Shakespeare Rocks and Rolls in ‘These Paper Bullets!’
by Dora Kaplan
Shakespeare gets lifted into almost modern times with “These Paper Bullets!,” launching “Much Ado About Nothing” rocking and rolling into the 60’s as a Beatles-like band brings music and mishap to a hotel in London. Set to music written Billy Joe Armstrong, lead singer of Green Day, the play weaves a tale in step with the lightheartedness of Shakespeare’s work while being accessible to a wider contemporary audience. In a time when revamps and reboots are everywhere, “These Paper Bullets!” manages to stand out as a wonderful and worthwhile adventure.
In a self-proclaimed “modish ripoff of ‘Much Ado About Nothing,’” playwright Rolin Jones combines Shakespeare and Beatles mania. The play follows The Quartos — essentially the Beatles — as they create confusion and music in London’s Hotel Messina. Sweet-faced lead singer Claude (Damon Daunno) finds himself falling in love with quinine dazed heiress Higgy (Ariana Venturi), while fashion designer and love-allergic Bea (Nicole Parker) makes a pair with eqaully love-resistant band member, Ben. Sulking behind the lights is ex-band member Don Best (Adam O’Bryne). Don Best observes the happenings with an eye for destruction and mayhem. Through a series of strange escapades, miscommunications, and songs, the play demonstrates the success of love and music over confusion and heartbreak.
“These Paper Bullets!” gives “Much Ado About Nothing” updates it didn’t know it needed. Shakespeare lovers will be pleased with the skillful incorporation of original dialogue into the play. First-time viewers will be pleased with the comprehensibility of the language. Despite calling itself a ripoff, the play stays fairly loyal to Shakespeare’s blueprint while adding flairs of its own. The additions work perfectly to get at the spirit and raucousness of the play as it might have been. While a modern audience might struggle to relate to returning soldiers, more easily graspable is the celebrity of a band like The Beatles. Using substitutions like these Rolin manages to make Shakespeare more relatable and relevant. The play also acknowledges the typical over-complexity of a Shakespearean solution with the proposal and disposal of one of the play’s convoluted plot lines. Though perhaps sometimes the jokes take a little long to establish and some stay a hair too long, the script is extremely clever and moves quickly.
The set emphasizes the revamped story wonderfully. The scenes move on a stage that rotates 360 degrees, lit by flower filtered lights. The costumes call back to the geometrically patterned, high hair style of the 60s.
Overall, the play’s goal is not to seek emotional depth but to entertain. And it succeeds fantastically. Despite a two hour twenty minute run time, the actors carry the play with enormous energy, sending time flying. The actors have a hilarious awareness of the over-the-top style of the play. Though ridiculous, the play avoids spiraling out of control thanks to the work of director Jackson Gay who allows the actors to poke fun at themselves, the audience, and the Bard’s work while still respecting the structure of the story and quality of the performance.
Punctuating and accenting the play is the music of Billy Joe Armstrong. Armstrong wonderfully riffs off some of the Beatles style while blending his own style. Songs like “Regretfully Yours” give voice to emotion while highlighting the plot. Not only that, the songs are catchy and fun to listen to.
“These Paper Bullets!” plays at The Geffen Playhouse through October 18th. Tickets are $43 — $76. For more information, please visit http://geffenplayhouse.com/these-paper-bullets.
Reach Staff Reporter Dora Kaplan here.
