"Much Ado About Nothing" by Gray Mallard Theater Company at Sociable Cider Werks

My favorite new #TCTheater summer tradition is Gray Mallard Theater Company's "Shakespeare in the Pub." Not quite in the pub, they perform in the parking lot outside of Sociable Cider Werks in Northeast Minneapolis, with a variety of ciders, beers, and non-alcoholic beverages available in their tap room, and a permanent food truck. But best of all, it's Shakespeare performed outdoors the way it was meant to be - fun, playful, professional, and free. Part of their mission is to remove the economic barrier to theater, they don't even have reservations, so you just show up and watch the show (but if you're able, consider making a donation to support their work and mission). For their 4th annual show (my 2nd year attending), they've chosen the original rom-com Much Ado About Nothing. They perform Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 7pm through August 3, and there's really nothing better than sitting outside on a gorgeous summer evening, sipping a beverage, and watching some great Shakespeare.

"Measure for Measure" by The Birth Play Project at A-Mill Artist Lofts

My favorite new theater company of 2022, The Birth Play Project, is back, this time with a new twist on a classic. Their new play with music Mary’s Wondrous Body, based on a so-bizarre-it-must-be-true story of a woman who claimed to give birth to rabbits, was indeed wondrous. Now this company whose mission is "to place birth in public memory by developing representational practices for staging reproductive stories" is presenting Shakespeare's Measure for Measure. If you're wondering, "what does this play have to do with birth?," you're not alone. I've seen this play a few times before, and it's always been Isabella's story, a soon-to-be nun who is offered a chance to save her brother Claudio from death, if she sleeps with his accuser Angelo. But so far in the background that I even forgot she was there, is Juliet, Claudio's not-quite-wife, who is pregnant with his child (the crime with which they're both charged). This adaptation by Madeline Wall and William Edson, who also direct the piece, puts the focus on this forgotten woman who is quietly (or not so quietly) giving birth while the other actions of the play swirl around her. It's an engaging and entertaining take on this classic that explores a hidden side of it, and makes one wonder what other birth stories are hiding in the background, waiting to be told. Click here to find out more about The Birth Play Project and to purchase tickets to one of their two remaining performances at Saint John the Evangelist Episcopal Church and Elision Playhouse.

"King Lear" at Theatre in the Round

To begin their 73rd season, the oldest theater in Minneapolis is going back to a classic - the Shakespearean tragedy about a king gone mad and his scheming heirs, King Lear. In an interesting twist, Theatre in the Round has tapped veteran #TCTheater actor Meri Golden to play Lear as a pants role (meaning Lear is still a King not a Queen, and referred to as male). She's fantastic, and it's wonderful to see a female actor get a crack at this iconic role. She's supported by a large and talented cast, and sparse but effective design, for an engaging take on this classic that I haven't seen in so long I didn't remember the details of the story or characters. When the board member introducing the show (as they always do at TRP) said "we do murder well," he was referring to their annual Agatha Christie play (this year: The Unexpected Guest opening in November), but he could just as well have been talking about this show. There is a lot of murder, some of it bloody, and it is, indeed, done well. King Lear continues at Theatre in the Round through October 6.

"The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)" by Jackdonkey Productions at Phoenix Theater

William Shakespeare wrote 37(ish) plays, an astounding feat for any playwright, but especially when you consider that they're still being performed 400 years later. I'm not even the biggest Shakespeare fan, I don't seek out Shakespeare, but after being a Twin Cities Theater Blogger for 14 years and a Guthrie season subscriber for 20, I've seen about two-thirds of his plays, and some of them multiple times (over a dozen Romeo and Juliets alone!). That's a lot of hours of Shakespeare. But if you don't have time to see 37 plays (who does?), now you can see them all in under two hours! In Jackdonkey Productions' version of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged), three talented actors take you through them all, well sort of. Each play at least gets a mention or a line, with a couple of them getting a bit longer treatment. The script (by Reduced Shakespeare Company) is really just a framework upon which the cast and creative team build a silly, fun, fourth-wall-breaking romp of a show. And you don't need to have seen any of Shakespeare's 37 plays to enjoy it (although if you have, you'll get a few more of the references). See it now through July 21 at Phoenix Theater in Uptown (still open despite the construction on Hennepin). Or you can catch it in Lanesboro or Stillwater the following week.

