Summertime, and the Shakespeare Is Plentiful
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
A decade ago, the term “summer theater” was a Philadelphia oxymoron. Today, the region bursts with plays, indoors and out, with a particular emphasis on Shakespeare.
Already playing are Matt Pfeiffer’s charming production of The Two Gentlemen of Verona (through July 13, pashakespeare.org) at the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival (PSF), and Revolution Shakespeare’s Five Kings (through July 30, revolutionshakespeare.org) on Wednesdays at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Griffin Stanton-Ameisen, Revolution Shakespeare’s founder, assails theater’s greatest role: Hamlet. The Delaware Shakespeare Festival’s 12th production (July 11-27, delshakes.org), directed by David Stradley, plays in a bucolic clearing behind the mansion in Wilmington’s Rockwood Park. The sword fights — by choreographers John and Samantha Bellomo —should be spectacular.
Commonwealth Classic Theatre Company’s 10th season features a free production of Twelfth Night (July 10 - 26, commonwealthclassictheatre.org), touring 13 city and suburban parks. Angela Smith plays Viola, a shipwreck survivor disguised as a boy serving Jamison Foreman’s Orsino, who pines for Jessica DalCanton’s Olivia — who falls in love with Viola. CCTC’s “Cool Classics” production — indoors, air-conditioned — will be Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie (Aug. 8-24).
The summer’s biggest production is the ninth annual Shakespeare in Clark Park, Henry IV: Your Prince and Mine (July 30-Aug. 3, shakespeareinclarkpark.org). Alex Torra’s distillation of Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2 features a 100-person battle in Clark Park’s spacious bowl. They’ll man a “Conversation Station” during outdoor rehearsals for park users wondering why the hell all those people are running around with swords.
Meanwhile, PSF’s season continues with Macbeth (July 17-Aug. 3), with Philly actor Ian Bedford as the titular tyrant, in rep with the non-Bard farce Lend Me a Tenor (July 9-Aug. 3).
PSF also offers two Shakespeare mash-ups. Tina Packer’s Women of Will (July 20-Aug. 3) features the Shakespeare & Company founder illuminating Shakespeare’s female characters. Shakespeare for Kids (July 23-Aug. 2) is Erin Sheffield’s popular hour-long primer for kids ages 4 to 10, directed by Pfeiffer.
Aaron Cromie returns to the Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre (2010’s Henry V, 2012’s Titus Andronicus) to direct Love’s Labour’s Lost (July 30-Aug. 17, phillyshakespeare.org). This early comedy featuring Classical Acting Academy students plays at Drexel University’s URBN Annex, and tickets are still free.
The same play will surely be very different in Mauckingbird Theatre Company’s “gender-bent” adaptation (Aug. 22-Sept. 14, mauckingbird.org). As director Peter Reynolds proved with Much Ado About Nothing and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare’s playful romances feel new when viewed through Mauckingbird’s “gay lens.”
From now until the fall season’s launch with the FringeArts Festival (Sept. 5-21), there’s nary a night when Shakespeare isn’t playing somewhere. Go see some.
