Review
Thom White, WQAD, Review for Life's a Dream
Submitted by iachimo on May 8, 2008 - 11:57amOriginal review by Thom White, originally posted May 8, 2008
Original Review
On Stage — Prenzie Players’ Life’s a Dream
As a theater-goer, I go to the theater to escape for a while, losing myself in a story of others’ lives played out before me on a stage. I don’t want to be aware of my presence, only of the presence of the characters before my eyes. That’s my preference, but it’s not Prenzie Players’ policy. As they say, “theater is not a passive experience.” And, knowing that, I approached the group’s latest production with trepidation, with anxiety. Despite efforts to approach the show with an open mind as a reviewer, I dreaded
David Burke, Quad City Times, review for Taming
Submitted by iachimo on March 13, 2008 - 3:00pmPrenzie Players ‘shine’ in ‘Taming of the Shrew’
Written by David Burke
Wednesday, 12 March 2008
Original Review
It’s doubtful that when William Shakespeare wrote “The Taming of the Shrew” in the late 16th century that he envisioned it being played using Lean Cuisine, a borderline bondage outfit and with its cast performing the chicken dance.
Mike Schulz, River Cities Reader, review for Taming
Submitted by iachimo on March 12, 2008 - 8:09amNo Holds Bard: "The Taming of the Shrew,"
Written by Mike Schulz
Wednesday, 12 March 2008
Original Review
The way I see it, the only real problem with the Prenzie Players (and it's more a problem for me than them) is that their performance standard is so consistently high that when they produce a show that satisfies even beyond that standard, you don't quite know how to describe it. Regarding the theatrical troupe's current production of The Taming of the Shrew, then, let me just state that it's the best time I've had at an area show in all of 2008. And, quite possibly, in all of 2007. And 2006. The invention and commitment and laugh-'til-you-cry hilarity of director Jeremy Mahr's presentation is truly staggering; it transports you to a state of complete happiness that you don't ever want to return from.
Thom White, WQAD-TV, review for Taming
Submitted by iachimo on March 7, 2008 - 3:02pmOriginal review by Thom White, originally posted March 6, 2008
Original review
On Stage — The Taming of the Shrew at The Prenzie Players
This week, I had a chance to catch the Prenzie Players’ The Taming of the Shrew. And, I have to say, it’s the most fun I’ve ever had with William Shakespeare.
Ruby Nancy Review for Taming
Submitted by iachimo on March 7, 2008 - 2:59pmReview by Ruby Nancy, originally posted March 7, 2008
Ruby's Site
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One of the best-known comedies attributed to William Shakespeare, THE TAMING OF THE SHREW has been reworked as musical comedy and film – as KISS ME KATE and "10 Things I Hate About You," just to mention a couple of the more famous interpretations. With so many adaptations and films, revivals and Shakespeare festivals, you can see this familiar script in some form almost anytime.
River Cities Reader review of Othello
Submitted by iachimo on November 25, 2007 - 7:10pmOriginal review by Mike Schulz appeared in the River Cities Reader on Wednesday, October 17, 2007.
Link to original article
Get Out Your Handkerchief: "Othello," at the Rock Island Masonic Temple through October 20
by Mike Schulz
I've seen three or four first-rate portrayals of Shakespeare's Othello over the years, and I always marvel at how both the character and the performer seem to literally grow in stature through the course of the play.
QC Times review of Othello
Submitted by iachimo on November 25, 2007 - 7:05pmOriginal review by Ruby Nancy appears in the QC Times on Thursday, October 18, 2007.
Link to original article
Pair of talented actors power Prenzie's 'Othello'
by Ruby Nancy
In “Othello,” Shakespeare’s tragedy about a thwarted love between a celebrated general and the beautiful young woman he adores, a character named Iago manipulates others to accomplish his own ends.
Whether Iago is purely evil or motivated by more familiar human emotions is a common question, and in my experience, the role has been played with an emphasis on the former.
River Cities Reader review of Henry V
Submitted by iachimo on May 24, 2007 - 8:43amOriginal review by Mike Schulz appeared in the River cities Reader on May 23rd, 2007.
Link to original article
The Return of the King: "King Henry the Fifth," at the Rock Island Masonic Temple through May 26
With King Henry the Fifth, the overall effect of the Prenzie Players' Henriad trilogy can be demonstrated in about five minutes of stage time. Shakespeare's titular ruler, played by Jeff DeLeon, is invading the French province of Harfleur, and the scene begins with a literal explosion of sound - an edifice-shaking cannon boom, followed by the impassioned cries of the English and French soldiers engaging in battle. Over the next few minutes, the bellowing and booming hit greater and greater peaks of intensity, until finally Henry is standing at the gates of Harfleur, demanding that the governor surrender his township.
Quad City Times review of Henry V
Submitted by iachimo on May 24, 2007 - 8:31amOriginal review by Ruby Nancy appeared in the Quad City Times, May 24th, 2007.
Link to original article
Prenzie continues excellence with 'Henry the Fifth'
There are three basic challenges to writing the review for a show like “King Henry the Fifth,” the Prenzie Players show which opened last weekend.
For those who have not been following the progress of Prenzie’s “The Henriad” — a trio of Shakespeare plays that focus on war and English history — the three shows have been presented in one season, with continuous casting, and the results are absolutely remarkable. This last installment culminates a violent saga, featuring characters (and corpses of characters) from the two previous historical dramas as well as new ones.
QC Times review of Measure for Measure
Submitted by iachimo on March 11, 2007 - 9:32pmOriginal review by Ruby Nancy appeared in the Quad City Times newspaper.
Link to original article
Prenzie starts with Shakespeare's 'Measure'
There once was a time when theater folks were mostly traveling bands of players who would put on a show wherever they were pulling out something already written, using props and costumes on hand, using actors for whatever roles cropped up, and creating a "stage" from whatever space was available.
Thank goodness some traditions never die.
The Prenzie Players, a brand-new theater group in the Quad-Cities dedicated to producing the works of William Shakespeare, launch their first show this weekend, and the topnotch "Measure for Measure" is I sincerely hope the first of many, many more to come.
