The Globe Theatre U.S. Tour Hamlet

The recreation of the Globe Theatre in London has led to some very dynamic productions of William Shakespeare's plays.   Using elements of original staging practices including a small company of actors that play multiple parts, brisk pacing and leaving the lights on so that a more intimate relationship exists between the audience and the actors, the Globe Theatre's touring production of Hamlet is now making several appearances in the United States.

This energetic company of eight actors presents Hamlet in a very brisk two and half hours.  The language and story are clearly spoken and very accessible.   Although some of the doubling can lead to confusion when an actor quickly grabs a costume piece or prop and instantly becomes another character, this is a rousing production that does not find all of the nuances of Shakespeare's great revenge tragedy.   The tour began in the Elizabethan theater at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC.  This theater has hosted professional classical theater for decades, but it was a nice change to see the Elizabethan theater's stage stripped bare exposing the natural lines of the balcony and posts that designers seem so eager to mask with contemporary design flair.   That is not to say that the Globe Theatre's production does not have a set.   It does, but it is an unobtrusive one that must by the nature of touring be flexible and portable.   A simple wall with hooks for costume changes and seats for when the actors double as musicians and sound effects artists is coupled with curtains strung up with ropes across the stage.   Simple scene changes are mostly unnoticeable with one glaring exception when the removal of a graveyard completely distracts from the scene played upon the balcony above the stage.

The company of eight are clearly well trained in classical renaissance theatre as one would expect.  Yet, the fast pace hinders some of the performances.   In particular, Michael Benz in the title role, does not show true depth in Hamlet's supposed madness, doubting nature or revenge until well into the second half of the performance after he kills Polonius (the appropriately buffoonish Christopher Saul).   Miranda Foster and Dickon Tyrrell as Gertrude and Claudius are appropriately regal and the decision to have them double as the Player King and Queen turns out to be masterful.   Carlyss Peer embraces the recent trend of making Ophelia's madness the embodiment of angry grief rather than anguish.   The rest of the company in their myriad roles are delightful, yet the limitations of only using eight actors means that the subtitles of in-depth performance are not always there.

This is a rare opportunity to see members of the Globe Theatre company on this side of the pond.  If you have the means to see this production make sure that you do so.

The Globe Theatre's touring production of Hamlet played the Folger Shakespeare Library's Elizabethan Theatre from September 8-22, 2012.   For additional tour dates and other performance information please visit www.shakespearesglobe.com/theatre/on-tour/Hamlet and click on the links to the venues on the right side of the web page.

Chaplin: The Musical at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre

Charlie Chaplin certainly lived a life that would seem a natural one to be dramatized as a musical.  Born in London in poverty, the son of a mentally ill music hall singer and an absent alcoholic father, his rise to stardom as the brilliant comedian and star of the silent screen is the classic rags to riches storyline.   Mr. Chaplin's complex personal life and the political beliefs which led to his exile from the United States during the height of the Red Scare is reminiscent of the classical tragic hero brought to ruin by his character flaws.  At the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, Chaplin: The Musical tries to channel both scenarios and therein lies its own flaws.   For despite the marvelous performance of Rob McClure in the title role Chaplin: The Musical is suffering from an identity crisis.

In many ways the first act of the play brings memories of another fanciful biographical musical, Barnum.   The audience is greeted with a film projection of the famous Little Tramp which seques into our hero balancing upon a tightrope high above the stage.   Designed to resemble the films of the silent era with a color scheme of black, white and gray that includes the set design of Beowulf Boritt, the costumes designed by Amy Clark and Martin Pakledinaz and even the make-up designed by Angelina Avallone the audience is immersed into a well-thought out iconic look that is nostalgic of the time.    The first act tracks Charlie Chaplin's rise to fame framed in several scenes as if his life were a film.   One of the frustrating parts of this production is that using film clapperboards to announce the scenes is only used sporadically which unfortunately foreshadows the inconsistant style of this well-meaning show.

