By Kathryn Olsen
In an intimate theater setting at The Hive Collaborative in Provo, Lost Works is enjoying its world premiere. Written by Dennis Agle, this is is a work that has its origins in a 2015 writers’ showcase, revised for a 2016 staged reading, and finally brought to fruition as a result of hard work during the pandemic. I am a great fan of William Shakespeare and a long-time rewriter of classic tales, so I was drawn in by the premise of the story.
Every single day, Celia (Teresa Gashler) is vexed by the daydreaming houseboy of The Fat Friar, a generic English inn. She gains little sympathy from Cook (Michelle J. Papaycik/Lindsay Higbee) and is constantly trying to make life slightly easier for her father Rowland (Geoffrey Means/Ron Pisaturo). News comes that the Earl of Bedford (Dane Allred) has been waylaid nearby because of a broken carriage and the employees of The Fat Friar hurry to chivvy the writers-blocked playwright Cuthbert (Stephen Gashler) out of the “Royal Chamber” before the nobleman arrives with his daughter Gillian (Leah Carr). The houseboy Geoffrey (Alex Russon) is struck by Gillian’s resemblance to the woman he loved and lost a year past, but he is also distracted by a mystery. On occasion, he has seen The Blue Girl (Sophie Rose) in the woods and, though his comrades doubt her existence, he can still hear her voice. Everything changes when The Blue Girl presents him with The Complete Works of William Shakespeare and theorizes that all these players are characters in one of Shakespeare’s lost work. Everyone but the playwright and the cook decide to cross into a mystical world beyond their own and seek out Shakespeare to complete their story. As this brave new world iis 21st-Century England and they can’t use their sovereigns to purchase train tickets to Stratford-upon-Avon, the suspense of how their quest will end is the driving force in the play.
Russon plays the role of hopeful dreamer marvelously, whether declaiming a speech on the nature of reality or navigating the unfamiliar world of romance. It’s unexpected that the houseboy who is scripted at the inn to be incompetent and easily distracted is the one to become a leader, but his belief in his right to tell his own story is inspirational. Russon makes the change effortlessly as though he was merely changing one costume for another.
Gilliian, as played by Carr, is another person viewed by who she is not rather than who she is meant to be. Carr plays her with composure and nobility that seems self-driven rather than a part of the script. All of the characters are, at first, restricted by the roles they play in the recurring plot, but when Gillian seems to change little in the process, it is because she remains true to her own sel as The Bard would have praised.
Means represents the sometimes-fretful father as another character built on the type of many Shakespeare characters. One of the most interesting subplots is the development of his genuine kingship to Celia. They have been told that they are loving family members, but it is as the adventure continues that he realizes his long association with her has made his paternal love a real thing. There is tenderness in this performance and it colors every one of his decisions.
Teresa Gashler plays Celia with the great self-command that her position in the inn requires, but is most captivating when she is exploring the ways in which she can take over more mastery of her life. Gashler’s roles in both realms play off of each other as she is the forward-thinker with more imagination than she gives herself credit for.
Allred is wonderfully comedic as the Earl who is shown great deference at the inn and is presumed to be a slightly-insane LARPer in the modern world. Allred imbues the character with great irony as well as a growing self-awareness of what his title cannot provide for him and he grows beyond that in an interesting shift in perspective.
Jacob Baird was my personal favorite as Valet, the most overlooked person deserving of a place in the world. In the script of each day, he shows up, is called by title instead of name, carries bags, and follows the Earl and Gillian without a word. Whether deciding to use his natural strength for good or choosing his own identity for the first time in his unscripted life,
There are two actors whose primary roles are listed as “____ & Co.” First in this is Papaycik, who is the easily-swayed Cook at the inn, but plays, among other roles, an exasperated police officer, a ticket window clerk, and an eager tourist who says this story will “BLOW UP TIKTOK!” Her appearance onstage is so varied that each scene includes suspense as to what wrench she will throw into the works next.
Stephen Gashler plays two characters whose writer’s block is life-changing for the entire company. Gashler carries a great deal of the comedy while not directly involving himself in it and his role as Henry is a weary and woebegone conterpart to this at times. His emotional journey is one that had me on the verge of tears by the end of the play because of its consequences for good and ill.
Finally, Sophie Rose is mystifying and energetic as Geoffrey’s blue girl. She is the audience’s guide to all sorts of contexts, including telling us which of the characters she fancies. She is deeply invested in the storyline, but a great deal of this is demonstrated to be a coping mechanism and as delightful as the girl’s teenage reviews of things are, Rose is compelling as the person who wants more than any other character to eee growth in her favorite characters. She makes earnestness a fantastic tool.
The two characters, brothers Ken Agle and Dennis Agle Jr., use the chemistry of this remarkable cast to great effect so the lost Shakespearean comedy that the characters are tied to is a dJeeply emotional journey for the audience as well as the cast. Meanwhile, Davis Agle as Technical Director uses screens and lighting in ingenious ways so set changes are a matter of a few shifts in furniture and a different image on the screen that act as a backrop. Sophie Rose is responsible for the varied wardrobe, from Gillian’s stately gown to the social media influencer’s I Heart Shakespeare shirt, while the Hair and Makeup Design by Janna Larsen set characters apart by rank and personality. Stage Manager Aria Agle works the changes and componetns of the show for seamless transitions.
Lost Works is playing for one more week, so there’s plenty of time to, as Shakespeare would say, “Get you an Uber” to The Hive Collaborative for this exploration of human nature and what it is to move boldly into the unknown. This is a show that old and young alike will enjoy and relate to.
The Hive Collaborative Presents Lost Works; By Dennis Nagle Jr.
The Hive Collaborative, 290 W 600 S, Provo, UT 84601
Aug 5-13, 2022, 7:30 PM, Matinee 2:00 PM. See website for individual show times.
Contact: 801-885-8545
Tickets: $15
www.hivetix.com
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