Shakespeare Plays

Shakespeare might be the greatest playwright England as ever had but I have seen more than my fair share of awful productions. Some years ago, I vowed that I would never ever go to see another Shakespeare play, ever! Then, a couple of months ago I read a review of the Actors Shakespeare Project product of the Tempest. This was a new group that had formed just over four years ago to make Shakespeare's plays more accessible, while maintaining the essence of his works. So I went along without expecting to much and wow was I surprised.

The first play was the Tempest which was the best production that I have ever seen. Alvin Epstein who played Prospero was just incredible and Ariel (Marianna Bassham) and Miranda (Mara Sidmore) were excellent as well but had more carefree roles. The director Patrick Swanson did a great job.

Yesterday I saw King John, a complicated messy play if ever there was one. Too many twists and turns. But again, a wonderful job was done by all especially the director: Benjamin Eett, Bill Barclay (the bastard) and Jennie Israel (Constance, mother of Arthur. The venue for this production was the Cathedral Church of Saint Paul, an ideal location given the involvement of the church in the plot that was the downfall of John. The director managed to keep the essential bits of the play that helped used understand a small snipet of European history at the time and that politics are politics and they change amazing little of centuries!

For anyone who lives in the Boston area I would highly recommend supporting this organization by taking out a subscription which is what any new theatre group needs to build and keep growing. Aside from the wonderful plays they also seem a great organization. Subscriptions are "open" so there is no need to pick a performance day months in advance, their T-shirts and other goods are "Made in the USA", they are involved with schools and for the Tempest they workd with tenants of a lower income housing development in Cambridge, to involve them in the play which was playing next door. For a four-year old company this is quite impressive and for Shakespeare - he should be dancing in his grave.
www.actorsshakespeareproject.org