Last night, as part of Shakespeare in Washington, the Kennedy Center staged Such Sweet Thunder — a performance that combined the words of Shakespeare and the music of Washington’s son, Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington. The show combined musical, theatrical, dance, and narrative elements, all inspired by Shakespeare’s work, to create a unique event. While the singularity and the quality of many of the performers made for an enjoyable night, the whole was less than the sum of its parts. The production fell short of its potential for brilliance because of choices made in the structure and pacing of the show.

Avery Brooks, best known for his portrayal of Captain Benjamin Sisko on the television series, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, hosted and acted in the performance. The show also featured three other actors, two vocalists, local dance students, and the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra (“SMJO”). The music came from Such Sweet Thunder, a thirty-five minute Shakespeare inspired jazz suite composed in 1957 by Ellington and his most important collaborator, Billy Strayhorn. The pieces were not meant to serve as a score to Shakespeare’s plays, rather they were written as the composers’ personal reactions to individual characters and moments within the plays.

The show began with short introductory speeches by Brooks and Mercedes Ellington, the choreographer of the dance elements. The show was then divided into segments with each devoted to a different Shakespearean play. Each segment began with Brooks telling a story, usually involving amusing quotes of Ellington’s take on the particular play. The actors then performed a reading from the play that was followed by the SMJO playing the corresponding piece from Such Sweet Thunder.

Photo of Duke Ellington provided by The Kennedy Center