This document contains reviews from multiple critics praising the fight choreography of Paul Dennhardt for several productions. The reviews highlight Dennhardt's realistic and thrilling sword fighting and battle scenes in productions of The Three Musketeers, Henry IV, Henry V, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, and Twelfth Night. Critics note the believable illusion and lack of injury in Dennhardt's choreography, calling it some of the finest stage combat. Dennhardt's fight scenes are described as dramatic highlights that elevate the productions.

1. Representative Critical Reviews
The Three Musketeers – Indiana Repertory Theatre – 2016
“Standouts include Ryan Artzberger, David Folsom and Nathan Hosner as the three
musketeers – Athos, Porthos and Aramis, respectively. Jeb Burris joins in as the hopeful
d’Artagnan. All four display thenselves as agile and worthy heroes. Their swordplay,
excellently choreographed by Paul Dennhardt, is lively ad realistic.”
Ken Klingenmeier, A Seat on the Aisle
“The Indiana Repertory Theatre’s production of The Three Musketeers is big and bold,
with enough crossing of swords and fancy footwork to satisfy action fans. Thanks to the
skills of fight director Paul Dennhardt, the actors portraying the four dashing musketeers
parry and thrust across the stage with nary a real scratch…capes swirl and extravagant
hats stay on during the fight scene, and add dash and drama the rest of the time.”
Ethel Winslow, The Weekly View
“The world undoubtedly needs a bit more swashbuckling…The set is sparse, allowing for
elaborate sword fights courtesy of Paul Dennhardt, who serves as the fight director.”
Melissa Hall, Stage Write
“Stage combat has a way of distracting me, but only momentarily. When it is well done,
as it is in Indiana Repertory Theatre’s new production of “The Three Musketeers,” the
question keeps popping up: “How do they do that?”…Nonetheless, marveling at fight
direction and its execution is a good problem to have when it is so thoroughly a part of
the drama as it is in Catherine Bush’s stage adaptation of the Alexandre Dumas’ novel.
Rapiers, even blunted ones seem capable of injury. When they clash, blades slip and slide
off each other. How can that be controlled? How can those viciously thrown punches
never really land, as they appear to? How do heads that snap back and bodies that fly
sprawling to the floor escape injury? (Admiring kudos to “Musketeers” fight director
Paul Dennhardt!)…The whole package will have you putting aside the “how do they do
that?” question for the most part. Your pulse will race as the fights break out and
conclude, and you’ll recognize that all such long-ago battles and florid intrigues can bear
the imprint of real human passion when credibly presented. This production makes you
ready for them. En garde!”
Jay Harvey Upstage
“Replete with romance, comedy, adventure, intrigue, brawling, heroics, and
tragedy…Standing out as Richelieu’s spy, the steely villainess Milady De Winter, was
Elizabeth Laidlaw. The scene in which her character is killed by Musketeer Athos
(Artzberger), the husband she has betrayed, couldn’t have been more graphic, nor bone-
chilling. Considering that the play features charactrs who fight as expert swordsmen with
flamboyant bravado, I hoped that the action portrayed would look realistic. Thanks to
fight director Paul Dennhardt, I was not disappointed. The stage combat in this
production was among the finest illusion I have ever witnessed on any stage.”
On the aisle with Tom Alvarez

