Something Old, Something New

Shakespeare sings, but The Left Hand doesn't

Comments (0) By Dennis Brown Wednesday, Nov 26 2003

Hand-wringing: The talented Terry Meddows and Donna Parrone get bogged down in a bad script

All the world's a stage, and Ralph Murphy, Blake Anthony and Blaine Smith are merely players in As You Like It

Details

The Left Hand Singing -- By Barbara Lebow. Performed by the New Jewish Theatre through December 9 at the Jewish Community Center, 2 Millstone Campus. Call 314-442-3283.

As You Like It -- By William Shakespeare. Performed by St. Louis Shakespeare through November 30 at the Grandel Theater, 3610 Grandel Square. Call 314-534-1111.

More About

The production benefits from good work by James Malone as Rosalind's banished father and by Adam Hale, whose Touchstone resembles a young Jerry Lewis -- in part perhaps because of his crew cut but also because of his tireless attempts to wring humor from his lines. Perhaps the most curious portrayal is the Jaques of B. Weller. Usually Jaques (who delivers the play's most celebrated speech -- "All the world's a stage/And all the men and women merely players...." -- is mired in melancholy. Here he's practically the most cheerful person on the stage. That was different.

By evening's end, all is forgiven, and these banished royals -- who have had such a fine time living in the woods -- are allowed to return to urban life. It hardly seems fair, but it's foolproof.