Not Too Late to Get Shipwrecked with Shakespeare Santa Cruz
Written by Tara Leonard
SANTA CRUZ (August 2009) - Saturday night I took the family to see Shipwrecked! An Entertainment - The Amazing Adventures of Louis de Rougemont (As Told By Himself) at Shakespeare Santa Cruz on the UCSC campus. What a fabulous show to match its fabulous title! Tickets are still available for the remaining performances of this rollicking, family-friendly adventure and I strongly encourage you to go. Who knows? It might just inspire you to embark on daring exploits of your own.
This is old-fashioned showmanship at its very best, helmed by the utterly convincing Dierk Torsek as our narrator, Louis de Rougemont. “Hello, you vital hummingbird-hearted creatures!” he boldly greets the audience. “Hello and welcome to this temple of imagination!” From that moment on, the audience is swept up in a head-long rush of heroic exploits from pearl-diving in the Coral Sea and surviving a gigantic octopus to living with Australian aborigines and riding giant sea turtles for fun.
Rougemont is ably assisted in his audacious re-telling by two players, nimbly switching roles as the story dictates with the aid of simple, clever props. Mike Ryan, beloved by Santa Cruz families as Buttons in Cinderella and Chester in The Princess and the Pea, morphs from drunken sailor to Queen Victoria and delivers the most spot-on impression of a loyal hound to ever grace the stage. His hysterical, tongue-lolling antics had the audience howling with laughter.
Karen Aldridge goes from doting mother to greedy pirate to blushing bride with equal skill, portraying both male and female characters with conviction – and the willing imaginative leap of enthusiastic audience members.
Which is what this fantastical romp is all about. Where is the line between truth and fiction? Is Rougemont a callous charlatan or the very embodiment of the creative spirit? If the power of storytelling fills us with joy and laughter, does it really matter?
Leave it to the adults to ponder these deeper issues. Kids will simply be dazzled by the magic and mayhem of Rougemont’s colorful escapades. And don’t worry parents, there aren’t any of the cringe-inducing double-entendres or risqué costumes that have popped up in several Shakespeare Santa Cruz holiday shows. Due to minor violence and a few minutes of flashing light effects, I wouldn’t bring a child under 6. Also be aware that the show runs about 100 minutes without an intermission.
Now, for the sad news. During our Saturday night performance the Mainstage theater was only about two-thirds full. While our appreciative audience gave the actors a rousing standing ovation, I still felt they deserved more. As you probably know, the very survival of Shakespeare Santa Cruz likely rests on the financial success of this summer season.
So please, log on to Shakespeare Santa Cruz today and fill the remaining seats for Shipwrecked (or Julius Caesar or A Midsummer Night's Dream). Introduce your children to this “temple of the imagination” while the lazy days of summer are still upon us, with plenty of time for day dreaming!
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