Shakespeare & Co's "Love's Labour's Lost" a Berkshires delight

PRIME – August 2013 By Debbie Gardner debbieg@thereminder.com LENOX, Mass. – It has all the hallmarks of a great romantic comedy – befuddled men, strong women, an insurmountable problem, mixed messages, mistaken identities and the promise of an eventual happy ending. In the hands of veteran Shakespeare & Company artist Lisa Wolfe, fresh from a stint as artistic director of the Los Angeles Woman's Shakespeare Company, and a talented ensemble cast, this summer's production of "Love's Labour's Lost" – one of Shakespeare's earliest comedies and a contemporary of the better known "Romeo and Juliet" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream" – is a delight, offering audiences a visual and auditory feast of witty wordplay, comedic action, musical interludes and clever allusions. The cozy interior of the Tina Packer Playhouse, billed as a scaffold and canvas theater, is the perfect setting for the Bard's tale of King Ferdinand of Navarre and young noblemen Berowne, Longaville and Dumaine who, in the aftermath of a savage war all swear – one albeit reluctantly – to devote themselves to study and intellectual pursuits for a period of three long years. Women are banned from their presence, and their vow of celibacy is public knowledge. Their endeavors are thwarted, however, when the Princess of France and her trio of attractive ladies – Rosaline, Katherine and Maria – arrive at court to collect a debt owed to the princesses' father. Each man in turn finds himself distracted from his cerebral pursuits by the promise of love. The scholars are not the only ones smitten, as it becomes clear that the pompous Spaniard and court hanger-on Don Adriano de Armado is in love with a pretty dairymaid, Jaquenetta. A love letter between de Armado and Jaquenetta, as well as a clandestine communication from nobleman Berowne destined for ladies' maid Rosaline are entrusted to simpleton Costard for delivery, and the hilarious confusion begins. Wolfe casts her edited version of this four-hour work in a 1940s-esque setting, and punctuates the scenes of the play's comedic sub-plots with contemporary songs such as "You Always Hurt the One You Love" and "It's Only a Paper Moon." The intimacy of the performance space – actors enter through the theater's main aisles and descend from the balcony at various points in the performance – helps to draw the audience into the world of the sometimes star-crossed lovers. And though a tragedy cuts the happy ending short, forcing the princess and her ladies to leave abruptly, Wolfe's take on Shakespeare's examination of the effects of love makes for a satisfying evening's entertainment. "Love's Labour's Lost" will be in residence at the Tina Packer Playhouse Thursday through Sunday through Sept. 1. For performance times and ticket prices, call the box office at 413-637-1199 or visit www.shakespeare.org.