"All the Devils Are Here: How Shakespeare Invented the Villain" at Guthrie Theater

All the Devils Are Here is a masterclass in Shakespeare. Acclaimed stage actor Patrick Page does for Shakespeare what Bill Irwin did for Beckett in his solo show On Beckett, presented at the Guthrie earlier this year. That is, one of the nation's most experienced and knowledgeable experts giving a personable, entertaining, educational, and captivating oration on one of our greatest playwrights. Those of you who, like me, know Patrick mostly as Hades, or Scar, may be surprised to learn that he's been studying and performing Shakespeare for four decades. He created and performed in All the Devils Are Here: How Shakespeare Invented the Villain Off-Broadway, and we are beyond lucky that his first tour stop is right here at the Guthrie Theater. If you're even a little bit interested in Shakespeare, or the acting process, or the depiction of evil in literature, or the presence of evil in our lives, All the Devils Are Here is a must-see. The 80-minute show, with an optional talkback after every performance, continues through November 17.

"If/Then" on tour at the Orpheum Theatre

I saw the new original musical If/Then on Broadway two years ago, written by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey (who also wrote Next to Normal), directed by Michael Greif (who also directed RENT), and reuniting RENT's original Maureen and Mark, Idina Menzel and Anthony Rapp. While it doesn't match the brilliance of the Pulitzer Prize winners Next to Normal and RENT (both tough acts to follow), it is wonderful to see a new, original, ambitious, modern, grown-up musical on Broadway. Seeing it on tour last night (sans Idina but still starring the wonderful Anthony), I find I enjoyed it even more the second time around. Exploring intriguing themes of fate, chance, and choice, it's about how one seemingly insignificant choice can change our lives in ways we can never comprehend. And while it can be fun, or devastating, to wonder "What If?" as this musical does, at the end of the day we are where we are in life for whatever culmination of reasons. This is the life we have to live, and the characters in this musical, despite their flaws, do it to the fullest. The messages "no day but today" from RENT and "the price of love is loss, but still we pay, we love anyway" from Next to Normal are both present in this exciting new work.