There are several excellent performances in this first half of the tale of Chaplin's life.  Christiane Noll is poignant as Charlie's melancholy mother, Hannah and her performance has an appropriate haunting quality.  Zachary Unger has grave presence for one so young in his dual roles as the Young Charlie and  Charlie's famous child co-star Jackie Coogan.   Wayne Alan Wilcox as Charlie's older brother Sydney Chaplin is the rock steady support for his talented and reckless brother.  Michael McCormack gives us a glimpse of the filmmaking on a shoe-string budget that was Keystone Pictures as the impressario Mack Sennett.   The audience is charmed as we witness the birth of the Little Tramp and the immense popularity of one of Hollywood's most famous early stars.

Yet, act two, which covers the downfall of Charlie Chaplin caused by both his womanizing with women, and let's face it teenage girls, as well as his sympathy for socialist and communist causes that led to the revoking of his visa in 1952 seems like a completely different play.  The play runs a brisk two hours and fifteen minutes plus intermission and yet act two feels bogged down by sluggish pacing. The tone is naturally more somber, yet Christopher Curtis and Thomas Meehan's book feels slight to the potentially rich material.   The age of Chaplin's first wife is fleetingly mentioned (seventeen when she met him), and his first three marriages are treated with as little care as the boxing match that represents the financial support that the three women received upon their divorces.   Mr. Chaplin is depicted as longing to be a father, yet the musical implies that he only had children with his fourth and final wife, Oona O'Neill, which is fine for an artistic choice but is not reality.

Similarly the crusade of gossip columnist Hedda Hopper, played with scene stealing verve by  Jenn Colella, is made to seem the petty revenge of someone angry that the great star Charlie Chaplin won't consent to appear on her radio program.   Hedda is given a tantalizing motivation when she says of the Hitler-spoofing film The Great Dictator that she wonders about the reaction to the film by the good German people.   This is a very provocative statement implying that Ms. Hopper might have fascist sympathies but it is a mere throw-a-way line.   The late in act two romance of Charlie and the charming Erin Mackay as Charlie's fourth wife, Oona O'Neill feels like a brief respite from the drive to hit all the biographical points so that we can reach the drama of Charlie's late in life redemption.

This is not to say that the musical is not worth the price of admission.   Seeing Rob McClure in the title role is reason enough to see this ambitious, flawed musical.  Mr. McClure has spark and charisma and when he transforms himself into the iconic Little Tramp it is a moment that well deserves any applause that it might gain from the audience.   The title role is a physically demanding one and Mr. McClure has gamely mastered the staging challenges of his director and choreographer Warren Carlyle.   Whether recreating scenes from Chaplin's films, balancing on a high wire or tap dancing on roller skates, Mr. McClure is definitely a star actor on the verge of Broadway success.

Chaplin: The Musical is being performed on Broadway at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre.  For tickets and other performance information please visit www.chaplinbroadway.com or telecharge.com.

Red Hot Patriot : The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins at Arena Stage

What is it about liberal Texas political women that makes such entertaining theater?  Last season we were treated to Holland Taylor as Texas Governor Ann Richards at the Kennedy Center.   This season we have Kathleen Turner as the firebrand columnist Molly Ivins in Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins at Arena Stage.   The latter play does invite brief comparison to the earlier work.   Both are one-woman shows about strong very political women who left behind a wealth of insightful commentary on the challenges of becoming a powerful woman in their respective fields coming into their own by breaking barriers in their fields.   Both subjects call Texas the home of their heart and soul.   And both women are unabashed liberal Democrats.

What sets Red Hot Patriot apart is that Molly Ivins was not a politician, she was a journalist.   In fact the play is written by two journalists, Margaret and Allison Engel who in an interview with Arena Stage's Literary Manager in the program attest to their admiration for not only Ms. Ivins' skills and humor as a reporter, but their strong belieft that following her death in 2007 from cancer that they needed to create a one-woman play that would celebrate her eclectic life showcasing not only the ground-breaking journalist but the prolific writer and commentator of forty years of American political life.

