One judge wore a cream bathrobe with “JUDGE” embroidered on the chest. One wore her robes and looked quite serious. One cracked herself up at one point with her pun (to be fair, everyone had trouble holding it together on that one). And one brought up donkey drool because evidently donkeys have trouble giving delicate, fairy-like kisses. We don’t know how she knew this.
This was an hour of delicious fun that wedded law and theatre seamlessly. Bottom’s up to many more!
On evening of June 22, 720 online audience members got to watch Shakespeare Theatre Company’s 34th MOCK TRIAL. It was a hoot.
This year’s case was ‘A Midsummer’s Night Force Majeure — When Can the Show Not Go On?’ Adeptly and adroitly presided over by the Supreme Court of Athens (Judge Merrick B. Garland, Judge Patricia A. Millett, Judge Neomi Rao, and Judge Amy Berman Jackson), the counsel for the petitioner was Kathryn Ruemmler (a former White House counsel), and for the respondent, Abbe David Lowell (of Winstron & Strawn, LLP). Marshal Pamela Talkin of the U.S. Supreme Court was the court marshal, and the moderator was Tracie Thoms.
The matter before the court concerned Theseus, a duke of Athens and future king, entering into a contract with Peter Quince of the playing troupe, the Rude Mechanicals, to perform a play on his wedding night. It had a standard clause stating both parties were relieved of their obligations upon proof that something extraordinary and unforeseen, such as an act of the gods (war, revolution, crime, one would also assume catastrophe of nature) occurred.
Well, Quince was casting his actors in a forest (because, sure, why not?) when gods, sprites, lovers, and non-lovers were all wandering around causing mischief and getting into all sorts of ridiculousness (the usual litany of mistaken identities, potions, bored gods and their minions, etc.).
So Puck, one of the faerie folk, who had overheard Nick Bottom’s boasting that he could play all of the parts (he was a bit egotistical) turned his human head into the head of an a*s. The rest of the troupe, suddenly being confronted by a mule-headed, seemingly part-human, fled and refused to return. In the end the play in honor of the wedding did not go on. Why someone thought it a good idea to surprise one’s love with a tragedy on the wedding night was a good idea, who knows? Perhaps it was a subliminal message from the litigious Duke, but that’s neither here nor there.
Theseus sued Quince. Hence the trial for full damages. Discovery had already happened, and both sides moved for summary judgement. That’s how the Supreme Court of Athens, along with a number of citizens of Athens, showed up for the arguments and decision.
The acting troupe lost — they shouldn’t have, but they did.
And it was a whole lot of fun getting to the [wrong] conclusion. Played with delightful absurdity by the cast, the trial just zipped along even as it roamed several interesting byways. (And why did no one bring up the point that if the leading man is gone, and there is no understudy, then what troupe would have another play ready to slot in on a moment’s notice? Is that even reasonable? Although the lack of an understudy was decried by counsel, it wasn’t answered.)
It was fast-and furious fun. I personally thought that counsel should have gotten points for how many theatre references, and Shakespeare in particular, they could work into their briefs. It was a lot — these people know their plays, musicals, and other great works of the Western canon. The judges were no slouches either when it came to finding an apt quote or quip or play on words to work into a question (hence our one judge cracking herself up).
This was an hour of delicious fun that wedded law and theatre seamlessly. Bottom’s up to many more!
Many of the arguments and adlibbing also brought in, in delightfully off-the-cuff moments, current events — and it was all intertwined with Shakespeare. Who could ask for more, especially on a Monday?
Running Time: Approximately one hour.
“STC’s 34th Mock Trial” was streamed on June 22, 2020. For more information on Shakespeare Theatre Company’s upcoming offerings, please click here.
