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I just got an email about a really cool sounding event this Sunday.
http://www.harvardsquare.com/Events/2012/April/The-Undiscovered-Country--Shakespeare-and-Mount-Au.aspx
Susan Zawalich will be leading a walking tour of Mount Auburn Cemetery, focusing on the gravesites of people like Edwin Booth and Charlotte Cushman, along with other Shakespeare-abilia, such as quotes from the plays that people put on their gravestones. |
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On Thursday, March 1 at 7:00 pm, the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline presents the National Theatre of London's acclaimed production of Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors, captured live from the National's stage and broadcast in high-definition on the Coolidge's giant silver screen. There will be an encore presentation on Sunday, March 18 at 10:00 am. These presentations are part of NT Live, the National Theatre's groundbreaking initiative to broadcast the best of British theater to cinemas around the world.
The Bard's furiously paced comedy will be staged in a contemporary world into which walk three prohibited foreigners who see everything for the first time.
Two sets of twins separated at birth collide in the same city without meeting for one crazy day, as multiple mistaken identities lead to confusion on a grand scale. And for no one more so than Antipholus of Syracuse and his servant Dromio who, in search of their brothers, arrive in a land entirely foreign to their distant home. A buzzing metropolis, to the outsiders it appears a place of wonderment and terror, where baffling gifts and unexplained hostilities abound.
Consistently recognized by strangers, the visitors question their very selves as the turmoil escalates. Meanwhile, Aegeon, father to the Antipholus twins, has been captured searching for his sons and, as an illegal immigrant, is sentenced to death at sunset.
Lenny Henry plays Antipholus of Syracuse.
Tickets are $20 general admission; $17 Coolidge members and seniors. For more information: http://www.coolidge.org/content/comedy-errors.
"Magnificently funny: a modern-urban production full of sharp ideas" - The Times
"Wall-to-wall joy. Sublime" - Daily Mail
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Just in time for Valentine's Day, the Anarchist Society of Shakespeareans will perform "Measure for Measure" - William Shakespeare's timeless story of love, manipulation, and a severed head. The show will be at the Democracy Center (45 Mt Auburn Street), Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA. It is free and open to the public, and will play February 10, 11, 17, and 18 at 8pm; Feb 12 at 3pm.
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(X-posted from my personal journal.)
We (my daughter Elayna, ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=91.6) sindrian, gwynraven, and myself) saw the new Hamlet from the Psych Drama Company at the Boston Center for the Arts last night.
Folks, this was amazing.
The use of a female Hamlet is not new (the actor/director, Wendy Lippe, has played Hamlet twice before). Nor is the obvious choice to make Hamlet lesbian. But they went so much further here.
First, there was the choice to not make any other gender changes (from a casting POV) other than Hamlet. The recent productions of Romeo and Juliet, Titus Andronicus, and Twelfth Night that I've seen have all played with a lot of casting changes, but focusing on only one role showed how that one change has a ripple effect.
There were, to be sure, other gender-oriented changes, notably in Ophelia (also a lesbian, for obvious reasons), and Rosencrantz and Guldenstern (implied to be homosexual, not the first time that casting choice has been made). But the focus of the play was not on the sexuality alone.
This was a play about Hamlet's madness. Again, not the first time. Pretty much any good Hamlet is going to be about Hamlet's madness, with the question being to what degree the insanity is for show. A lot of this has to do with how the ghost is displayed, and the choice here was to imply that, while there was clearly something out there (Horatio and company see it, after all), the message might not have been what Hamlet thinks it was. And Hamlet switches from early melancholia to batshit crazy early on, with the implication that Hamlet is crazy, and pretending to be crazier.
But there's a brutal, horrible moment about 2/3 of the way in when the audience (and at least one other character) figures out that Hamlet is completely sane (other than possibly his message from his dad). Even at that moment, actions occur that then do drive her mad. It's brilliant, painful to watch, and one of the best choices I've seen in a long time. Not spoiling it because if you're local, I want you to see this.
There's a lot of sex and violence here; the "get the to a nunnery" scene is one of the most erotic ones I've seen on stage in a while, and if you've ever wanted to see Claudius mostly bare-ass, you'll get your chance. But there's a lot of humor early on, most around Polonius and the gravediggers (of course), but also with Rosencrantz and Guldenstern, who are given layers and depths not normally scene outside of a Stoppard play. One big choice here was to have R+G be the leaders of the players, providing them with a greater conflict as Hamlet uses them to flush out Claudius. It's a risky choice that works brilliantly.