2. “Another kind of adventure is happening at the Indiana Repertory Theatre, where “The
Three Musketeers” is swashing and buckling through Oct. 15…For those who know only
the title, “The Three Musketeers: is really the story of a would-be fourth, D’Artagnan, a
country boy seeking a place on the team but stumbling into trouble involving no less than
the Queen of France. The rowdy trio of the title soon befriends him. Intrigue and
skirmishes follow, alternating with enough character detail so we can keep track of who
is fighting whom. A few personalities pop…but the real stars here are costume designer
Devon Painter and fight director Paul Dennhardt, each bringing styal and splash to the
stage.
Lou Harry, Lou’s Views: Indiana Business Journal
The Critic – Guthrie Theatre & Shakespeare Theatre Company - 2016
“Hugh Ness (who fights a hilariously brutal two-character duel with himself in “The
Critic” and is a crotchety wheelchair-bound military man in “Hound”) also logs some
fine moments.”
Dominic P. Papatola, Twin Cities Pioneer Press
A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Shakespeare Festival St. Louis 2016
“But mixed-up Puck first gives the magic potion to Lysander, then over-corrects. Now
both young men love Helena, who thinks they’re making fun of her. The ensuing battle,
when the good-looking young lovers brawl like stooges, is a riot in every sense —
particularly when the young ladies sail through the air in pastel party dresses.”
Judith Newmark, St. Louis-Post Dispatch
“This production’s emphasis on physical comedy is especially successful in the plot
involving the young lovers Hermia (Cassia Thompson) and Lysander (Justin Blanchard),
who want to marry despite the wishes of Hermia’s father Egeus (Whit Reichert), who
orders her to marry Demetrius (Pete Winfrey), whose affection for Hermia is not
returned. It’s Hermia’s childhood friend Helena (Rachel Christopher) who loves
Demetrius although he doesn’t care for her, until Puck and a magical plant become
involved, mixing up the affections of the men and causing further confusion for the
women. All four performers give energetic, hilarious performances, with Christopher’s
determined and perpetually rejected Helena being the standout. Kudos also to fight
choreographer Paul Dennhardt for some truly marvelous physical moments.”
Michelle Kenyon, Snoop’s Theatre Thoughts
Henry IV & Henry V, Shakespeare Festival St. Louis – 2015
“As part of its ambitious 2014 season, Shakespeare Festival St. Louis is presenting a
condensed version of Henry IV, Part 1 and Henry IV,Part 2 in repertory with a
presentation of Henry V. That’s a staggering number of lines that their blended casts
memorize and interpret in two presentations spanning nearly six hours. Beyond that
impressive accomplishment, though, are two engaging productions that take turns
offering rousing battle scenes as well as copious comic moments…The lack of
blandishments on that set allows the large cast to move freely across the performance
area and also to bring dynamism to Paul Dennhardt’s explosive fight choreography.”
Mark Bretz, The Ladue News

3. “Spirited swordplay integral to battle scenes is effectively brought to life through Paul
Dennhardt’s fight choreography on the bare expanse of a stage designed by Scott Neale,
which emphasizes a series of steps before an imposing backdrop.”
Mark Bretz, The Ladue News
“The battle scenes are marvelously choreographed as whole armies take to the stage, and
Falstaff, a self-preservationist if ever there was one, plays dead on the battlefield before
claiming to have slain Hotspur.”
Malcolm Gay, The Riverfront Times
John Wylie’s lighting and Rusty Wandall’s sound is put to excellent use in the battle
scenes, with slow motion-style fighting brilliantly choreographed by Paul Dennhardt to
achieve just the right balance between chaos and order. Bold battle drums and stirring
music by Gregg Coffin effectively punctuate the scenes, as well.
Even with the intensity of the war scenes, the chilling brutality of one scene involving a
hanging, and the somber and contemplative aftermath of the climactic battle, the overall
tone is one of Henry as a heroic figure and a worthy leader and representative of his
country.
Michelle Kenyon, Snoop’s Theatre Thoughts
“Pasternak, as Hal’s rival Hotspur, is a dynamic presence, always moving and full of
energy and fiery charisma. It’s easy to understand why he would be able to lead a
rebellion. His climactic duel with Butz’s Hal is a dramatic highlight…The fight scenes
are well choreographed by Paul Dennhardt, with the battle scenes being a major dramatic
highlight of this production.”
Michelle Kenyon, Snoop’s Theatre Thoughts
“A vicious enforcer for the Percys, the Scotsman Archibald, Earl of Douglas (Alex
Miller) cuts a swath through combatants at the ensuing Battle of Shrewsbury, and Hal
saves his father from the Scots’ sword, only to watch him die in bed after an unspecified
period of time. Falstaff plays possum during the fighting and angers Hal by refusing to
give the Prince his sword, but then tries to claim that he killed Hotspur when Hal did (in
an especially exciting and well-choreographed sword fight)…”
Andrea Braun, Playback: STL
“The ensemble’s work is seamless, both in the expertly staged battle scenes as well as the
downstage tavern scenes and the upper stage royal quarters…Suzanne Mills is the voice
and text coach, and Paul Dennhardt handled the fight choreography. Their work is
exceptional, as is sound designer Rusty Wandall's.”
Lynn Venhaus, The News-Democrat
"Henry V" opened Saturday, bolstered by dazzling action set pieces -- notably a smoky,
cinematic battle scene and a sea voyage recreated for the stage. There is more exciting