Kathleen Turner proves a perfect choice to theatrically honor Molly Ivins. The small Kogod Cradle is the perfect setting for this show.   In a larger setting the intimacy that Ms. Turner creates with her audience would be swallowed up.   It is essential that Ms. Turner be able to engage with her audiences and she does so in with Texas charm edged with piss and vinegar.   Ms. Turner is delivering a vibrant performance that is a testament to no only her abilities as an actress, but the respect and love for Molly Ivins and the material the playwrights have crafted.   It is not a perfect show, but in this political town, Red Hot Patriot is the perfect way to laugh heartily at the political scene rather than rant about it, even if for a brief 80 minutes of theater.   And to ponder, as one leaves the theater, what would Molly say about it all now.

Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins will be performed in the Kogod Cradle at Arena Stage's Mead Center for American Theatre through October 28, 2012.  For tickets and other performance information please visit www.arenastage.org.

Peter and the Starcatcher at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre

The boy who never grew up.  Pirates, fairies, mermaids.  Second star to the right and straight on to morning.   All familiar to anyone who has cherished the play and novels about Peter Pan written more than one hundred years ago by J.M. Barrie and the various theatrical and film adaptations that have followed.   Yet, what fun it was for Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson to reimagine the tale of how that ever youthful callow lad became Peter Pan in their 2004 novel Peter and the Starcatchers.   Now an adaptation of that novel has been lovingly crafted by playwright Rick Elice, directors Roger Rees and Alex Timbers and the Tony award winning designers of Peter and The Starcatcher now on stage in New York at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. 

Unlike other fantasies that have graced the Broadway stage, Peter and the Starcatcher relies on the appearance of a low budget staging. The setting uses colorful backdrops and the use of  found props to create intimate scenes or clever representations of native wildlife.   Add the seemingly well-worn Victorian-style costumes and the musical score by Wayne Barker and this scant company of twelve actors create such magic on the stage that the most cynical adult will by the end believe in the power of star stuff and the legend of the founding of Neverland.

In J.M. Barrie's 1902 novel, The Little White Bird, later republished in 1906 as Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, Peter Pan is described as a newborn who escaped his nursery window. In later adaptations he ran away because he heard his parents discussing his future adult life.   In Peter and the Starcatcher he is an abandoned orphan who is sold along with two other boys to Captain Slank of the ship Neverland to be delivered to the country of Rundoon.  Captain Slank is delivering one of two identical trunks belonging to Lord Aster.  Aster is traveling on the other ship, the Wasp under Captain Scott.   Slank marks one of the trunks and switches it so that he can possess its valuable cargo of star stuff.   Lord Astor sends his daughter Molly and her nurse Mrs. Bumbrake on the slower Neverland ship while he travels with the faster Wasp so that he can destroy the star stuff before it falls into evil hands.  

The trunks are switched and the Neverland is taken over by pirates led by the great and terrible Black Stache.   The clever and adventurous Molly joins forces with Peter and the orphans, a storm shipwrecks the Neverland and the star stuff begins to change the island they find themselves on in strange and mysterious ways.   Before the tale ends we will see the origins of many familiar characters and places in J.M. Barrie's fantasy world.

Peter and the Starcatcher deservedly earned its Tony wins for its amazing design elements.  The actors are a joy to watch as they spin the tale keeping the audience, which frequently includes small children, engaged throughout its brisk running time.  While Tony winner Christian Borle has left the show, Matthew Saldivar has capably taken up the mantle of the scenery chewing (in a good way) Black Stache.   A complete blowhard who does maintain an undercurrent of menace, Mr. Saldivar clearly is having as good a time performing the role as the audience is delighting in his performance.

