By Ernest Kearney — Shakes on the Rocks has a poor concept of what it wants to be.
Eleven actors prance out on the stage at the Three Clubs; request the name of a Shakespearian play from the audience.
Much Ado About Nothing is called out and accepted. The actors then draw the names of the characters they will perform from a hat and march off stage for ten minutes of rehearsal.
During this interlude, Creator/Producer James Ferrero engages the audience in a couple rounds of a quiz game regarding the Bard, which is complemented by a tension-invoking ditty right outa “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?”
Unfortunately, this turns out to be a fun-filled prelude to a tedious 80 minutes.
“Shakes on the Rocks” Creator/Producer James Ferrero
Once the actors return to the stage they begin to perform with scripts in hand.
Yes, there are some accidents of the draw: Beatrice is a dude, Benedick is a well-endowed blond, Dogberry is a short little gal. Isn’t that side-splitting!
Wait, no it isn’t.
It isn’t anything.
If this undertaking was intended to be an improvised lampooning of Shakespeare, why are the actors holding scripts?
If it was intended to be a straight reading (which is a dull notion), why are some of the cast cutting up?
Of the eleven actors on stage five them – Robert Paterno, Andrew Yabroff, Acacia Fisher, Rob Angell and Cloie Wyatt Taylor were attempting a comic reworking of Shakespeare’s study of the folly of romantic egotism and doing so with some success, especially Taylor.
However the other six performers on stage appeared to be in another time zone, one where they were auditioning for RADA.
And not giving a very good audition.
Without any cohesion of style or intention the entire undertaking was about as amusing as watching a rehearsal of a high school drama class.
For ninety minutes.
Ferrero and co-producer Thea Rodgers apparently thought that merely having roles filled by members of the opposite sex would be enough to bring down the house in gales of 
laughter.
They are sadly mistaken.
With apologies to the five who actually had a clue, the first EAR WAX Award of this Fringe.
♦ ♦ ♦
Shakespeare on the Rocks
Is Playing During the Hollywood Fringe Festival 2018
at
1123 N. Vine Street
For Complete Show Information, Tickets and Reservations Go To
What is the Hollywood Fringe Festival? Click HERE to learn more.
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