4. swordplay, of course, and a grim hanging, as this rich tableau concerns the Hundred
Years War. Shakespeare focused on before and after the crucial Battle of Agincourt
1415-1420.”
Lynn Venhaus, The News-Democrat
Macbeth – The Arden Theatre Company - 2015
“Crucial to any production of Macbeth are the battles, and Paul Dennhardt’s fight
choreography is a knockout. Peake’s death is an amazingly moving, shocking, realistic
scene.”
Toby Zinman, For The Inquirer
“Swordplay, both group and mano a mano, figures prominently in the story. The various
skirmishes in the Arden’s presentation have been plotted as precisely as any Twyla Tharp
dance number by Paul Dennhardt, a theater professor at the College of Fine Arts of
Illinois State University, and one of the nation’s leading Shakespeare fight
choreographers.”
Chuck Darrow, Philadelphia Daily News
“Paul Dennhardt’s fight direction is as good as it gets: scary and powerful.”
Clark Groome, Chestnut Hill Local
“And Paul Dennhardt’s fight choreography is pretty darn thrilling, with swordfights that
bookend the story’s action.”
Terry Dunleavy, Philadelphia
“Fight Director Paul Dennhardt has choreographed a stunning ballet of fight scenes,
complete with sword, shield, and a beheading.”
Judy Cohen, Beyond My Backyard
“Fully armored soldiers do battle with the actors sometimes suspended in slo-mo or
freeze frames. Burns and fight director Paul Dennhardt give the movement visceral full
on choreographic ‘attack.’”
Lewis J. Whittington, AlternateTakess2
To this is added the relentless percussion of James Sugg’s sound design, which further
emphasizes the brutality of the world of MACBETH. The witches twist and chant to its
sinister rhythms, and we’re made to feel the punishing horror of the battle scenes, which
have their own brand of ferocity from fight director Paul Dennhardt.
Michael Fisher, Phindie
“The sword can be mightier than the pen…seeing fighting scenes on stage was certainly
interesting, and incredibly believable. I was impressed by the sword fighting, complete
with sound effects and extremely well choreographed movement. Who knew stage blood

5. could also be so convincing (and really, just disgusting)? Played entirely on a circular
stage made of rock with four pillars surrounding the main platform, the passion and
movement of the actors made the space their own.”
Erin Ferrell, Burlington County Times
“The show features incredible bouts of well-choreographed stage combat…Paul
Dennhardt worked with each actor and choreographed to a t each movement. Each actor
is encouraged to have their own fighting style to show who they are allied with in the
story. This lively physical combat is complimented by the beautiful set and modern
costumes.”
Julia Rudolph, A Philly Take on Willy Shakes
“The telling benefits from exciting battle scenes with convincing swordplay.”
Steve Cohen, Broad Street Review
“In this production of Macbeth all elements of the show contribute to create a bold
production…Fight Director Paul Dennhardt choreographed the fierce battle scenes.”
Kelly Curtin, Theatre Sensation
“Fight choreography, by Paul Dennhardt, was outstanding.”
Christina Perryman, Delaware County News Network
“Brian Sidney Bembridge’s dramatic industrial-stone age set (think Terry Gilliam
Stonehenge) is darkly sparse yet multifaceted; Solomon Weisbard’s lighting is precise
and atmospheric; accompanying sound (design by James Sugg) adds to the foreboding
tension without overpowering the dialog. These instruments of darkness interplay most
successfully in fight director Paul Dennhardt’s freeze-framed battle sequences…”
Christopher Munden, Phindie
“Mega kudos to Paul Dennhardt for spectacular fight sequences…”
Phillip Silverstone, Time Out With Phillip Silverstone
“Paul Dennhardt’s fight direction yields realistic results…”
Howard Shapiro, Shapiro on Theater
“Paul Dennhardt gets some excitement going with his bold fight choreography.”
Neal Zoren, NealsPaper
Romeo and Juliet, Theater at Monmouth, Maine – 2014
“Director Dawn McAndrews has staged the play in period dress and also given weight to
several spirited sword fights (with help from choreographer Paul Dennhardt).”
Steve Feeney, Portland Press Herald
“The fight scenes are thrillingly devised by Paul Dennhardt and made believable ty the
athleticism of the actors.”
Carla Maria Verdino-Sullwold, Broadway World.com

