{"id":357583,"date":"2024-07-27T15:24:02","date_gmt":"2024-07-27T19:24:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/?p=357583"},"modified":"2024-07-27T15:24:02","modified_gmt":"2024-07-27T19:24:02","slug":"a-bawdy-romcom-in-stc-academys-the-rover-or-the-banishd-cavaliers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/2024\/07\/27\/a-bawdy-romcom-in-stc-academys-the-rover-or-the-banishd-cavaliers\/","title":{"rendered":"A bawdy romcom in STC Academy\u2019s ‘The Rover, or The Banish\u2019d Cavaliers’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Humans don\u2019t really change. Watching The Rover, or The Banish\u2019d Cavaliers<\/em> at the Shakespeare Theatre Company, you could swear it\u2019s just a modern bawdy romcom Google-Translated into 17th-century English. Broken promises, disloyalty, treacherous men, sincere men, women who are more than what meets the eye, women who aren\u2019t: it\u2019s all here. The Rover<\/em>, written by Aphra Behn, premiered in 1677 in London and is a rare play written by a woman during this period. It was a wildly popular show upon its release, garnering huge success and huge controversy for its comedy and bawdiness.<\/p>\n

This performance is delivered by the Shakespeare Theatre Company Academy players, who are earning their MFA after a one-year intensive program around \u201cclassical text study, stage combat, and more.\u201d At the conclusion of their program, students are performing in two plays that give them the chance to \u201cwork with classical language and embody mythic storytelling.\u201d This year, those two plays are Romeo and Juliet<\/em><\/a> and The Rover<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Jenna Hochkammer and Jon Beal in \u2018The Rover, or the Banish\u2019d Cavaliers.\u2019 Photo by Maddie Caldis.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Under Eleanor Holdridge\u2019s direction, this play has taken on new life: it\u2019s Moulin Rouge<\/em>-esque in its use of a European historical setting for its timeless story, with an injection of modern tastes, particularly modern pop music. In familiar fashion, songs have been added throughout the show to punctuate characters\u2019 experiences, even clarifying them when the historical language might disguise meaning for some. \u201cHot Stuff,\u201d \u201cGirls Just Wanna Have Fun,\u201d \u201cTotal Eclipse of the Heart,\u201d and \u201cIt\u2019s Raining Men\u201d are some of the truly epic selections.<\/p>\n

Jacob Brandt delights as Belvile, who is true and chivalrous to the chaste Florinda, who is played by Jenna Hochkammer with poise and elegance that make her character a fitting narrative counterpart to the show\u2019s numerous courtesans. Angellica Bianca, played by Katrina Clark, is the Mean Girl of the set \u2014 the blonde whom the other women, and men, worship and fear. She falls for Willmore, the smarmy titular \u201cRover,\u201d played by Jon Beal. He swears loyalty to one woman in one breath and in the next \u2014 even in the same scene, when both women are in the room \u2014 will pledge love to another. Brandt is utterly convincing in conveying his character\u2019s oiliness.<\/p>\n

But this brings about some issues. This play is Merchant of Venice<\/em>\u2013esque in that it was intended as a comedy in its time, but the way it handles social issues makes it less viable: maybe it\u2019s fun to see wily men at their schemes, but when those schemes involve assault and harrassment, and are treated as comedic in the script \u2014 punch lines and all \u2014 they\u2019re harder to swallow. The comedic and lighthearted direction is so wonderful in moments \u2014 I found myself singing along to many of the pop music selections \u2014 but when the play\u2019s protagonist is a serial adulterer and assaulter, and in one key scene, drunkenly harangues an innocent, protesting woman, it\u2019s hard to get behind the play\u2019s thesis that this is all a good time. When at the end of the play Willmore manages to convince one of the story\u2019s more intelligent women that he\u2019s worth her hand in marriage, it\u2019s hard not to mourn the fall and misery-to-come of one of the play\u2019s few discerning female characters.<\/p>\n

\"\"
The cast of STC Academy\u2019s \u2018The Rover, or the Banish\u2019d Cavaliers.\u2019 Photo by Maddie Caldis<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Shakespeare Theatre Company Academy players certainly do an excellent job of delivering this play as Behn intended it, and there are laughs and delights throughout. While the material invites problems, the show a fascinating commentary on what has changed and what hasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

The Rover, or The Banish\u2019d Cavaliers <\/em><\/strong><\/a>played through July 27, 2024, presented by the Shakespeare Theatre Company Academy<\/a> performing at the Michael R. Klein Theatre, 450 7th Street NW, Washington, DC.<\/p>\n

Performance Dates
\n<\/strong>July 18 at 6 pm
\nJuly 21 & 24 at 7:30 pm
\nJuly 26 at 8 pm
\nJuly 27 at 2 pm<\/p>\n

The full cast and crew list can be viewed in the online program<\/a>.<\/p>\n

COVID Safety: <\/strong>All STC spaces are mask-friendly \u2014 meaning all patrons, masks and unmasked, are welcome. Read more about Shakespeare Theatre Company\u2019s Health and Safety policies here.<\/a><\/p>\n

SEE ALSO:<\/strong>
\nHigh energy and raw performances in STC Academy\u2019s \u2018Romeo and Juliet’ <\/a><\/strong>(review by Julian Oquendo, July 19, 2024)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Though intended as a comedy in its time (1677 England), the way the play handles social issues makes it problematic today. By ALEXANDRA BOWMAN<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":357591,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,63],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-357583","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-reviews","8":"category-university-shows"},"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\nA bawdy romcom in STC Academy\u2019s 'The Rover, or The Banish\u2019d Cavaliers' - 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