American Players Theatre 2022, Spring Green WI

If Middle Earth had a theater, it would look like American Players Theatre. Situated on over 100 acres in the woods of Wisconsin about an hour west of Madison, the sprawling grounds include several picnic areas on rolling hills with artwork and lights hanging from the trees (very Hobbiton), where people set up elaborate picnics complete with baskets, tablecloths, and stemware, and then you walk through tall forests where the Elves might have lived sometime in the past to the "Up-The-Hill" theater, with performances out in the open in a natural amphitheater. The permanent outdoor theater was built in 1980 and renovated a few years ago, and includes about 1000 cushy comfy waterproof seats around a thrust stage, with not a bad seat in the house. The stage is set against the woods, which are lit up at night in rainbow colors. The light of the sun, stars, and moon is amplified by huge sets of stadium lights, specifically directed where they are needed (stage, aisles, audience). The setting couldn't be more magical, but more importantly, the theater that has been produced in that space for over 40 years is fantastic. I don't know how it took this Midwest theater lover so long to discover this national gem of a theater. Their eight-show summer season continues through the first week of October, with a 9th show being presented in their indoor theater from late October through November, so you still have time to make the gorgeous four-hour drive from the Twin Cities to Spring Green (if you can get tickets). Otherwise, start making plans for their 2023 season, opening in June. If you're a theater fan living in the Midwest, APT is an absolute must-see.

"Much Ado About Nothing" by Fearless Comedy at the Historic Mounds Theatre

Two years after it was originally scheduled, Fearless Comedy is finally bringing us their 1940s-set take on the Shakespearean rom-com Much Ado about Nothing. It's fun to see a comedy company, that often does new work, take on one of the original comedians. The large and talented cast and inventive staging at the Historic Mounds Theatre make for a delightfully fun evening of Shakespearean comedy. See it now through May 14.

Zephyr Theatre's ShakesFaire - "Shakespeare LOL" and "As You Like It"

I'm interrupting this Fringe coverage to bring you news of FREE Shakespeare in the Park! Stillwater's Zephyr Theatre is presenting three shows as part of their annual Shakespeare festival, held in lovely Valley View Park just outside of Stillwater. I saw two of the three shows last night, the first of only five performances this weekend only. It's a gorgeous location with a natural and partly shaded slope for audience viewing (bring a chair or blanket), and really fantastic performances of these two great shows. Read on for more about Shakespeare LOL and As You Like It, then make plans to head out to the park this weekend to enjoy some great outdoor theater, which also includes a puppet show by Open Eye Theatre. Click here for details, but reservations are not required (although donations are accepted).

"Twelfth Night" by Orchard Theater Collective at Calvary Baptist Church

New #TCTheater company Orchard Theater Collective, founded by a quartet of U of M/Guthrie BFA grads, has brought us some interesting and innovative shows over the past year or so. They continue that tradition with Shakespeare's comedy Twelfth Night, a clever choice to stage in early January when this actual holiday (aka the 12th day of Christmas) falls. And they've made it feel like a holiday. What is essentially a church basement theater has been transformed into a warm, cozy, festive space with lights and colorful decorations, as well as drinks and a lovely spread of cheese, hummus, bread, and cookies, all included in the price of admission. The intrepid cast of eight brings many more characters to life in this gender-swapping mistaken identity romantic comedy, performed on the small stage and in a square in front of it, with the audience sitting at tables on three sides. This Twelfth Night is playful and fun, an evening of pure frivolity. Fortunately this show runs a little longer than their previous shows (sometimes one weekend only); you have until January 19 to celebrate Twelfth Night with Orchard Theater Collective (click here for info and tickets).