6. Twelfth Night – Shakespeare Festival St. Louis – 2013
“If you can laugh at a man in black-and-yellow striped shorts with socks to match, you
can enjoy “Twelfth Night.” If you can enjoy mixed-up twins, goofy fights, and some
alluring, vaguely Balkan music that the Rats & People Motion Picture Orchestra created
just for this production, you are ready to claim Shakespeare – at least, this Shakespeare –
for your own.”
Judith Newmark, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“Dildine, with the notable contributions of fight choreographer Paul Dennhardt, shrewdly
uses the spacious stage for both action scenes and the absurd comic moments, such as
when a trio of players hides behind movable plants to spy upon the ensnared Malvolio.”
Mark Bretz, Ladue News
Othello – Shakespeare Festival St. Louis – 2012
“Paul Dennhardt’s fight choreography brings a gritty realism to the sworeplay between
Cassio, Iago and others at various times, including a drunken brawl instigated by Iago.”
Mark Bretz, Ladue News: Arts & Entertainment
“Paul Dennhardt aids the show with his superbly robust fight choreography…”
Chris Gibson, BWW Reviews Shakespeare Festival ST.
Louis presents Solid OTHELLO
The Two Gentlemen of Verona – The Shakespeare Theatre Company - 2011
“But the big test of how you feel about this lively “Two Gents” is how you respond to its
violence. Some of the chase scenes and scuffles on those catwalks are fabulous, but this
weaponized show repeatedly pushes its kids to extreme moments of despair and self-
damage with razors and pistols, making this play surprisingly darker and more disturbing
than “Romeo and Juliet.”
NelsonPressley, The Washington Post
“Veenstra and Dillenburg play with an innate urgency that explains the gun shots,
deception, the desperate escape, and the final white-knuckle fight. Kudos to that last,
violent episode for making sense of the famously difficult line: “All that was mine in
Silvia, I give thee.”
Maggie Lawrence, Culpeper Star Exponent
“Two catwalks enable some impressively spry fight choreography by Paul Dennhardt in
Act 2.”
Chris Kilmek, Washington City Paper
“The chemistry between them bubbles in to violence when Veenstra is forced to confront
that betrayal; the fight scene is gory and intense, filled with rage and passion that had
previously been utilized to display their care and concern for each other.”
Amanda Gunther, MD Theatre Guide

7. “The physical production is excellent, beginning with a shiny metallic multi-level set that
is used effectively throughout, never better than in the first of two well-conceived and
executed fight choreography sequences. The second of these sequences is notable for its
close coordination of punches with stage blood – when a fist lands, a bloody nose or
mouth follows instantaneously.”
Bob Ashby, Show Biz Radio: Theatre info for the
Washington DC region
“Despite the moments of levity, the show delivers a pervading sense of danger, as
characters carry razors and pistols, chase one another actoss the metallic catwalks, and
smear one another with blood in fight scenes choreographed by Paul Dennhardt. It makes
you forget that this is classified as one of the Bard’s comedies.”
Rachel Breitman, Edge, New York, New York
Rio de Sangre – Florentine Opera Company - 2011
“Director Paula Suozzi got the singers to be real actors. And she and fight choreographer
Paul Dennhardt worked magic with the scenes of mass violence, which almost always
look stupid in opera. In Rio, they are frightening.”
Tom Strini, Third Coast Digest
Rabbit Hole – Resident Artist’s Ensemble – 2010 (Director)
Rabbit Hole is quite literally the best drama I have seen on stage this year…the way this
cast controls the release of emotion is a testament to Dennhardt and the abilities of his
performers. The entire cast is like rubber bands, tense at times, loose at times, but always
capable of snapping and stinging.
Brett Johnston, The Statler’s Waldorf: A Review of
Rabbit Hole
Under the sensitive direction of Paul Dennhardt, the top-flight cast of five illuminates
both the sad and serio-comic dimensions of a tragic situation to create two hours of
compelling theatre you won’t soon forget.
Larry T. Collins, Springfield News-Leader: Rabbit Hole
treats tragic situation with sensitivity
Hamlet – Shakespeare Festival St. Louis - 2010
“Shakespeare Festival’s production of “Hamlet” is one of their best, a superb staging
graced by marvelous acting and riveting drama…The combat sequences are particularly
powerful, with an energy and violence that sharpen the overall dramatic effect. A better
production of “Hamlet” has not been seen in St. Louis in years, if ever.”
Cate Marquis, University of Missouri- St. Louis
“But Hamlet is not all well-cultured speech; Butz goes full-berserker on Polonius
(Anderson Matthews), dragging the man across the stage as he punches his dagger into
his victim’s torso again and again, and he worries Ophelia like a terrier with a rat when
he confronts her.”
Paul Friswold, The Riverfront Times

