{"id":112272,"date":"2026-09-16T12:39:55","date_gmt":"2026-09-16T19:39:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forallevents.com\/reviews\/?p=112272"},"modified":"2026-09-16T12:39:55","modified_gmt":"2026-09-16T19:39:55","slug":"spreckels-equivocation-in-rohnert-park-cleverly-blends-whimsy-philosophy-shakespeare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forallevents.com\/reviews\/spreckels-equivocation-in-rohnert-park-cleverly-blends-whimsy-philosophy-shakespeare\/","title":{"rendered":"Spreckels\u2019 \u2018Equivocation\u2019 in Rohnert Park cleverly blends whimsy, philosophy, Shakespeare"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Jereme Anglin, left, and Kevin Bordi, right, appear in “Equivocation,” a comedic and philosophical play set in Shakespearean times onstage at Spreckels Performing Arts Center in Rohnert Park, Calif. (Jeff Thomas via Bay City News)<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

By WOODY WEINGARTEN, Bay City News<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Equivocation,\u201d a Spreckels Performing Arts production onstage in Rohnert Park, is a seriocomedy with endless levels and disparate themes, all of which are delightfully exceptional.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In its 2\u00be-hour running time, there are repeated examples of equivocation by circa 1605 Shakespearean-style characters, both whimsically and seriously drawn by playwright Bill Cain. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a fictional history detailing King James I\u2019s Machiavellian right-hand man, Robert Cecil (played sneeringly evil by Zane Walters), who\u2019s pitted against poor, mostly ethical actors.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"“Equivocation,\u201d a comedic and philosophical play set in Shakespearean times, played onstage at Spreckels Performing Arts Center in Rohnert Park, Calif. (Jeff Thomas via Bay City News<\/span>)<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Cecil commissions Shag-speare, or Shag (skillfully portrayed by Jereme Anglin) in the name of the Scottish king to write a play about the recently foiled Gunpowder Plot by 13 Catholic terrorists-liberators aiming to blow up parliament and kill the king.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Shag is reluctant to complete the assignment at first, musing about whether the basis for the play is a coverup, or pure propaganda. And maybe there wasn\u2019t a plot, or gunpowder at all. Besides, he says, \u201cWe don\u2019t do current events. We do histories, true histories of the past.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Given a choice between emphasizing Cain\u2019s side-splitting,\u00a0droll comedy or a touching, morally explorative melodrama-thriller, \u201cEquivocation\u201d director\u00a0Sheri Lee Miller\u00a0often opts for slapstick.\u00a0There\u2019s abundant histrionics\u00a0in the\u00a0play-within-a-play conceit.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The\u00a0Globe Theater actors\u00a0frequently\u00a0break time barriers and worm\u00a0their way into \u201creal-life\u201d philosophical discourse\u00a0as the\u00a0play introduces\u00a0heavy\u00a0concepts:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Whether\u00a0to\u00a0risk actors\u2019 lives by telling the truth or to massage a lie that will result in a big payday \u2014 or to deceptively offer truth and lie at the same time\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Whether Catholicism or Protestantism is the \u201cright\u201d religion\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Whether torture and execution are better solutions than diplomacy\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Whether a writer should answer yes or no questions with a single word or convoluted paragraphs that obfuscate meaning <\/span><\/p>\n

While \u201cEquivocation\u201d provides intellectual fodder for those desiring it (with references to \u201cthe Scottish play,\u201d \u201cKing Lear\u201d and \u201cRichard III\u201d), there\u2019s more than sufficient silliness for those hoping to laugh, particularly in scenes with three witches and mirrors. <\/span><\/p>\n

Cain tosses in the kitchen sink via philosophical questions galore (at times repetitious, other times so complex,\u00a0they\u2019re\u00a0nearly impossible\u00a0to follow)\u00a0and\u00a0avoids answering most.\u00a0However, the play becomes more\u00a0easily digestible\u00a0with\u00a0actors\u00a0in\u00a0street dress\u00a0and using\u00a0street lingo, and profanity,\u00a0when not \u201cin character.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The\u00a0six-member ensemble cast\u00a0is superb. Jeff Cot\u00e9\u00a0plays multiple roles, and Natalie Tichenor, the sole woman, is appropriately low-key as Judith, the Bard\u2019s daughter who can never quite meet standards set by her dead twin brother.\u00a0She\u2019s\u00a0rather quiet\u00a0until she delivers a poignant soliloquy toward the\u00a0play\u2019s\u00a0end.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Kevin Bordi, who appears as Father Henry Garnet and Richard,\u00a0also is\u00a0choreographer of\u00a0an amazingly authentic fight scene.\u00a0Intricate colorful costumes by Adriana Gutierrez instantly yank theatergoers back multiple centuries. English accents are absent, but Drew Bolander\u2019s high-pitched Scottish inflections are spectacularly amusing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Torture, hangings and beheadings in\u00a0\u201cEquivocation,\u201d\u00a0which debuted in Ashland, Oregon\u00a0in 2009, might be disturbing and\u00a0perhaps draw\u00a0a gasp.\u00a0Frequent time changes may also be distressing.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, theatergoers at a recent\u00a0weekend\u00a0matinee\u00a0were\u00a0smiling through most of the performance\u00a0and\u00a0jumped to\u00a0their\u00a0feet when it ended.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While audiences may not instantly \u201cget\u201d all aspects of \u201cEquivocation,\u201d or perhaps get a trace of fanny fatigue toward the end, they\u2019re almost sure to enjoy being transported back to Elizabethan times. And to laugh. A lot.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This article was first published on<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>LocalNewsMatters.org<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/i>, a nonprofit site supported by Bay City News Foundation\u00a0http:\/\/www.baycitynews.org\/contact\/<\/span><\/a><\/i>.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Woody Weingarten\u00a0can be contacted at<\/span><\/i>voodee@sbcglobal.net<\/a><\/span><\/u><\/i>,\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/i>https:\/\/woodyweingarten.com<\/i><\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0https:\/\/vitalitypress.com<\/a>.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jereme Anglin, left, and Kevin Bordi, right, appear in “Equivocation,” a comedic and philosophical play set in Shakespearean times onstage at Spreckels Performing Arts Center in Rohnert Park, Calif. (Jeff…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"yasr_overall_rating":0,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-112272","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-woody-weingarten"],"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":true,"span_bottom":"