Move over, NCAA Basketball. There’s a new March Madness in town.
The Battle of the Bard got off to a roaring start on Tuesday with upsets, blowouts, and nail-biters. When the dust settled, we had our brackets busted and a very sweet sixteen.
Here’s what you need to know.
Paul McClain performs "Blow, Winds" from King Lear in Round One of Battle of the Bard.
The Upsets
The top seeds were far from safe in Round One, as two different Davids took down Goliaths in our opening round. “If We Shadows Have Offended” was certainly offended as “I Would Not Be Thy Executioner” seemed more like “I Would Totally Be Thy Executioner The Very First Chance I Get.” Meanwhile, “Injurious Hermia” gave us the answer to the iconic question “To Be or Not To Be” - and it turns out, the answer is “Not.”
The 2 seeds didn’t fare any better, also going 2-2 in Round One. “Wherefore Art Thou Romeo?” took care of business and “All the World’s a Stage” won a nail-biter against “Honor Pricks Me On”, but we lost “Friends, Romans, Countrymen” and “The Winter of Our Discontent” to Round One upsets.
In particular, 7 seed “I Am An Ass” looks like a Cinderella built for the long haul. This monologue is very funny and underrated, and Draught stalwart Hayley Brown brought it to life with a performance that can only be described as… Sean Connery… playing… Sherlock Holmes…? We’re still trying to figure it out, but we have to stop laughing first.
Hayley Brown’s portrayal of Dogberry from Much Ado unseated the higher seeded Richard III opening speech.
The Contenders
The biggest fan favorites that are advancing from Round One :
Blow, Winds - This iconic speech from King Lear felt disrespected (a FIVE seed? Really?!) coming into the tournament, and it made its presence felt in Round One. Despite trailing early on by 100+ votes to Patty de la Garza’s “Go Not To These Wars”, it rallied to finish with the highest point total in the opening Round. Next up it faces the highest ranked speech still in the tournament: “But Soft, What Light.”
How Am I Then a Villain? - The villainous Iago shines as the ultimate underdog in Othello, but this 4 seed faces a very tough Round Two match-up. “How Am I Then a Villain” goes head to head with “If Music Be the Food of Love,” a 1 seed with a comfortable Round One victory.
Is This a Dagger? - Rounding out our trio of top contenders, this 5 seed from the Scottish Play dodges Hamlet for Round Two. Instead, Macbeth battles Helena for the right to move into the Elite Eight.
Actor Chris Harding utilized black and white cinematography to highlight the racial tensions at play in Othello.
The Wildest and Weirdest
Our personal shout outs for creativity:
O, What a Noble Mind - Shouts to Emily Nedvidek, who was somehow able to convince Carole Baskin to record a monologue for this competition in between her bouts of…feeding her tigers.
Unsex Me Here - Also shouts to Kat Altman, for a rendition of Lady M that was beautifully acted but also includes important advice for dealing with the ongoing global pandemic. Speaking of which, please stay well and stay inside if you are able. Practice social distancing to your full ability. We can get through this together if we commit to staying apart. Wash your damn hands.
Wherefore Art Thou Romeo? - Finally, shouts to Shante DeLoach’s Juliet for proving to us once and for all that socially distant Shakespeare can still be sexy. Just keep the door closed while you’re filming, and steer clear of the smoke detector!
Emily Nedvidek’s unique take on “O, What a Noble Mind” from Hamlet - this time with Carole Baskin.
Complete Round Two Match-ups
(8) Injurious Hermia vs. (5) Is This a Dagger?
(6) Whom You Have Condemn’d vs. (7) I Am An Ass
(1) If Music Be the Food of Love vs. (4) How Am I Then a Villain?
(3) The Pap of Pyramus vs. (2) Wherefore Art Thou Romeo?
(1) But Soft, What Light vs. (5) Blow, Winds
(6) It Is The Cause vs. (7) I Come No More to Make You Laugh
(8) I Would Not Be Thy Executioner vs. (5) To Whom Should I Complain?
(3) Unsex Me Here vs. (2) All The World’s a Stage