What a Year!
FYI
Hello!
Hoping you are well!
Just wanted to share the good news.
I am just coming to the end of a most spectacular ride playing Beatrice in MUCH ADO and Gertrude in HAMLET at the Great River Shakespeare Festival, playing now thru July 28. Please see photos and reviews below...
Much Ado About Nothing
"There must be palpable chemistry between our Beatrice and Benedick for their romance via venom to be believed and Maxwell and Sturdivant have that in spades....The roles of Benedict and Beatrice call for a good deal of comic physicality in scenes where they are trying to stay hidden while listening to other characters' banter aimed at getting the two adversaries to acknowledge their true feelings for one another. Sturdivant's turn is first...His shenanigans set a high bar for Maxwell to meet, only to have her outdo her sparring partner with even more phenomenally funny physical machinations, driven by the desire to know that she too is loved....Much Ado About Nothing attains high marks. It delivers a delightfully breezy time, with a pair of tremendous performances by Melissa Maxwell and Will Sturdivant."
—TalkinBroadway.com
"What does work like gangbusters are the choices Melissa Maxwell and Will Sturdivant make as Beatrice and Benedict. Their line readings and the way in which they carry themselves along with the comedic physicality which they bring to the roles is unique and brings a fresh perspective to these timeless characters. The space they have to perform in is limited, but...the physical limitations seem to act as a catalyst for creativity. That Sturdivant and Maxwell shine in the roles is no surprise to anyone who has seen them perform in the past. To see them in these roles is worth the trip alone."
—The Stages of MN
"Melissa Maxwell and William Sturdivant (fresh from the Guthrie's masterful History Plays) play Beatrice and Benedick....The two actors' sparkling wit, chemistry, and willingness to throw themselves physically into the roles (the famous hiding and eavesdropping scenes a highlight) are a delight to watch."
—Cherry and Spoon
Hamlet
"Melissa Maxwell is magnificent as Gertrude, torn between loyalty to her new husband and king, and to her son, whose erratic behavior deeply troubles her. It is never clear at what point Gertrude becomes an accomplice to Claudius, and Maxwell expertly keeps us on edge as to whether she is part of the crime or is herself a victim."
—TalkinBroadway.com
"Melissa Maxwell is a good Gertrude: an obsequious wife who obsessively shadows her husband, and a guilty mother."
—Winona Post
