14
      Arts
      &
      Entertainment
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Cadre
     
    
   
   
    
     
      °
      16
      March
      1999
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      MELISSA
      DOUCETTE
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      "Life
      is
      a
      hell
      of
      alot
     
     
      more
      complicated
      than
      you
     
     
      think!
      Life
      --
      real
      life
      --
      is
      a
     
     
      big
      mess.
      Thank
      goodness.”
     
     
      Act
      Ill,
      sc.ix.
     
    

    
     
      This
      week,
      the
      UPEI
     
     
      Theatre
      Society
      is
      presenting
     
     
      Ann-Marie
      MacDonald’s
     
     
      Goodnight
      Desdemona
     
     
      (Good
      Morning
      Juliet).
      Per-
     
     
      formances
      take
      place
      Thurs-
     
     
      day,
      Friday,
      and
      Saturday
      at
     
     
      8:00
      pm
      in
      the
      Alumni
      Gym.
     
    

    
     
      The
      Goodnight
     
     
      Desdemona
      (Good
      Morning
     
     
      Juliet)
      is
      the
      first
      solo-
     
     
      authored
      play
      by
      Toronto
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      i
      3a
      BREED
     
    
   
   
    
     
      based
      actor/writer
     
     
      MacDonald.
      It
      has
      won
      the
     
     
      prestigious
      Governor
      Gener-
     
     
      al’s
      Award,
      the
      Chalmers
     
     
      Award,
      and
      the
      Canadian
     
     
      Authors’
      Association
      Award.
     
    

    
     
      This
      Shakespearean
     
     
      farce
      is
      centred
      on
      Constance
     
     
      Ledbelly,
      a
      tenure-hungry
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Goodnight
      Desdemona
     
     
      (Good
      Morning
      Juliet)
     
     
      Good
      afternoon
      UPEI
     
    
   
   
    
     
      assistant
      professor
      at
      Queen’s
     
     
      University.
      Constance
      suf-
     
     
      fers
      from
      unrequited
      love
      for
     
     
      her
      professor/mentor,
      and
     
     
      falls
      through
      her
      wastebasket
     
     
      into
      the
      topsy-turvy
      world
      of
     
     
      Shakespearean
      characters.
     
     
      Constance
      has
      spent
     
     
      years
      in
      failed
      attempts
      to
     
     
      translate
      an
      ancient
      manu-
     
     
      script
      that
      she
      is
      determined
     
     
      will
      reveal
      the
      true
      source
      of
     
     
      Shakespeare’s
      plays.
      When
     
     
      she
      falls
      through
      her
     
     
      wastebasket,
      Constance
     
     
      dreams
      of
      setting
      the
      story
     
     
      straight.
      If
      only
      Othello
      had
     
     
      been
      shown
      the
      evil
      in
      lago,
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      pos
      BAP:
     
    
   
   
    
     
      if
      only
      Tybalt
      had
      been
      told
     
     
      that
      Romeo
      was
      his
      cousin-
     
     
      in-law,
      then
      these
      tragedies
     
     
      could
      have
      been
      the
      com-
     
     
      edies
      the
      original
      author
      had
     
     
      intended
      before
      Shakespeare
     
     
      transformed
      them.
     
    

    
     
      For
      the
      Theatre
      Soci-
     
     
      ety’s
      main
      production,
      Rich-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ard
      Haines,
      Co-Director
      of
     
     
      the
      Society,
      wanted
      to
      find
     
     
      “a
      comedy
      to
      wrap
      [his]
      mind
     
     
      around
      that
      I
      enjoy.”
     
    

    
     
      The
      Theatre
      Society
     
     
      has
      spent
      the
      last
      two
      and
      one
     
     
      half
      months
      in
      rehersals
      for
     
     
      Goodnight
      Desdemona
     
     
      (Good
      Morning
      Juliet).
      Stu-
     
     
      dents
      have
      also
      been
      work-
     
     
      ing
      all
      semester
      on
      stage
      ele-
     
     
      ments
      for
      the
      play,
      costumes,
     
     
      and
      other
      important
      ele-
     
     
      ments.
     
    

    
     
      “People
      are
      working
     
     
      exhaustively,”
      commented
     
     
      Haines.
     
    

    
     
      In
      the
      last
      few
      years,
     
     
      adaptations
      of
      Shakespeare
     
     
      have
      flourished.
      Kenneth
     
     
      Branagh
      has
      led
      the
      charge
     
     
      with
      his
      versions
      of
      Henry
      V,
     
     
      Much
      Ado
      About
      Nothing,
     
     
      Othello,
      and
      his
      spectacular
     
     
      edition
      of
      Hamlet,
      the
      only
     
     
      uncut
      version
      ever
      filmed.
     