8. Richard III – Shakespeare Festival St. Louis – 2008
“Festival-goers who stayed on their blankets and lawn chairs for the full two hours and
forty-five minutes were amply rewarded with…an unusually fine battle scene where he
finally runs into Richmond (the readily inspiring Jim Butz). Working backwards, for the
moment, since the last two acts prove the greatest: before the eye-catching sword fights,
Mr. Borba’s pensive soliloquy on his own evil contains two absolutely authentic
selves…”
Richard Green, St. Louis
“Festival-goers who stayed on their blankets and lawn chairs for the full two hours and
forty-five minutes were amply rewarded with a rich, thrilling seduction scene between
Mr. Borba and the beautiful, indomitable Lise Bruneau as Elizabeth – and an unusually
fine battle scene where he finally runs into Richmond (the readily inspiring Jim Butz.
Working backwards, for the moment, since the last two acts prove the greatest: before the
eye-catching sword fights, Mr. Borba’s pensive soliloquy on his own evil contains two
absolutely authentic selves…And finally, he begins to squirm, the night before the
battle.”
Richard T. Green, Talkin’ Broadway
Henry IV Part I – Milwaukee Shakespeare - 2007
“Expert fight choreography by the amazing Paul Dennhardt also makes for dazzlingly
chaotic war scenes, with every figure attesting a million.”
Jason Powell, The Sheperd Express, Milwaukee
“Action is particularly intense in the tiny space. The fight scenes are meticulously
choreographed with painstaking attention to detail. Careful thought was put into the
psychology and motivations behind aggression and it all comes through with a
remarkable degree of clarity. Fights are played out in epic slow motion, which runs the
risk of seeming silly in such close quarters were it not all so well executed.”
Russ Bickerstaff, Vital Source Magazine
The Beaux’ Stragagem – The Shakespeare Theatre Company - 2006
“And fight choreographer Paul Dennhardt has created an elaborate seven-person sword
fight which is a highlight of the production.“
Rich See, A CurtainUp DC Review
“Lady Bountiful – Wielding an ax with wild abandon, she’s nothing short of hilarious in
fight choreographer Paul Dennhardt’s penultimate fracas.”
J. Wynn Rousuck, Baltimore Sun Theater Critic
Romeo and Juliet – The Folger Theatre, Washington, DC - 2005
“The “Romeo and Juliet” that opened Sunday at the Folger Theatre is gripping and
painful – Beauties in the staging include a flashlight scene at the ball (with formal yet
lively choreography by Septime Webre) and violence that is almost always sudden and
impressively unhinged (Paul Dennhardt is the fight director.)”

9. NelsonPressley, The Washington Post
“It is an incredibly passionate production…Miles Butler as Sampson, who opened the
play with Christopher Luggiero as Gregory with saucy banter escalating quickly into a
lively and protracted sword fight and brawl that included participants racing up and down
elevated metal catwalks around the edges of the balcony.”
Nicholas F. Benton, Falls Church News Press
“In fact, all of Shakespeare’s young lovers and fighters spring to life as the motley crew
of unruly, immature kids they were written to invoke. This time the foolhardy young
brawlers are not just literary characters inked by the feather of a dead scholar. They are
the hotheaded sons, students, and neighbors we all know so very well.”
Metro Weekly
Othello – Shakespeare Theatre Company - 2005
“Worth a trip to Washington! An Othello so fine that I don’t see how it could be bettered,
except maybe by bringing it to Broadway, where more people can see it.”
Terry Teachout, The Wall Street Journal
“Gregory Wooddell as Cassio, exhibits extraordinary facility with the physical demands
of his part. He’s a funny drunk and an able swordfighter. Kudos, too, to fight director
Paul Dennhardt for a thoroughly believable barroom brawl and duel.”
Susan Davidson, The Washingtonian
“Colleen Delany, A Shakespeare Theatre Regular, delivered another solid and impressive
performance as Desdemona. Emotionally engaging and believable, she manages to
generate a tremendous amount of sympathy for her character’s situation. Delany also
matches Brooks’ passion in the truly disturbing murder scene.”
Vanessa C. Mueller, The Eagle
“Brooks invests the Moor with confidence and no little dignity; watch the sureness with
which he subdues a pack of swordsmen with a word.”
Trey Graham, Washington City Paper
“The way that Kahn arranges the bodies, however, is eerily reminiscent of most stagings
of Romeo and Juliet. It’s an apt comparison, since both plays demonstrate that love, no
matter how pure, offers little defense against the evils of intolerance.”
J. Wynn Rousuck, Baltimore Sun
Macbeth – Shakespeare Theatre Company - 2004
“In the play’s first scene Paul Dennhardt’s fight direction is flawless. The witches
incanations are interrupted suddenly and intermittently by dramatic lighting (Michael
Chybowski’s) and sound changes (Martin Desjardin’s), which accompany the
choreographed war making. Together, the components compose a dance of sorts.”