"The Tempest" by Theatre Coup d'Etat at SpringHouse Ministry Center

Wikipedia tells me that The Tempest is "now considered to be one of Shakespeare's greatest works," but I'd never seen it (everything I know about theater I learned from watching #TCTheater). Until this week. Theatre Coup d'Etat brings us a stripped down, one act, in-the-round, intimate production in the non-traditional theater space that is SpringHouse Ministry Center, where they've often performed. I found that I like the play, that ends neither with everyone dead nor everyone married, like most Shakespeare plays seem to (although one couple is betrothed). Furthermore, the moral of the story seems to be forgiveness and peace, which is quite a refreshing story to experience these days. In the hands of this wonderful cast 13-person cast, this clear adaptation with great use of space, physicality, and music is the perfect introduction to The Tempest.

Great River Shakespeare Festival in Winona

Last weekend I took a road trip to Winona with my fellow Twin Cities Theater Bloggers, Laura from Twin Cities Stages and Julie and Carol from Minnesota Theater Love. It was my first visit to the Great River Shakespeare Festival, which is celebrating its 15th anniversary season this year. I had a great experience, and it will definitely not be my last trip to Winona. Not only is the theater entertaining, engaging, relevant, and well done, but the festival is well organized and provides many other opportunities for entertainment and engagement throughout the charming river town of Winona. A theater festival is a pretty unique experience in the state of Minnesota, one I didn't even realize I was missing. GRSF runs through August 5 so there's still time for a road trip theater vacation this summer. What's better than that?!

"Taking Shakespeare" at Gremlin Theatre

I wish I had had a professor like the one in Taking Shakespeare, maybe I'd have a better appreciation for the Bard. As it is I struggle the first time I see a Shakespeare play, as does the student in the play. But by the end he seems to really get it, and like in any good teacher/student relationship, the teacher also learns from the student. In Gremlin Theatre's staging of the new(ish) play by John Murrell, directed by Artistic Director Peter Christian Hansen, we get to watch this relationship play out in the hands of two talented actors (a beloved veteran and an exciting newcomer). It's an exploration of not just Shakespeare, but the changing phases of life, and whatever one's passion happens to be.

"Measure for Measure" by Theatre Unbound at Gremlin Theater

Theatre Unbound, aka The Women's Theatre, is tackling one of Shakespeare's "problem plays," so called because it falls in between the categories of comedy (in which everyone ends up happily married) and tragedy (in which everyone ends up dead, or almost everyone). They specifically chose this play for this moment because, as director Kate Powers notes in the playbill, "Measure for Measure is a potent reminder that #metoo is a centuries' old problem, that men extracting or pressuring women for sex as a transactional exchange has long been among us. Shakespeare is exploring corruption of authority, the intersection, or bypass of, justice with mercy, and sexual misdeeds that continue to infect our society and oppress those who are not invited to share in governance." Their production is powerful and well-acted, if a bit long. I wish they would have trimmed it a bit to better hone in on the important issues, but that may just be due to my growing intolerance for sitting for three hours (Angels in America notwithstanding). Still, it's a timely production of a 400-year-old play that's surprisingly relevant.

"The Comedy of Errors" by Classical Actors Ensemble at Newell Park

This is my third summer seeing Classical Actors Ensemble's delightful Shakespeare in the Park, and I'm convinced this is how Shakespeare is meant to be seen, at least the comedies. Playful, approachable, bawdy, musical, outdoors, accessible (read: free) to all, and 90 minutes long. The Comedy of Errors is a silly farce of a play and a perfect choice for this annual event. This charming and entertaining cast makes the convoluted story (relatively) easy to follow and the Shakespearean language clear and compelling. Performances continue at parks around the Twin Cities through July 23, and I highly recommend it as a fun outing for all ages, enjoying the best that Minnesota has to offer in terms of summer weather and great theater. The performance is free with no reservations required, just show up with a blanket or lawn chair, and maybe a picnic lunch, and be ready to be entertained.