     
      Other
      directors
      have
      filmed
     
     
      Romeo
      and
      Juliet,
      and
      The
     
     
      Tempest,
      which
      was
      recently
     
     
      made
      for
      television
      on
      NBC.
     
    

    
     
      In
      addition,
      Shake-
     
     
      speare’s
      plays
      have
      been
      re-
     
     
      written
      into
      many
      other
     
     
      works.
      Disney’s
      The
      Lion
     
     
      King,
      supposedly
      their
      first
     
     
      “original”
      film,
      is
      Hamlet.
      In
     
     
      The
      Lion
      King,
      Simba’s
      fa-
     
     
      ther
      is
      unjustly
      killed
      by
      Scar
     
     
      in
      order
      for
      Scar
      to
      be
      King,
     
     
      and
      Simba
      eventually
      kills
     
     
      his
      father’s
      murderer.
      In
     
     
      Hamlet,
      Hamlet’s
      father
      is
     
     
      killed
      by
      his
      brother
      Claudius
     
     
      in
      order
      for
      him
      to
      become
     
     
      King,
      and
      Hamlet
      eventually
     
     
      kills
      his
      father’s
      murderer.
     
    

    
     
      Other
      parallels
      be-
     
     
      tween
      the
      two
      exist
      as
      well.
     
     
      Titantic
      is
      a
      shoddy
      version
     
     
      of
      Romeo
      and
      Juliet,
      and
     
     
      Prospero’s
      Books
      retells
      The
     
     
      Tempest.
      Even
      Star
      Trek
      re-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      lics
      on
      Shakespeare.
      most
     
    
   
   
    
     
      visibly
      in
      Star
      Trek
      VI:
      The
     
     
      Undiscovered
      Country,
     
     
      whose
      title
      is
      a
      line
      from
     
     
      Hamlet’s
      famous
      “To
      be
      or
     
     
      not
      to
      be”
      soliloquy.
     
    

    
     
      And
      of
      course,
      Shake-
     
     
      speare
      in
      Love,
      the
      story
      of
     
     
      how
      Shakespeare
      came
      to
     
     
      write
      Romeo
      and
      Juliet,
      has
     
     
      garnered
      the
      most
      nomina-
     
     
      tions
      for
      this
      year’s
      Academy
     
     
      Awards,
      including
      best
      pic-
     
     
      ture.
     
    

    
     
      “Shakespeare
      can
      be
     
     
      adapted
      to
      fit
      different
      peri-
     
     
      ods
      ..
      .
      and
      make
      them
      rel-
     
     
      evant,”
      Haines
      says
      about
     
     
      this
      renewed
      interest
      in
      the
     
     
      Bard.
      “He
      never
      stuck
      peo-
     
     
      ple
      in
      doublets
      and
      hose.”
     
    

    
     
      In
      the
      Theatre
      Soci-
     
     
      ety’s
      staging
      of
      Goodnight
     
     
      Desdemona
      (Good
      Morning
     
     
      Juliet),
      Haines
      has
      incorpo-
     
     
      rated
      three
      different
      periods
     
    
   
   
    
     
      into
      the
      play.
      The
      Romeo
      and
     
     
      Juliet
      world
      is
      set
      in
      the
     
     
      Elizabethan
      period,
      “some-
     
     
      thing
      Shakespeare
      would
     
     
      never
      have
      done,”
      adds
     
     
      Haines.
     
    

    
     
      The
      intention
      is
      to
     
     
      connect
      the
      surreal
      world
      as
     
     
      it
      appears
      in
      the
      play
      with
     
     
      Shakespeare’s.
      The
      Othello
     
     
      element
      has
      been
      placed
      in
     
     
      the
      19"
      century,
      which
      has
     
     
      the
      effect
      of
      emphasizing
      the
     
     
      difference
      between
      both
     
     
      Romeo
      and
      Juliet
      and
      the
     
     
      contemporary
      world.
     
     
      Constance’s
      environment
      is
     
     
      a
      modern
      day
      setting.
     
    

    
     
      “Just
      like
      you
      make
     
     
      each
      play
      new
      and
      different,
     
     
      I
      made
      each
      act
      new
      and
      dif-
     
     
      ferent,”
      said
      Haines.
      “The
      big
     
     
      goal
      is
      to
      connect
      with
      the
      au-
     
     
      dience
      and
      make
      it
      new,”
      he
     
     
      continued.
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ile
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Tickets
      for
      Goodnigh
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      t
      Desdemona
      (Good
      Morning
      Juliet)
      are
     
    
   
   
    
     
      available
      at
      the
      door,
      and
      cost
      $7
      for
      students
      and
      seniors,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      and
      $10
      for
      adults.