Arnie Burton is delightful as Molly's nurse, Mrs. Bumbrake giving her just the right amount of saucy bravado mixed with Victorian sensibility.   Teddy Bergman fiercely defends his island home from contamination by the English as Fighting Prawn the chief of the island.   Rick Holmes has the right stiff upper lip as Lord Aster and Kevin Del Aguila the perfect slimy sidekick as the pirate Smee.   Adam Chanler-Berat as the Boy who becomes our hero creates pathos for the abused orphan and the gradual transformation from despairing lad to the future thorn in Captain Hook's side is delightful to watch as he is guided on his journey by his fateful encounter with Lord Aster's spunky daughter, Molly.

For Molly is the true heart of this play.  In the hands of Tony nominee Celia Keenan-Bolger, Molly Astor is full of spit and vinegar.  She yearns for adventure hoping beyond hope to earn her father's approval, yet rebelling from the strictures of Victorian girlhood.  Ms. Keenan-Bolger's Molly is on the cusp of blossoming womanhood yet has the gentle awkwardness of girls and boys of her age.   Comparisons to Barrie's Wendy are obvious, yet Molly is more than the mother that Peter and the other orphans lack.  She is their feisty equal.

If there is a flaw with the play it is minor.  There are several contemporary pop culture jokes.  While this does mean that they can be updated as needed, unlike a film adaptation where such additions would become quickly stale, they do detract from the universality of the story.

Peter and The Starcatcher is being performed at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre in New York City.  For tickets and other performance information please visit www.peterandthestarcatcher.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas at Signature Theatre in Virginia

In the spirit of the rousing production of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas now being performed at Arlington, Virginia's Signature Theatre, this here review would develop a Texas twang thicker than a Longhorn's prime rib.   For a good time, come on down to the Chicken Ranch.   Just leave the kiddies at home.  Not for nothing is Signature Theatre emphasizing the word Whorehouse in all of its advertising.

This is a well crafted revival of this late 1970's crowd-pleaser   The dancers heartily stomp Karma Camp's choreography.  The deep bordello red of Collin Ranney's set perfectly frames the story.  Kathleen Geldard's fanciful costumes evoke a storytelling quality, from the stereotypical cowboy fringe of Melvin P. Thorpe and his Dogettes, to the sensuous lingerie and fall away prom gowns worn by Miss Mona's girls.  Eric Schaeffer who shapes both the high comedy and the deep melodrama of this musical has thoughtfully directed the entire production. 

 If there is any flaw in this musical it comes from the play itself, only briefly hinting on the dark side of prostitution lest it interfere with the overall message of an intolerant minority shutting down a local institution, no matter how possibly troubling said institution may actually be.  That and a change in tone in the second act which leads to an ending that peters out rather than going out with a bang.

For this is the tale of the Chicken Ranch.  A wholesome house of I'll repute operating in Texas for more than a century.  The owner, Miss Mona Stangley gives generously to local causes and hosts the annual end of season reward for the Texas A & M Aggies football team.   When local radio personality and self appointed morality police Melvin P. Thorpe decides to crusade against the Chicken Ranch the local and state politicians are forced to stop patronizing the Chicken Ranch and close it down.

Christopher Bloch makes a terrific villain as Melvin P. Thorpe, embracing his single minded crusade whilst wearing a completely ridiculous ensemble.   Tracy Lynn Olivera brings a weary wisdom as the long suffering waitress Doatsy Mae slinging hash and zingers and singing well the song that shares her name.  Nova Y. Payton's Jewel raises the roof in Twenty Four Hours of Lovin'.  It is a shame that she only has the one solo, but as has been mentioned in other reviews she is slated to portray Effie in the upcoming production of Dreamgirls to which we all look forward to with excitement. Thomas Adrian Simpson's Sheriff Ed Earl Dodd may not be the hero that Miss Mona requires but he still comes across as a decent man forced to follow the letter of the law rather than do what he feels is right.

