Theatre troupe goes as authentic as it can with Shakespearean performance

On Saturday at the Robertson and Sons Violin Shop, theatre troupe Severall Friends will be performing “Songs and Sonnets,” a dedication and rendition of classic Shakespearean and other Elizabethan works.

Severall Friends, according to group manager Ken Perlow, is “a non-profit arts organization based in the Santa Fe area, and committed to passionate period-instrument performances — that is, on the very instruments played at the time — of Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque music.”

Severall Friends holds true to its goal of affordable theatre for students.

“Regular admission is $20, but all students will be admitted free with ID,” Perlow said.

There will be two performance in Albuquerque for their latest work, Saturday afernoon at 2 p.m. and that evening at 7 p.m.

The music and poetry in Songs and Sonnets is an arrangement of Elizabethan classics directed by Music Director Mary Springfels, featuring Ryland Angel as tenor, Mark Rimple on lute, Mary Springfels on viola da gamba and Kent Kirkpatrick as narrator. The show aims to retain the same musical authenticity that these classic sonnets had when originally performed during Shakespeare’s era.

“The music will consist of lute songs by John Dowland, Thomas Campion, John Danyel and others,” Springfels said. “All these artists worked from about 1590 to 1610 A.D., and most of them knew one another. We'll also play solos for lute and viola da gamba from the same era. The sonnets and other poetry are by Shakespeare, Campion, John Donne and the songwriters themselves.”

Springfels hopes Songs and Sonnets will inspire passion and interest in classic theatre and literature in a contemporary audience. Driving Springfels work for the show was her love of the songs themselves, as she said she hopes to spread the beauty of some lesser-known work, such as those by Campion or Danyel.

“My reason for putting together this concert is that the music and poetry are absolutely gorgeous, and get performed rarely,” Springfels said. “We hope the audience will be moved by the beauty of the music and words, and entertained by the wit. Even though the language is old, it's not difficult to understand.”

As the Valentine’s blues are finally calming down in February, Songs and Sonnets provides an excellent opportunity for students to engage in the works of the original love poet himself, William Shakespeare.

Troy Amato is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Troy_Amato.