The cast is amazing. Lippe is powerful, conveying hurt, mirth, and insanity wonderfully, and she plays off an incredibly talented cast. Horatio, Gertrude, and Ophelia were all delightful, but Claudius really steals the show. One of the problems with a lot of productions is that that the actor playing Claudius usually goes for the big oratory, but never conveys the sense of pure evil the role needs (assuming you're not seeing one of the productions that portrays him as less than evil, a valid choice, but not what was made here). The Claudius here (note that I don't have my program with me, which is why I can't name names) is perfect, evil without being comical, loving Gertrude even as he plots to kill her daughter.
The choice to make the setting modern and chance the finale from fencing to chess actually allows them to explain the whole "Laertes dies first" thing nicely (as anyone who watches is will see).
Each performance also features a brief post-show lecture on one psychological element of Hamlet (see this page for the schedule). It's a nice touch, but if you're planning on leaving after the performance (understandable, as it's nearly four hours), sit in the center or on the side closest to the door, as the speech starts immediately after curtain calls.
There are eight performances left, running through the 17th. If you're local, try to catch one of them. Good, cheap Shakespeare (tickets are $25 each, $20 for students; you can also use Goldstar to knock the price down to $16.50 after service fees) is one of the great things about living in the Boston area, and this is one of those productions I'll remember for years.
It was also Elayna's first production; I suspect it might have ruined future productions for her. Ah, well. |
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I have received word from the illustrious TD that tonight's performance of As You Like It is ON! |
| » As You Like It Opens Tomorrow! |
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Come one, come all to Theatre@First's As You Like It!
Our Shakespeare in the Square production is FREE and open to the public. Bring your blanket, bring a low chair (bring your rain gear!) and come on down to Seven Hills Park, next to the Holland Ave. entrance of the Davis T for a fabulous evening of Shakespearean follies!
FOUR SHOWS THIS WEEKEND!
Thursday, September 8th - 8pm
Friday, September 9th - 8pm
Saturday, September 10th - 8pm
Sunday, September 11th - 3pm MATINEE
As You Like It is one of the Bard's most beloved comedies, featuring the pluckiest cross-dressing heroine of them all! Weep with the clowns, laugh at the lovers, ooh and aah over the magical set. Let Theatre@First carry you away to the Forest of Arden, right here in Davis Square!
This production was made possible by an incredible list of donors. To add your name to the list, visit our website today! It's not too late to be part of this amazing show!
Sep. 7th, 2011 @ 10:15 pm
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| » A Midsummer Night's Dream - June 10-12 and 17-19, in Cambridge - FREE |
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The Anarchist Society of Shakespeareans will be performing "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at the Democracy Center (45 Mt Auburn Street), Harvard Square, Cambridge, in June. The show is FREE and open to the public. It will play June 10, 11, 17, and 18 at 8pm; June 12 and 19 at 3pm. The show is set in the 60s; hippies and beatniks meet the Bard! Any questions, please contact Ron Lacey: ThePyrateKing@yahoo.com.
May. 23rd, 2011 @ 02:01 pm
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| » MIT Shakespeare Ensemble, Romeo & Juliet, March 11-13th, 17-19th |
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ROMEO & JULIET
Performed by the MIT Shakespeare Ensemble, directed by Ted Eaton
March 11-12th and 17-19th 8pm, March 13th at 2pm
Tickets $6 for MIT/Wellesley students, $9 for other students, $12 general admission.
La Sala de Puerto Rico, Building W20 MIT
Group rates available.
Mar. 1st, 2011 @ 06:04 pm
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| » _Cymbeline_, Actors Shakespeare Project |
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The venue is depressingly squalid, the production values are almost non-existent, and the material is certainly not Shakespeare's best. But it turns out that none of that is actually required for theatrical magic to happen. The show was really excellent, despite, or perhaps to some extent because of, its limitations.
( lots of details and spoilers below )The production reminded me rather of my all-time-favorite Shakespeare performance, by a group called "Actors from the London Stage", which did similarly small-cast, low-production-values, highly-successful productions.
Perhaps the highest praise I can give this show comes not from myself, a sophisticated long-time Shakespeare geek. There was a small boy in the audience, perhaps ten years old, who remained rapt with attention throughout the whole 2 1/2 hours. *That* says good theater.
Highly Recommended.
http://www.actorsshakespeareproject.org/season7/winter_festival.html
Feb. 13th, 2011 @ 11:43 am
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| » "Merchant of Venice," March 29 - April 10 (2011), Cutler Majestic Theatre |
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THE MERCHANT OF VENICE
MARCH 29 to APRIL 10
Cutler Majestic Theatre (219 Tremont Street Boston, MA 02116)
ArtsEmerson is having a "1 DAY SALE
NOV. 29 ONLY: TICKETS $25
Applies to first two performances of each of these productions.
Select a highlighted date to order tickets."
The dates for Merchant are March 29 and 30, which are a Tuesday and Wednesday, so probably suboptimal for most people (myself included).
Nov. 24th, 2010 @ 03:47 pm
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