10. Lisa Troshinsky, The Washington Diplomat
“From that violently atmospheric beginning – a spectral sabbat intercut with battle scenes
illuminated by lightning – to the play’s grisly and inevitable conclusion on another
bloodied field, the Shakespeare Theatre’s production traffics in bold and sometimes
strangely beautiful images…The final sword fight with Macbeth is compelling indeed.”
Troy Graham, Washington City Paper
The Knight of the Burning Pestle – Illinois Shakespeare Festival - 2003
“The production’s liveliest sequence involves Rafe’s battle with the murderous giant
Barbaroso…A comical slow-motion battle ensues, and the Barber, Rafe, Squire and
Dwarf deliver head blows and crotch shots, with the flying bodies and squirms of pain all
expertly timed to the music and finishing in Rafe’s victory to spontaneous audience
applause.”
Shakespeare Reviews: The Knight of the Burning Pestle
“The Knight of the Burning Pestle looks good, moves well, and keeps the laughs coming.
There is an extended and rather amazing battle ballet in Act II, chock full of pratfalls and
knockdowns and head banging, that is alone worth the price of admission…”
Julie Kistler, The Pantagraph
“The Knight of the Burning Pestle, which opened Friday at the Illinois Shakespeare
Festival, preens and skips with Monty Python exuberance. Its characters – including an
errant knight, a golden-haired damsel, a clueless grocer and a bald-headed barber – spit
water, throw food and deliver well-aimed kicks to rear ends and other anatomical regions.
There’s a fabulous slow-motion fight scene between Rafe the knight, his minions, and a
supposed giant (really a barber) with candy-cane striped pole. In another great moment, a
fop named Humphrey gets kicked in the butt by a beauty named Luce (Ailene King) and
her boyfriend, Jasper (Christopher Cantelmi).
Gary Panetta, The Peoria Journal Star
“The physical comedy is extremely well done – Rafe’s battle with the “giant,” Barbaroso,
being worthy of some acrobatic Marx Brothers.”
Carl Estabrook, The Paper
As You Like It – The Illinois Shakespeare Festival - 2003
When Orlando walloped a hired thug with a frozen man-sized porker Friday night and the
audiences cheered, it was apparent that director Eli Simon was on to something…The
aforementioned pig-carcass battle between Orlando and the hired thug starts out as a
bare-chested wrestling match and looks like one of those gritty paintings from the Ashcan

11. School, which relished the raw stuff of street live. The fight, by the way, ends hilariously
when the hired thug, already ham-slammed, is smacked in the head with a board and spits
out a mouthful of teeth before he collapses. The production is full of prat-falls like this,
and they add to the play’s humor.”
Gary Panetta, The Peoria Journal Star
A Midsummer Night’s Dream – The Illinois Shakespeare Festival - 2002
“Looking for a Shakespearean Frenzy? Then A Midsummer Night’s Dream – which
opened Friday at the Illinois Shakespeare Festival and features an old-fashioned claw-
your-eyes-out girl fight, plus some real insight into the play’s deeper themes – may be for
you…playing up the potential of costuming and physical humor, Hippolyta (Carrie
Spangler) sports a leopard-skin bikini (think Xena, warrior princess) and wrestles with
the bare-chested Duke (Ray Kurut) – a match where the Duke receives the worst of it…A
little later in the forest, Lysander (Drew Vidal) and Demetrius (Don Smith), rivals for
Helena’s attention, chase one another with swords. Helena (Laura Ames), meanwhile,
barely avoids getting her eyes clawed out by a now very jealous Hermia (Kathleen
Logelin).”
Gary Panetta, The Peoria Journal Star
Romeo and Juliet – The Illinois Shakespeare Festival - 2002
“The bells return a few moments later, this time as cacophony mingled with shouts and
screams, the sight of waving swords and bodies tumbling in struggle across the stage. The
meaning of civil discord is spelled out vividly in three dimensions.”
Gary Panetta, The Peoria Journal Star