"Macbeth" at Park Square Theatre

Macbeth. There I said it. In addition to being one of Shakespeare's darkest, bloodiest, and most violent plays, Macbeth has also inspired a silly theater superstition in which it's bad luck to say the name in a theater. But it's certainly not bad luck to produce it, also being one of Shakespeare's most popular plays. Wikipedia tells me that "it dramatizes the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those who seek power for its own sake." Which is something we still see examples of today. While it's not as bloody good fun as I remember the Guthrie's 2010 production being (one of my favorites of that year), Park Square Theatre's Macbeth is intense, intimate, and striking.

"As You Like It" by Classical Actors Ensemble at the Crane Theater

Classical Actors Ensemble is "dedicated to engaging audiences by capturing the spirit in which the plays of the English Renaissance were originally performed - with immediacy, passion, and as popular entertainment." This is something they do beautifully with their summer Shakespeare in the park; I was charmed by their fun and playful Two Gents and Midsummer in recent years, and look forward to The Comedy of Errors this summer. This is my first time seeing CAE indoors, and I'm happy to report that they retain their playful spirit in a more traditional theater setting (although with the crazy warm February weather we're having, they might as well do it outdoors!).

"Henry V" by Theatre Pro Rata at the Crane Theater

I recently wrote, "I should just give up seeing anyone else do Shakespeare, because no one does it like Ten Thousand Things." Of course that's not very realistic for a theater blogger; Shakespeare is still one of our most produced playwrights. But lucky for me, Theatre Pro Rata's new production of Henry V borrows a few things from TTT, namely a small cast, an edited story, and a playful spirit. They use just five actors to play the two dozen or more roles, and what's even more interesting - each actor takes a turn playing the title role. It's all done in a meta theater style in which five actors attempt to tell this epic story and realize just what they're up against, congratulating each other at the end when they accomplish the task. And accomplish it they do, in what is a new and inventive take on a very old play.

"A Midsummer Night's Dream" by Classical Actors Ensemble in Como Park

Summer. That time of the year when Minnesota's two best attributes collide - the great outdoors, and theater. And what better play to experience on a beautiful Minnesota midsummer night than Shakespeare's most beloved romantic comedy A Midsummer Night's Dream? For their annual free summer Shakespeare in the park, Classical Actors Ensemble has made this perfectly obvious choice and delivered a charming and playful rendition of this tale of fairies and fools in love. They perform every weekend through mid-July either at Lake of the Isles or various Metro area parks (I caught up with them in Como Park), so be sure to add this to your summer to-do list (see my full summer theater must-see list here). This is how Shakespeare was meant to be seen - playful, immediate, approachable, and accessible to all.

"Richard III" at Theatre in the Round

There's no tale more twisted than that of the English monarchy. Betrayal, murder, illness, disappearances, fierce battles, and marriage between close relatives are common occurrences. King Richard III's brief two-year reign in the late 15th Century was marked by all of the above, and therefore makes for good fodder for historical fiction. I recently read Philippa Gregory's Cousins War series, which was made into the Starz drama The White Queen, and tells Richard's story along with others of that era. One of the things that makes these books so fascinating is that they're told from the very different perspectives of the women in the story, including Richard's sister-in-law Queen Elizabeth, his wife Anne Neville, and the mother of the man who dethroned him, Margaret Beaufort. The first two are also characters in Shakespeare's version of Richard III historical fiction, currently playing at the longest-running Minneapolis theater, Theatre in the Round. I went into the play with all of this background, and therefore unlike a lot of Shakespeare, I was able to follow the many characters and plot twists and quite enjoyed this take on a bizarre and fascinating period of history.