Second in importance only to Miss Mona herself are the talented young men and women who make up Miss Mona's Girls, The Doggettes and The Aggie Boys.  Signature Theatre has managed to find an incredibly talented ensemble of singers and dancers who raise the roof off of The Max stage.  The ensemble includes the choreographer’s daughter Brianne Camp who is also credited as Associate Choreographer.

As for the proprietor of the Chicken Ranch, Miss Mona Stangley?  The amazing Sherri L. Edelen brings her to vivid life.  Ms. Edelen is the fierce mother hen, protector of her girls and upholder of her standards.  She fights hard for her girls and her business, while holding a torch for the Sheriff.  She'll bring you joy in A Lil' Ole Bitty Country Place and a few tears in Bus From Amarillo.  Mostly she'll turn on the charm so that you just might want to extend your stay in The Best Little Whorehouse a little while longer.

The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas will be performed in The Max theater at Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia through October 7, 2012.  For tickets and other performance information please visit www.signature-theatre.org.

The Merchant of Venice at the American Shakespeare Center

The true genius in the best of William Shakespeare's plays is his ability to challenge the audience's expectations.   The prejudices of the sixteenth century are ever present, but the stereotypes are frequently deepened.    And thus it is with The Merchant of Venice which features as its villain the usurious Jewish moneylender, Shylock.   In the brilliant "I am a Jew" speech and the despairing rant over his daughter's betrayal, Shakespeare gives Shylock a more rounded character that helps transcend the stereotype of the money-grubbing man seeking revenge.   Add to that the rich characterization provided by an actor at the top of his game and you have a compelling reason to journey to the Shenandoah Valley to seek out the high qualities of this production presented by the American Shakespeare Center.

The melancholy merchant of the title, Antonio (Rene Thornton, Jr.) agrees to help fund his best friend Bassanio's (Gregory Jon Phelps) attempt to win the wealthy heiress of Belmont Portia's (Tracie Thomason) hand in marriage.  Antonio's own money is unavailable as his merchant ships are at sea.  He agrees to borrow the money from Shylock (James Keegan), a wealthy Jewish moneylender.  Shylock, who has been harassed and suffered humiliation at the hand of Antonio and the other Christian merchants of Venice agrees to lend the money on one condition.  If Antonio does not meet the deadline for repaying the loan, he must forfeit one pound of his flesh.  Antonio agrees as he does not believe that he will have any trouble repaying the funds. Bassanio travels to Belmont where Portia is restricted by the terms of her father's will in how she chooses a husband.   Any suitor must select from three caskets, gold, silver, and lead.   If they choose correctly they will marry Portia.  If not, they cannot marry any other woman.  Meanwhile, Shylock's daughter, Jessica (Abbi Hawk) elopes with the Christian Lorenzo (Chris Johnston), taking with her a small fortune.   This additional betrayal hardens Shylock's heart, so when Antonio's ships fail to come in and he must forfeit on the loan, his life is in danger.   In the midst of happy marriages, the unhappy trial for Antonio's life looms large.   Judgments will be made with the aid of a surprising scholar of the law.

This is a play that can challenge the 21st century audience.  For not only does it feature as its villain a Jewish character bent on revenge for the wrongs that the Christian merchant of the title has done unto him, it also features uncomfortable behavior by the majority Christian characters towards the Jewish and African ones. The American Shakespeare Center has not excised the more uncomfortable language spoken by the heroes and heroines of the play.   Under the direction of Artistic Director Jim Warren, the language is not emphasized, but is matter-of-factly delivered.  Thus when Portia proclaims that she hopes not only that the Prince of Morocco fail in his attempt to marry her, but "let all of his complexion choose me so," she is declaring that she hopes that anyone of African descent not win her.  Yet, she delivers it not with malice, but as if it were the most natural thing for her character to say.  It is a credit to Ms. Thomason that she keeps Portia's attitude light and merry throughout the discussions of her various suitors.

