| Review | ||||||||
Wild Oats
John O'Keefe's "Wild Oats" is a riotous comic affair, filled with mistaken identity, love interest, Shakespearean innuendo, and Restoration rakish wit. John O'Keefe (1747-1833) was an Irish writer, who created some 70 plays, along with poems and other prose works. According to O'Keefe, Richard Brinsley Sheridan gave him credit for reviving comedy. His works certainly acted as commentaries on his time, and he stands as a representative figure. "Wild Oats" is one of his most famous works, made famous with its rediscovery in modern times. Now, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival produces "Wild Oats," with a cast of 23 including Michael J. Hume as Sir George Thunder, Linda K. Morris as Lady Amaranth, Jeff Cummings as Harry Thunder, Gregory Linington as Jack Rover, John Pribyl as John Dory, Richard Elmore as Farmer Gammon and Mark Murphey as Ephraim Smooth. With its profusion of theatrical quotes and illusions, this play harkens back to by-gone days, while offering its own twist on language, thematic construction, and societal interplay. The Play The actors, in their parts, seem to have fun on the stage, as the plot weaves back and forth from a dead-beat dad (Sir George Thunder), a long-lost son (Jack Rover), a prodigal son (Harry Thunder), the engenue (Lady Amaranth), and other archetypal characters. Until all is revealed, we're led through a re-make of "As You Like It," with some bits that are reminiscent of "Tom Jones," other Shakespearean comedies, contemporaries of O'Keefe, and the Restoration playwrights. This play has too much of everything, but that's just the way it should be in its mix of sentimentality and melodramatic prose. With the exceptional acting, and the entertaining plays on words, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival creates an unforgettable experience under the stars! |
||||||||
|
||||||||
| Important product disclaimer information about this About site. |
