrative twists, witty dialogue, mistaken identities, and numerous character agendas all culminating in the dramatic finish.  A young woman, Helen, heals a king with her deceased father’s potion, and as a result may choose one of his knights for a husband.  Her choice, Bertram, spurns the marriage and runs off to war instead.  Using a disguise, Helen follows Bertram to war and tricks him into consummating their marriage.  They end up together, and as promised, all’s well that ends well.

As with so much Shakespeare, the material is guaranteed, so it is the delivery that in this instance, push the production over the top.  Director and theater teacher Mark Lindberg clearly realizes the talent he has in his stable, and pulls great acting turns out of everyone in the cast.

Of note were leading man and woman, Dan Selden ’08 and Talene Monahon ’09, the latter of whom carried the play through numerous monologues that could have bogged down the flow, but instead came to life in her hands.  Chris Richards ’08 and Amy McNabb ’08 played scheming, widowed parents to a tee—the interplay of their characters a delight to watch.  And James Clark, playing the sick king, found the perfect balance in an aging yet proud monarch whose weakened health assails a defiant spirit.

Comic turns abounded, such as senior Gerrit Thurston’s anguished but mistaken confession to his fellow soldiers who at one point capture him in the guise of the enemy army and question him to attest to his character.  He fails this test miserably, selling out all of his comrades, much to their chagrin.

All’s Well That Ends Well was filled with such humorous nuggets, but contained just as many dramatic vignettes.  Jazzy period costume and spot on tech work contributed to the overall product, and the collaborative effort of cast and crew made for an entertaining and polished performance.

Cast: Sarah Bates ’10, Julia Berkowitz ’10, James Clark ’08, Sarah Diaz ’10, Reni Ellis ’08, Kendrick Evans ’10, Sarah Gottlieb ’10, Marina Keegan ’08, Nathaniel Leich ’08, Ben Madsen ’09, Amy McNabb ’08, Talene Monahon ’09, David Ottenheimer ’10, Ali Parker ’09, Chris Richards ’08, Erica Sandrock ’08, Eric Schwartz ’08, Alyza Sebenius ’10, Dan  Selden ’08, Adam Smith-Perez ’10, Gerrit Thurston ’08.

Crew: Louise Brinkerhoff ’09, Paul Brudnick ’10, Leah Gallant ’09, Josh Glickenhaus ’08, Nate Herrman ’08, Ruth Lichtman ’08, Paul Mannix ’08, Eric Pluntze ’08, Jen Poorvu ’08, Katie Richard ’10, Max Seidman ’08, Feng Wu ’08, Tessa Young ’09.

Scenery / Lighting Designer and Technical Director: Eugene Warner
Costume Designer: Louise Brown
Director: Mark Lindberg

James Clark ’08, roars as the bowed, but not broken, King of France, while Sarah Gottlieb ’10 and Sarah Bates ’10 look on.

Ben Madsen ’09, Dan Selden ’08, and Eric Schwartz ’08 (far right), look on as Kendrick Evans ’10 interrogates Gerrit Thurston ’08.

Reni Ellis ’08, Marina Keegan ’08, Talene Monahon ’09, Ali Parker ’09, and Sarah Gottlieb ’10 share a moment during the second act.

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