Last year I made the journey down to Winona MN for the Great River Shakespeare Festival for the first time. I had such a great time that I vowed to return, and so I have. This year’s festival consists of two Shakespeare’s plays Hamlet and Much Ado About Nothing. When it comes to Shakespeare’s drama’s my favorite is Hamlet and of his comedies, it’s Much Ado About Nothing. I grant you that these are obvious choices for favorites, but the heart wants what the heart wants. So this was a perfect lineup in my view. Not that I needed any coaxing to attend this yearly theater oasis in the somewhat drought like summer theater schedule.

Winona is a quaint little city that for the most part seems to close on Sundays. So, if you’re curious to explore and do some shopping in the downtown area I recommend making your schedule to allow for that on Saturday afternoon, not Sunday. It is possible to travel down on Saturday morning, see both plays and travel back after the evening show. But, I think it’s more enjoyable to make a little weekend getaway out of it if you can. There are more things in The Great River Shakespeare Festival than just the plays and a stay over allows you to partake of some of the festival events as well. There are free Sunday morning Company Conversations at Blooming Grounds Coffee House, and Ice Cream Socials after ever Friday and Saturday evening performances. About 45 minutes before each show there is a Green Show put on by the understudy company members to prepare you for what you are about to see. There are also post show discussion and a variety of programs and classes for young aspiring actors from ages 4 to 18.

Much Ado About Nothing is the story of two sets of lovers. The young couple Claudio and Hero who are subject to all the deficiencies of youth, jealousy, naivety, rashness. The older couple is Benedict and Beatrice who are the template on which the “will they or won’t they” and the opposites attract characters such as Sam and Diane (Cheers) and David and Maddie (Moonlighting) are based on. They are too wise to woo peaceably and thank God for that because it’s much more entertaining when they wage a battle of the wits upon each other. While both Hamlet and Much Ado about Nothing are worth the trip, Much Ado… is the less successful of the two. The setting for the play is updated to modern times at a block party welcoming home soldiers from the war. There are some very effective choices made that fit well with a modern setting and a modern audience. One being the outcome of the conflict between Claudio and Hero played by Daniel Ajak and Emily Fury Daly. The resolution feels valid and more in keeping with human behavior in the 21st century, but it is at odds with the inciting incident and its repercussions. They play the conflict as if it bares the same weight as it would have 400 years ago, but the denouement is more in keeping with our social norms, the discordance doesn’t mesh as well as it should. Look, Benedict and Beatrice are always the stronger couple that’s no surprise. Daly and Ajak do what they can with Hero and Claudio, but they just are not as dynamic of characters, though the changes to the resolution do give Hero a stronger part.

What does work like gangbusters are the choices Melissa Maxwell and Will Sturdivant make as Beatrice and Benedict. Their line readings and the way in which they carry themselves along with the comedic physicality which they bring to the roles is unique and brings a fresh perspective to these timeless characters. The space they have to perform in is limited, but like the Ten Thousand Things productions here in the Twin Cities, the physical limitations seem to act as a catalyst for creativity. That Sturdivant and Maxwell shine in the roles is no surprise to anyone who has seen them perform in the past. To see them in these roles is worth the trip alone. What was a pleasant surprise was Diana Coates whom is new to the company this year and was a revelation in multiple supporting roles in both plays. In Much Ado Coates plays Margaret, Antonio, and Borachio. The best role is Margaret as she is less encumbered with disguises, as she is particularly in the role of Antonio, and her charisma and stage presence are like a magnet for the audience’s attention. I hope to see her back next year with a lead role.

This is hands down the best production of Hamlet I’ve seen on stage. At two hours and forty minutes including intermission it’s also probably one of the shortest while also covering much more of the text than I expected. Right from the start Director Doug Scholz-Carlson affirms his understanding of the multilayered tapestry that is Shakespeare’s greatest play. It is a play about revenge, it is a play about political intrigue, it is a play about love, it is a play about our ability and inability to act, and it is a GHOST STORY! The play opens embracing the supernatural aspect, and not just in a philosophical way but in a visceral hair raising approach to the staging. The first scene, where the guards and Horatio encounter the ghost of Hamlet’s father, is played in almost complete darkness. The sound design by Jeff Polunas and the lighting design by Avery Reagan perfectly combine to create a genuine sense of terror in the audience. It’s the best embrace of the horror aspect of Hamlet I’ve ever experienced and it’s used effectively again when Hamlet encounters the ghost. The Ghost and Claudius are played by Will Sturdivant, the costume for the Ghost is really well executed by designer John Merritt adding another eerie element of the supernatural with a glowing chest. The opening scene starts the play off with a scream and then basically doesn’t stop or allow the audience to catch their breath until intermission. Part of what really makes this production so successful is that relentless pace, there isn’t time for the audiences mind to wander, you are on the edge of your seat from that first moment when the lights go down and stay down.

Tarah Flanagan is a wonderful Hamlet. Part of the characters defining characteristics is his indecisiveness, Flanagan’s physical petiteness adds a visual element to the sense of the characters inability in the first half of the play set a course, this sense that he is being blown around by a strong wind. But Flanagan also displays a keen intelligence so you never feel like Hamlet is weak or ineffectual, that blowing in the wind aspect comes from his uncertainty as to what is true and how best to act. When the final sword fight comes between Hamlet and Laertes, it’s really well choreographed by Benjamin Boucvalt, and Flanagan looks an equal match for Carl Schack, who as understudy was playing the role of Laertes. It’s one of the best sword fights I’ve seen on stage, made all the more impressive by the fact that half of it was being performed by the understudy. The cast is perfect in every role, It’s Flanagan’s show without a doubt but she has strong support from Sturdivant as the Ghost and Claudius, Melissa Maxwell as Gertrude, Michael Fitzpatrick as Polonius and the Gravedigger, Emily Fury Daly as Ophelia, truly heartbreaking as Ophelia separated from her senses after the murder of her father.

I strongly urge you faithful readers to take a trip down to Winona and take in these wonderful plays. The festival runs through July 28th. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.grsf.org/

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