Renaissance Theaterworks, Milwaukee's only all female-run theater company, expands its artistic vision by presenting a one-man play, written by a man and focusing on another man. What gives? That's what audiences may be asking when they step into the intimate, 99-seat Studio Theater to see James DeVita in his acclaimed show, In Acting Shakespeare . The solo is DeVita's tribute to one of theater's greatest playwrights, William Shakespeare, and also a nod to one of today's most esteemed actors, Sir Ian McKellen. During the entire show, DeVita is dressed in a blazer, a comfortable, button-down shirt, jeans and cowboy boots.
Ian McKellen was as much of an inspiration to DeVita as Shakespeare. DeVita once saw the famous actor on Broadway in a one-man show, Acting Shakespeare. DeVita, then an impressionable New York college student, had a revelation during the performance. He realized that Shakespeare isn't just for the upper crust. "It's for everybody," DeVita exclaims during the show, his arms open wide.
Another realization for DeVita is that he wanted to play those famous characters from Shakespeare's plays. Consider that, at the time, DeVita was a working-class kid from the docks, who worked mostly on fishing ships and had flunked out of college a couple of times. Acting wasn't considered an appropriate vocation by his family (think "Billy Elliott" here).
How the arc of his dream became reality is the core of In Acting Shakespeare. After years of study and trying and failing - DeVita became one of the most accomplished Shakespearean actors in the Midwest. He found a home at the American Players Theater in Spring Green, Wisconsin. In the past 25 years DeVita has played many of Shakespeare's juiciest roles, including Hamlet, Macbeth, Richard III, Romeo and Iago. Many of these characters also appear if briefly in the one-man show.
The play starts with his recreation of a scene from Richard III. Many of the Bard's biggest hits are featured in the show, including Hamlet and Othello. Audiences unfamiliar with Shakespeare need not fear, as DeVita cleverly mentions the play, and the character, either before or after reciting the monologue.
DeVita also explores the early years of Shakespeare's life and speculates on what may have led him to abandon the family business in favor of writing plays in London. He vividly imagines Shakespeare's first view of the Old Globe Theater, reminding the audience of the brothels, bear pits and open sewers that were also part of the scenery. He talks of Shakespeare's marriage and his children. He especially focuses on the death of Shakespeare's 11-year-old son, who no doubt influenced Shakespeare's writing in a number of his plays.
DeVita also takes a few humorous swipes at Sir Ian McKellen. Speaking as "McKellen," DeVita notes the actor's educational background included a three-year stint at one of London's finest acting schools (told in a very polished English accent). DeVita then shifts to his working-class New York accent to explain his own academic background, which was considerably more modest, to say the least.
The show is mesmerizing from beginning to end, although it would be even more so if trimmed by 15 minutes. The play premiered, fittingly enough, at the American Players Theater in 2009. DeVita has performed his solo in many cities across the country, too. He has done well in interweaving the stories of his own past, and Shakespeare's. The minimal backdrop consists of a few planks of weathered wood set in a simple grid pattern, reminiscent of DeVita's home turf, the outdoor stage at American Players Theater.
