There’s potential in shifting a Shakespeare rom-com to 1960s London.
The mod vibe, the sexy mini-skirts, the groovy music are all up for
grabs.
Too bad “These Paper Bullets!” — a riff on “Much Ado About Nothing” by
Rolin Jones and Billie Joe Armstrong — misses the mark when it comes to
being fully engaging.
This play with music comes off labored and overlong, despite a fine
ensemble and direction by Jackson Gay, whose staging packs energy and
clever live video.
In this vision of the classic, confirmed bachelor Ben (Justin Kirk) is
one-fourth of a Beatles-like group called the Quartos. Beatrice (Nicole
Parker) is a Mary Quant-like designer. After tricks and deception, just
like in the source, Ben and Bea fall for each other.
Armstrong’s pastiche pop songs hit the right notes. “Regretfully
Yours,” sung by a contrite Claude (Bryan Fenkart) after he humiliates
bride-to-be Higgy (Ariana Venturi), is especially tuneful.
But the script by Jones, who made roller derby a hoot in “The Jammer,”
is short on laughs. The cast seems to have more fun than the audience.
It’s a Bard day’s night, yeah, yeah, yeah. It’s also a slog.
No comments:
Post a Comment