newcritics

Recently, I had a chance to see “Elizabeth Rex” performed at Nicu’s Spoon Theater in NYC, written by Timonthy Findley and directed by Joanne Zipay. The play’s principle motivation attempts to unravel the struggle universally experienced by men and women who seem to lack a fundamental emotional knowledge of each other. So does the play provide answers? Not exactly, but it does provoke us to look inward at the embedded beliefs pertaining to the opposite sex.

The play begins on the eve of Shakespeare’s death. The Bard explains to the audience the tragic events of some years earlier when the Earl of Essex was convicted of treason, when he became a political threat to his beloved Queen. To ease the grief of putting her lover to death, “Much Ado About Nothing” is performed in her honor. After the performance the players gather in the barn, and Elizabeth pays them an unexpected visit. Shakespeare, Scott David Nogi, narrates details to the audience.

However, the central focus of the play resides on the two protagonists, Queen Elizabeth I and Ned Lowenscroft the male actor who is the “leading lady” of the day, during the Elizabethan period only men were allowed to perform women’s role. Ned contracted a deadly disease from one of his one-time male lovers. The actor, Michael DiGioi provides a robust spirit to his dying character; he gives a beautiful performance.

We learn quickly that Elizabeth I is torn between her royal duties and her passion for a man. At one point, she bellows, “If you will teach me how to be a woman…I will teach you how to be a man.” The main characters exchange heated words about gender and role playing, but we discover there will be no break-through–only payment for their misjudgments, which is death. Stephanie Barton-Farcas lends a fine performance as the Queen; however, her lack of vocal strength was apparent when she engaged in emotionally charged moments. The charming cast provides relief from Elizabeth and Ned’s proverbial daggers. The stage was too small for such a large cast, but the design provided a wonderful visual backdrop to the play.