The 56th听annual season of the Colorado Shakespeare Festival will feature a classic lineup 鈥� a comedy, a tragedy, a history 鈥� alongside a hilarious Shakespeare sendup and a return engagement of an Off-Broadway hit.
But if anything, expect the unexpected, as two veterans and two of CSF鈥檚 favorite comic actors take the helm and offer their own visions, from the exotic to the traditional.
On deck for the season are the beloved comedy 鈥淎 Midsummer Night鈥檚 Dream,鈥� the hilarious 37-plays-within-a-play, 鈥淭he Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged),鈥� the dark tragedy of 鈥淢acbeth鈥� and 鈥淩ichard II,鈥� cited by many actors and directors as their favorite play in the canon.
There also will be two very special performances of Tina Packer鈥檚 鈥淲omen of Will: The Overview,鈥� fresh off its successful runs Off-Broadway and in Prague.
鈥淭his season is fantastic because it鈥檚 so well balanced,鈥� says Timothy Orr, interim producing artistic director. 鈥淎nd we鈥檝e got some fresh, brand-new directors who are making their CSF debuts.鈥�
Directors Geoffrey Kent (鈥淎 Midsummer Night鈥檚 Dream鈥�) and Gary Wright (鈥淭he Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)鈥�) step into directors鈥� roles for the first time at CSF following many seasons as favorite comic actors.
鈥淭hese are two of the funniest actors I鈥檝e ever worked with,鈥� Orr says. 鈥淲e are thrilled to see what they will do when they鈥檙e in charge.鈥�
Kent 鈥� who won raves for his work in 鈥淣oises Off鈥� at CSF in 2012 鈥� says this year鈥檚听Midsummer will remind audiences of both 鈥淒ownton Abbey鈥� and 鈥淭he Great Gatsby.鈥�
鈥淪et in the 1920s British countryside, you鈥檒l find your toes tapping to a jazz soundscape people with rude mechanical clowns, a new take on Shakespeare鈥檚 famous lovers and fairies chock full of magic and attended by puppets,鈥� he says. 鈥淔un, fast and great for the family and newcomers to Shakespeare.鈥�
Wright鈥檚 job is to wrangle three actors (鈥淭hese guys are painfully funny,鈥� Orr says) in a semi-free-form take on all 37 of Shakespeare鈥檚 plays crammed into a couple of hours.
鈥淚f you can imagine Shakespeare鈥檚 plays as innocent pedestrians, our show is a speeding, out-of-control clown car, running them over, sometimes individually 鈥� 鈥淭itus Andronicus,鈥� 鈥淥thello,鈥� 鈥淢acbeth鈥� 鈥� sometimes in wholesale groups 鈥� the comedies, the histories,鈥� Wright says. 鈥淚n certain cases, we鈥檒l run 鈥榚m down and then back over 鈥榚m a couple of times for good measure 鈥� can you say 鈥楬amlet鈥�?鈥�
For a walk on the darker side, Jane Page returns to CSF for the first time since her smash-hit 2009 production of 鈥淭o Kill a Mockingbird鈥� for a brooding 鈥淢acbeth鈥� set amid the harsh landscapes 鈥� both literal and political 鈥� of Soviet-occupied Afghanistan.
鈥淚 decided to reference this production to pre-Taliban Afghanistan because it evokes a world that is at once exotic, dangerous, familiar and unknown,鈥� Page says. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 also a world with which we have a modern connection.鈥�
鈥溾�橫acbeth鈥� is a story about recurring violence, the cycle of violence, something that CSF is exploring with its anti-violence school tours of 鈥楾welfth Night鈥� and 鈥楾he Tempest,鈥欌�� Orr says. 鈥淲e鈥檙e excited to see this in a context so relevant to our own time.鈥�
James Symons will direct his 11th听CSF play 鈥� more than any other director 鈥� with a spare and traditional rendering of 鈥淩ichard II.鈥�
鈥淲illful. Wasteful. Arrogant. Young King Richard II was all of these; but he was also the smartest fellow in any room. 鈥淩ichard II鈥� is the story of a young king鈥檚 determined but doomed efforts to hold on to his crown 鈥� and his life,鈥� Symons says.
And in a very special engagement, Tina Packer and Nigel Gore return to CSF after their hit 2012 run of 鈥淲omen of Will: The Full Cycle鈥� for just two performances of 听鈥淭he Overview,鈥� which has been playing Off-Broadway and has become an international sensation. The Denver Post says, 鈥淭he pair have an 鈥� astonishing chemistry as they inhabit Shakespeare鈥檚 creations.鈥�
鈥淭hey perfected this at CSF last summer for their Off-Broadway opening, and after CSF this season 鈥榃omen of Will鈥� goes to The Hague. You don鈥檛 want to miss this,鈥� Orr says.
By Clay Evans. See more at the Colorado Arts & Sciences Magazine .
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