TENatTEN debuts to rapturous applause

PROVO -- TENatTEN, as participant Ms. Laws explained the concept, is a simple "ten minute performance beginning at ten o'clock" which, she was quick to point out, "happens whenever we please." With such whimsical guidelines it's a wonder they managed to pull off much of anything at all---but if their opening night is anything to go by, TENatTEN is headed for rockstar status.

The girls of s204 put on a show just as diverse and surprising as the night's soundtrack, performing tragic monologues from Juliet to Marc Anthony accompanied by the haunting reveries of English rock band Muse and the wavering melodies of lo-fi folk singer Sufjan Stevens. Costumed in black, the company also made innovative use of their props, allowing only one object for each speech, some simple---the wooden spoons for Macbeth's cauldron-stirring witches, a bouquet for Ophelia's mad singing---but others perhaps more provocative. Ms. Laws, in a searing performance of Hamlet's infamous to be, or not to be, replaced the typical human skull used in the scene for a more metaphorical jack-o-lantern. This obvious play on the futility of fear was followed by a more poignant look at the sharp sweetness of the lover's drama in a scene from Romeo + Juliet, where Ms. Henry drank her poison from a small brown vial of peppermint extract.

Props aside, Ms. Smith was the stand-out starlet of the evening, surprising the crowd with her ruthless, bloody speech from Julius Caesar. "With those prim curls and wide eyes?" said fellow cast member Ms. Rhondeau, "You never would have guessed her capable of crying havoc." Ms. Rhondeau's own scene, where she played both Hamlet's Ophelia and Queen Gertrude in succession, added another twist to the night's turns, involving audience participation with a guest star. Mr. Ladle, who stepped in with a one-liner as Laertes, hesitated only a moment at his cue before bringing the house down with a perfectly frantic Drown'd, o where? Rumour persists that Mr. Ladle has indeed applied for a permanent place with the company, but the notoriously exclusive TENatTEN has made no comment in the affirmative. "He's got the stage presence," Ms. Rhondeau admitted after the show, "but we run a rigorous application process."

The performance ended as it began, running full circle around Shakespeare's tragedies from Macbeth to Macbeth. Ms. Connell played a most effective villain, starring in the classic "Out, damn'd spot!" and bringing the house to their feet in standing ovation. Working the tail-end of Lady Macbeth's speech into their blocking, the entire cast ended on stage and took their bows as she called "To bed! To bed!", filing off stage to euphoric applause and ensuring a bright place in Plaza history.

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