For one weekend in September, the parish hall at St. James' Church in Upper Montclair transformed into a “speakeasy” as the St. James Players presented a staged reading of William Shakespeare’s “The Merry Wives of Windsor” as a Roaring ’20s radio drama.
Standing in front of old-fashioned mic stands, the “merry wives” became cheeky “flappers” as they worked to outwit a fedora-wearing John Falstaff. All read their scripts and interacted under the calm observance of a bartender and the anxious eye of the show’s ostensible producer, who encouraged the audience members – seated at nightclub-style tables – to laugh while the show was “live” and fretted when the actors got too enthusiastic and migrated from their microphones.
“This is radio. R-A-D-I-O! You cannot go wandering from the mics when you want to!”
Between scenes an unseen radio announcer narrated the show’s action and delivered advertisements for products such as Brylcreem and Ovaltine.
The Players, who this year received funding from the Marge Christie Fund, provide an opportunity for parishioners and community members to perform Shakespeare – even if they’re completely new to the bard – in a fun and nonthreatening environment, said John Bylancik, aka Falstaff. “You don’t have to worry about iambic pentameter.”
The performances also are a form of outreach, presented for free and open to the community. At other times during the year, the Players provide theatrical ministry within the parish, such as helping with the Christmas pageant or chancel readings.
The “radio drama” staging of the “Merry Wives” was creativity born of practicality, said Director Mark Bylancik, John’s son. Partway through the rehearsal process, they realized that they needed to move from full blocking to a staged reading. They added an “exterior superstructure” – staging the play as an old-fashioned radio drama performed by a band of misfit actors. “It turned out better than I could have hoped,” he said.
The St. James Players. SHARON SHERIDAN PHOTO