"Pericles" at the Guthrie Theater

The Guthrie's newly inaugurated Artistic Director Joseph Haj makes his directorial debut with Shakespeare's Pericles, remounting a production that has recently played at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and DC's Folger Theatre (with a cast that, for the first time in my memory, is entirely new to the Guthrie). It's a promising debut highlighted by playfulness, inventiveness, and diverse casting. And while I had a bit of a hard time with the play (as I often do the first time I see a Shakespeare play, unless Ten Thousand Things is doing it), I still found it to be an enjoyable experience with excellent performances, innovative set and technical design, and lovely original music. Welcome to Minnesota Joseph Haj, I look forward to what you will do in the future, especially when partnering with our fabulous local talent!

"Henry IV Part I" by Ten Thousand Things at Open Book

Typically, if I heard "Shakespeare's Henry IV Part I," my immediate reaction would be - ugh. Sounds heavy and difficult and confusing and exhausting. But given the Ten Thousand Things treatment, with Michelle Hensley at the helm and an incredibly brilliant cast of eight women, it's anything but. Sure there are still a heck of a lot of characters with weird names, and alliances more difficult to keep straight than the latest season of Survivor, but TTT always breaks things down to get to the truth of the story, characters, and emotions at play. So while maybe I wasn't always clear on who was warring with whom, I was still caught up in the power of the story. And with a cliffhanger ending suitable for any movie franchise, I found myself wondering, when's Part II?

As assistant director Per Janson told us in the traditional pre-show spiel (filling in for Michelle Hensley, who is in San Francisco being named to the YBCA 100, because she's awesome), Henry IV Part I is about King Henry IV of England, who recently took the crown from Richard II. But it's really the story of his son, Prince Hal, and whether he will decide to back his father or join with the rebels who are springing up all over England to remove him from the throne. Michelle notes in the playbill:

The stark choice faced by Prince Hal in this 400-year-old play is actually one still facing many young men today: to become a leader in an often ruthless world of competition, dominance, and conquest - whether in business, politics, sports, or war - or to rebel against it all through a life of thievery, drunkenness, and debauchery. We decided it would be interesting to look at this story through the lens of an all-female cast.

Interesting, indeed. Eight women (some of the Twin Cities' finest actors) play over 20 characters and tell this layered story of conquest, loyalty, rebellion, and the complicated politics of 15th century England. The aforementioned "Ten Thousand Things treatment" means that we watch the play in a small, fully lit room, with minimal sets and costumes, Peter Vitale's evocative and eclectic soundtrack, and none of the usual tricks of the theater to come between cast and audience. We are all a part of this experience, which somehow feels more real and immediate.

I'm not going to bore you with a complicated plot summary, Wikipedia can tell you that. Instead I'll tell you that Michelle Barber reigns over the proceedings as a fierce and indomitable King Henry; recent Ivey-winner Shá Cage is empathetic as the conflicted Prince Hal; Thomasina Petrus is the King's loyal comrade; Anna Sundberg and Austene Van are strong as rebel leaders; Meghan Kreidler, making her TTT debut, plays a number of roles and fits right in with her expressive spirit; George Keller is a very entertaining drunk, among other characters; and Karen Wiese-Thompson is, as always, a comic delight, here as the foolish knight Falstaff, spot-on hilarious in every choice she makes. And may I say, it's such a treat to see these amazingly talented women, without the glamorous make-up, hair, and wardrobe usually associated with the theater, and looking all the more beautiful and strong because of it.

One more thing I need to tell you - there are some really brutal and real-looking fight scenes, sometimes several fights happening at once. It's so real and close that at times I almost feared for the actors' and the audience's safety, except that I know these people are pros. Kudos to fight coach Annie Enneking for her intricate choreography and to the cast for pulling it off.

Go to the Ten Thousand Things website to see a fun and cool trailer for the show and to purchase your tickets. Seating at Open Book is limited so make plans soon!