Huzzah!
I teach Shakespeare. I also direct Shakespeare, write about Shakespeare, throw Shakespeare parties, and have significant store of Shakespeare costumes for my actors. As a result, people sometimes assume I am a Ren Faire sort of gal. The truth is I am not, and here is why: IMO, the purpose of a Ren Faire is to participate in a playful romp through history. But at most fairs, I find the effort needed to attain the willing suspension of beliefis exhausting: one needs to NOT see the corpulence, NOT see the kink, NOT see the crazy eyes, NOT see the anachronisms. That’s a lot of not seeing to attend to for hours at a time.
The average Ren fair covers historically not just the Renaissance but also the hundreds of years going back into the dark ages — expect to run into some Vikings. Case in point: the opening image over the stage for Huzzah! depicted a Medieval tapestry, something on the order of the Bayeaux tapestry, which was created in the 1070s — some 400 years before the Renaissance. Mind you, I am not complaining. The tapestry was lovely. The musician’s arcade, OTOH, was entirely fitting historically, and the musicians did great, understated, essential work.
Before the show began, I thought about all the not-seeing I'd had to do at Ren fairs, and started to worry about what I would see here. What the playwright would decide to show. To my utter delight, Huzzah! decided to see the good, the human, the delightful, and the celebratory in Ren fairs — and to merely wink at the dark side. This production isa playful romp through history. It looks on the weirdos and sees humans — and treats them as humans. Two sisters inherit their (still alive) father’s Ren fair, the one they grew up in. One has never left; the other has made it in the corporate world. Now they’re stuck together trying to save dad’s life project from financial ruin.
In grad school I studied a certain modern canonical writer who wrote about his people, people whom he clearly despised. A critic’s observation of that writer's work has stayed with me in all my decades of reading literature: “He looks down on his characters as an unamiable god on his creation.” I made a vow that I've kept ever since: I don’t read authors who are unamiable gods. Because people are awesome. All of them. Shakespeare made Iago and Macbeth awesome. I want to see theater that uplifts rather than scolds. Huzzah! does that. And it’s funny. The timing is flawless throughout, and every joke lands.
The voices in this production are strong. The harmonies are gorgeous, especially the mens'. The melodies are memorable. The choreography is excellent. The blocking uses every inch of the stage. It breaks the fourth wall in a fun, organic way (no spoiler).
One suggestion. The plot has a pretty big hole: the main character makes a huge change in direction, and the reason is not fleshed out. My companion thought this could be workshopped, and it needs to be — because this is the next big Broadway show.
If you like musicals, see this production. If you like Ren fairs, see this production. If you like theater that doesn’t take itself too seriously, see this production.
— Cherie Peacock
When
Ongoing until Sunday, October 19, 2025
Hours
| Sundays, 2pm & 7pm |
| Tuesdays, 7pm |
| Wednesdays, 7am |
| Thursdays, 7pm |
| Fridays, 8pm |
| Saturdays, 2pm & 8pm |