Shakespeare and vaudeville
meet in Infinite Variety

Repercussion Theatre’s latest Shakespeare-in-the-Park production is being performed in many local parks

By Irwin Rapoport

July 25, 2024

Summer has returned to Montréal and so has Repercussion Theatre‘s annual presentation of Shakespeare-in-the-Park, which this year is performing Infinite Variety at parks in Greater Montreal, the Eastern Townships, and the Laurentians.

Infinite Variety was penned by Repercussion’s Artistic Director Amanda Kellock, musician/composer Nick Carpenter, and the actors of this year’s ensemble. The company was founded in 1988 to honour the greatest playwright in the English-speaking world and bring live theatre to the community – worthy goals for which so many are grateful. It’s not summer in Montreal for many without Shakespeare-in-the-Park.

An evening of music and merriment, poetry and playfulness, by (or inspired by) Shakespeare. Get ready for the Shakespeare-in-the-Park you know and love but with a new — er, old! — twist!

– Repercussion Theatre web page

Infinite Variety, notes the web page, is: “An evening of music and merriment, poetry and playfulness, by (or inspired by) Shakespeare. Get ready for the Shakespeare-in-the-Park you know and love but with a new — er, old! — twist! We’re taking inspiration from travelling troupes of Shakespeare’s day, as well as circus troupes and cabaret acts of Montreal’s past and present, and imagining what the future of Repercussion might look like. Between climate change and the challenges facing cultural organizations, we can’t help but wonder “To be or not to be?” But existential crises are what Shakespeare does best! So come join us in the park this summer… for hopefully not the last time.”

Shakespeare-in-the-Park

This year’s production began on July 11 in Côte Saint Luc and will conclude on August 3 at Westmount Park. All performances start at 7 pm. Check out the schedule at repercussiontheatre.com

Kellock directs the play, while Carpenter performs the music. The cast features Repercussion alumni and newcomers: Jake Cohen, Gitanjali Jain, Maria Jimenez, and Elly Pond.

The production is very much a mishmash of several themes, which brings Shakespeare the individual to life. This includes the reading of sonnets, actors in costumes discussing well-known lines and plays, and a scene where The Bard is writing his final play when characters from his past works appear to make various demands of the playwright.

‘Kellock noted that this is not your traditional Shakespeare-in-the-Park and via humour and a vaudeville-style setting, hopes that people will re-read Shakespeare’s plays and poems.’

Many of us know the plays and the classic lines. This production invites the audience to not just listen to the plays but to engage with the material. Whether one knows Will and his plays, sonnets and poems or is just learning about him, Infinite Variety will be appreciated by all.

Kellock noted that this is not your traditional Shakespeare-in-the-Park and via humour and a vaudeville-style setting, hopes that people will re-read Shakespeare’s plays and poems.

Check out the performances and bring your family and friends. Don’t forget to take some chairs and blankets, and take the opportunity to have dinner al fresco. Shakespeare can indeed be serious, but he also wrote stellar comedies and performances of his plays at The Globe and other theatres in London during his lifetime enlivened with music, drink, and merriment.

The pre-show activity features a craft corner (build your own kazoo and rain stick), a ring toss with selected quotes which one has to determine whether or not they are indeed Shakespeare quotes, a spinning wheel with Shakespeare-themed prompts, and a photo booth with SITP props and costume pieces. There will also be a welcome tent with refreshments and merchandise. The performances are free, but donations are most welcome.

‘Many of us know the plays and the classic lines. This production invites the audience to not just listen to the plays but to engage with the material.’

Shakespeare has inspired so many authors, playwrights, English professors, actors, screenwriters, movie directors, philosophers, psychologists, and hundreds of millions of people since the late 1500s. His characters and themes are universal and continue to resonate as his plays are performed and movies are made. We owe a lot to William and no doubt, as long as his plays are with us, they shall inspire us to question our motives and thoughts and serve as examples of the right thing to do.

Via Shakespeare’s plays, poems, and sonnets, nearly every emotion that humans experience has been explored. We are truly in his debt.

Shakespeare-in-the-Park

Amanda Kellock has been Repercussion’s Artistic Director since 2015 and Nick Carpenter first worked with the company in 2007. They both graciously answered a few questions during the whirlwind of bringing Infinite Variety to life.

WM: What inspired this year’s play and how long did it take to finalize it? Can you describe the creative process?

Carpenter: I’ll let Amanda speak to what inspired this year’s show. But ‘finalize’ is an interesting word when it comes to the Variety form. Let’s just say the show, which is packed with audience/actor interaction and much improvisation, continues to be ‘finalized’ every night. Regarding the creative process, Amanda and I really trust each other’s instincts and collaborating was easy and profoundly enjoyable. In some cases, Amanda would bring in fragments of melody which I would tinker with and expand into full songs. For other pieces, I would build songs around Amanda’s lyrics, to which I would add a few more, to which Amanda would add again. In other cases, I might bring in an almost complete song, which Amanda (and the cast too) would shape from there. All in all, very collaborative.

‘I hope they [the audience] have a lovely evening enjoying the show, and I hope they agree that Shakespeare-in-the-park is something worth fighting for. And then I hope they help us keep the company alive.’

– Amanda Kellock, Artistic Director, Repercussion Theatre

Kellock: As Nick said, there was a lot of collaboration, and that was part of the idea from the beginning. I often encounter such creative performers, and so I wanted to be able to let the performers have more agency in creating the show this year. It’s been a rough time financially, and to be honest, we couldn’t afford to do a big show with 10 to 12 actors, so I needed to find a format that would still be fun and enjoyable to an audience, and highlight a small ensemble in a big way. Nick and I started talking in January and the rest of the team came on board in March, so it was a pretty short creation process! Thankfully, everyone involved jumped into the deep end and the performers are wonderfully imaginative and talented.

WM: What were the keys to the writing in terms of staying true to Shakespeare’s language and reaching out to today’s audiences?

Kellock: We focused on picking ideas and bits of texts that spoke to us, trusting that if we did that, it would speak to an audience.

Carpenter: Funny you should ask. There is a song in the show that demonstrates how much of Shakespeare’s language IS our language.

WM: What do you hope that audiences will take from the performance?

Kellock: I hope they have a lovely evening enjoying the show, and I hope they agree that Shakespeare-in-the-park is something worth fighting for. And then I hope they help us keep the company alive.

repercussiontheatre.com