Give Me Excess of It: ‘Play On! A Shakespeare Inspired Mixtape’
William Shakespeare wrote his fair share of catchy song lyrics back in his day, but unfortunately you won’t find them playing on grocery store speakers as you wander the aisles. Luckily, Robert Markus, Julia Nish-Lapidus, and James Wallis have assembled a collection of popular tunes inspired by the Bard’s legendary works that one might be more likely to come across in day to day life.
Play On! A Shakespeare Inspired Mixtape, originally commissioned by the Stratford Festival for their 2021 season, is currently playing in Prescott as the final show of the St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival’s 2025 season. Aside from an affinity for Shakespeare, this show is an ideal fit for the festival whose artistic directors (Nish-Lapidus and Wallis) happen to make up two thirds of the creative team behind the 2021 production. Due to the show’s popularity during last summer’s season, the production has been brought back to the stage once more. Featuring familiar tunes by such artists as The Beatles, Taylor Swift, Elton John, and Prince, the show’s popularity is more than understandable.
The vocalists featured in the production are Kryslyne-Mai Ancheta, Luciano Decicco, Jade MacLeod, and Jacob MacInnis (who is returning to the piece after performing in the original Stratford cast). The four stand in a line of chairs and music stands for the entirety of the production, creating an atmosphere that is a bit formal and choral for a show featuring pop and rock music. The wide array of musical styles demands a lot from such an intimate team, but each singer brings enough vocal strength to support the variety. The performers also have been titled in the program as some of Shakespeare’s more popular characters, and they recite a variety of his monologues between (and occasionally during) the song selections.
Decicco and Ancheta play Romeo and Juliet respectively, and so share a multitude of loving duets and scenes. One example is a recitation of Act One, Scene Four: the scene in which the star-crossed lovers first ‘use their lips in prayer.’ It is in these Shakespearean interactions where the minimal staging causes some difficulty. The performers spend the entirety of this exchange facing directly out into the audience, essentially standing still. The lovers’ kisses are replaced simply with exhales, and their eyes scarcely meet. Shakespeare’s language is without question romantic, but stripping the interaction from the characters onstage dulls the romantic exchange, even if the actors deliver the lines well enough.
The production’s main issues stem from this rather formal staging. The concept of linking popular Shakespeare-inspired songs to their source is fantastic for introducing new audiences to the Bard. However, presenting pop music in such a rigid concert setting loses some of the energy a concert using the same songs would typically generate. In addition to this, it leaves little visually for the audience to focus on. Based on the performance some of the festival’s artists recently presented in Kingston, I would assume the idea of this was to let the text wash over the audience by making it the clear (and only) focal point. As a fan of Shakespeare, I could appreciate this, however with artists who still are checking their music stands for many of the words, the lack of familiarity made the text difficult to grasp.
The focus, despite the show being “Shakespeare Inspired,” is without a doubt the music, and thankfully this comes through in the phenomenal vocal performances delivered. McLeod’s first opportunity to shine as a vocalist came with “Cruel to be Kind” by Ian Gomm and Nick Lowe. Despite a musical theatre background, she demonstrates early on that punk and rock are her specialties. Her tone was overwhelmingly emotive, allowing the song to be done justice in both the vocals and the passion behind them.
The absolute highlight performance of the night was MacInnis’ rendition of “The King Must Die” by Elton John and Bernard Taupin. The belts and extraordinary vocal range demanded of one of the Rocket Man’s songs is navigated beautifully by MacInnis, who continually perplexed me with stunning high notes followed by rich beautiful lows. Their talent does not end at their vocals, as throughout the song there was a powerful sternness which matched the drama of the leaping melodies as well as the feeling of desolation inherent in the lyrics.
The most entertaining performer of the night was Decicco, who, aside from having a stunning voice, seemed to genuinely enjoy being there. During “The King Must Die,” I enjoyed watching Decicco, who was staring in awe at MacInnis’ vocals, seeming genuinely surprised by each note although he undoubtedly had already heard the song numerous times in rehearsal. He wore a wide grin through every song, and his warm energy was magnetic.
With a cast of such phenomenal performers at a venue sitting directly on the St. Lawrence, I could forgive the lack of creativity in staging. Even with little-to-no movement on stage, the performers’ expressions were often warm enough to grasp my focus, and otherwise it is delightful to gaze at the water while listening to the stunning vocals. Play On! A Shakespeare Inspired Mixtape is packed with talent and popular music, with a fair share of Shakespeare of course. Despite my minor gripes about blocking, the excellent execution of familiar tunes make for an ideal evening to shut off your brain and let yourself be absorbed in the poetry and music.
‘Play On! A Shakespeare Inspired Mixtape’ plays until August 16, 2025 at the Kinsmen Amphitheatre in Prescott, Ontario, as a part of the St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival. More information and tickets can be found here.
