By John Quinn

How fitting that deception is the theme of “Good Men and True,” an original comedy that opened this weekend in time to coincide with the great deception of Western civilization, Daylight Saving Time. There is a place for deception and it’s not in timekeeping. Playwrights Marty Shea and Ian Bonner have discovered its proper place is the stage – or rather rediscovered, since “Good Men” is a scholarly yet playful variation on themes and characters of William Shakespeare.

“Why do we play the roles we play?”

“Perhaps that is what we’re here to discover.”

We are reminded that mistaken identity and disguise were common Shakespearean plot devices; arguably, none were more successful than his three cross-dressing heroines. They are Viola, who assumed the persona of Cesario in “Twelfth Night;” Rosalind, who hid in the Forest of Arden as Ganymede the Hunter in “As You Like It;” and Portia, disguised at the lawyer, Balthasar, pleading for mercy in “The Merchant of Venice.” Now in what the press release whimsically refers to as a “cross-over episode,” our “heroes” find themselves aboard a ship tossed about by a mighty tempest (yeah, THAT tempest). The superstitious crew believe the storm is Neptune’s punishment for harboring a woman and that the ship can only be saved by tossing her overboard. If they only knew they’d have to dispose of three!

Ah, but “Good Men and True” is as layered as lasagna. Shakespeare’s joke involved young men playing young women onstage, since “actress” was not a proper Elizabethan profession. Thus when his “heroines” disguise themselves a men, they merely remove their feminine accoutrements (I know it’s convoluted – bear with me. It’s worth it). Playwrights Shea and Bonner go The Bard one better: the cast are women playing men playing women playing men. Jaclynn Cherry, DeAnnah Kleitz-Singleton and Jackie Strez, admirably directed by Sara Catheryn Wolf, manage to bring order to the chaos.

“Good Men and True,” which, by the way, is a phrase from yet another Shakespearean comedy, “Much Ado About Nothing,” is an ambitious work. There are elements of absurdist intent, but its existential reflections on the fundamentals of theater are truly fascinating. Its theme can be summed up in the recurring line from “As You Like It:” “All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players.” What kind of “unselfing” is necessary to assume a role? Is it important – is it even healthy – to lose oneself in a part? The artists reel in their imaginations; for example, “If Portia plays Balthasar, then who plays Portia?” The answer is Jackie Strez; she tells us so. Where Shea and Bonner may be in the existential weeds is in taking the logic one step further. “Who plays Jackie Strez?” If she is a character in another play, is the performer doing a good job? It boggles the mind.

Don’t get idea that this comes off as a dusty lecture in a Shakespeare 350 class. This is an enchanting comedy, made all the more interesting by its casual riffs on Shakespeare. Great a writer as he was, he made some wide leaps of probability crafting some of his plots, and Shea and Bonner take full advantage. One of the best conceits is the fourth member of the ensemble, Kez Settle, replete with flowing grey beard, playing two roles – both masculine. It’s a deft thumbing of the nose at Elizabethan convention.

It’s not surprising that Planet Ant Theatre is producing the unconventional works of home-grown talent. “Good Men and True” is worth the time – Daylight, Standard, or otherwise.
SHOW DETAILS:
“Good Men and True”
Planet Ant Theatre
2357 Caniff in Hamtramck, MI 48212
8 p.m. Friday, Saturday, March 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21, 27, 28
2 p.m. Sunday, March 15, 22
1 hour 35 minutes (15 minute intermission)
$20 ($10 March 6 & 7)
313-365-4948
www.planetant.com