“For never was a tale more dark and quirky,
than this, of Walter, of Albuquerque.” -- Chorus, Breaking Bard
This is a wickedly delicious play. An ode to Breaking Bad and everything Shakespeare, Gus Krieger, the brilliant resident playwright of Porters of Hellsgate, manages magically, like some erstwhile alchemist, to spin the entire series of Breaking Bad into 60 minutes of Shakespearean gold.
This remounted and revised version of the play that won this year's ‘Spirit of the Fringe award for Best Writing’ and was also nominated for ‘Best Directing’, ‘Best Supporting Actor’ and ‘Best Production’ not only showcases Mr. Krieger’s talents as a playwright and Drina Durazo’s ridiculously brilliant directing skills, it gifts us the gorgeous talents of this spectacular company of actors. Each of them pure perfection in their roles, some of them playing multiple parts with such commitment and such love it was a privilege to experience.
I couldn't stop smiling through the entirety of the play.
In fact, my face actually ached for hours afterwards. It was a feast of criminal behavior and philosophical twists that made present day Albuquerque feel like Shakespearean England, with guns for swords and meth for wine.
I don’t remember ever actually thanking a theatre company in a review before, but I find myself compelled to do just that, sincerely. Thank you Porters of Hellsgate, thank you for this funny, poignant, pithy and courageous production. Thank you for having a crazy idea and for sharing it with us in such a spectacular and unique play.
I’ve already emailed my friends and I am now urging you to go and see Breaking Bard.
The sheer skill involved in taking timeless lines of Shakespeare and ‘tweaking’ them into Breaking Badisms is just staggering to imagine.
I have to admit to probably being the only person I know who hasn’t seen Breaking Bad, I always meant to binge watch it, but who has the time!? Strangely enough, watching Breaking Bard has reinvigorated my interest and I’m cuing it all up on Netflix, although I have to say I will be expecting sonnets and rhyming couplets…
Breaking Bard is performing at The Whitmore Lindley Theatre Centre
11006 Magnolia Blvd, North Hollywood, 91601
September 26th - November 1st
Friday and Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 2pm.
Cast
Gus Krieger, Kate O’Toole, William Hickman, Jesse James Thomas,Thomas Bigley, Dylan Booth, Dana DeRuyck, Sean Faye, Kipp Moorman, Burl Moseley, Mikel Parraga-Wills, Timothy Portnoy, Frank Weidner, and Troy Whitaker.