For Ms. Thomason is a delightful, playful Portia.  The Blackfriars' stage encourages audience interaction.  In the scene in which Portia and her gentlewoman, Nerissa (Allison Glenzer) discuss the various suitors who have failed in their quest to marry her, Ms. Thomason and Ms Glenzer have a great deal of fun choosing audience members to illustrate their playful banter.  Ms. Thomason's Portia has mirth-filled charm throughout Portia's journey from object of love to deliverer of justice.

Ronald Peet and Chris Johnston bring comic delight to the roles of Portia's suitors, the Princes of Morocco and Arragon.   Mr. Peet seems to be channeling a little bit of Geoffrey Holder (cola nut, un-cola nut) and Mr. Johnston seems to have taken the brilliant costuming of designer Jenny McNee with zest and has managed to create the embodiment of farce.

Rene Thornton, Jr. has a quiet strength as the melancholy Antonio, the truest friend to Bassanio despite his lack of ready cash and has poignant quiet resolve at his trial where he is willing to accept his fate.   Yet, there is also the layer of menace in his contempt for Shylock and when Antonio determines the final penalty of the trial, the electricity within that scene among the leading participants of Portia, Antonio and Shylock leaves the audience breathless, riveted and ultimately unnerved by the proceedings.

To achieve that outcome, it is on the shoulders of the outstanding performance of James Keegan as Shylock.   Shylock is not an easy character.  With the modern mindset it is easy to play up the discrimination towards the character playing Shylock more as victim and less as the villain that Shakespeare wrote.   Make no mistake, Shylock is the villain of the play.  Yet, Mr. Keegan shades his performance with steely nerve as he subjects himself to Christian ridicule and with pure heartbreak at his daughter's betrayal.   The speech which Shylock gives seeming to be more upset by the loss of his money and jewels instead of his daughter comes across as the agony of a father knowing that his daughter's choice to abandon her faith means the end of their relationship.   During the trial you witness the release of the weight of all of the wrongs Shylock has suffered.   While you cannot wish for Shylock to exact his bloody revenge on Antonio you do understand his desire for it and that is the brilliance of Mr. Keegan's performance.   The uneasy end to the trial and the silent reaction of the audience would not be possible without Mr. Keegan's riveting performance.

William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice is being performed in repertory with The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Cymbeline, King John and James Goldman's The Lion in Winter through November 23, 2012.   For tickets and other performance information please visit www.americanshakespearecenter.com

The Two Gentlemen of Verona at the American Shakespeare Center

"Love is your master, for he masters you;"

The American Shakespeare Center tackles one of William Shakespeare's earliest plays with a high-energy romp through The Two Gentlemen of Verona.  While other Shakespearean plays have the reputation of being problem plays, The Two Gentlemen of Verona contains what is probably one of the greatest jerks to appear on the Elizabethan stage.  Yet, in this production, under the skillful direction of Ralph Alan Cohen, the ensemble deftly navigates the trickier aspects of the story creating an almost satisfying happy ending.

The two gentlemen in question are best friends Proteus (Gregory Jon Phelps) and Valentine (Grant Davis).  Valentine is leaving for the court of the Duke of Milan (John Harrell).  Proteus stays behind unwilling to leave his love Julia (Tracie Thomason).  Proteus' father Antonio (James Keegan) sends his son to Milan where he is reunited with Valentine, now head over heels in love with the Duke's daughter Sylvia (Abbi Hawk).  Proteus instantly falls in love with Sylvia and plots to win her from Valentine at any cost.   Add into the mix clownish servants, a band of merry outlaws, Julia disguised as a boy,a dog and many strange and silly episodes later the lovers are eventually reunited and we come to an slightly awkward happy ending.

The American Shakespeare Center has assembled a group of actors for its summer and fall season that are of excellent quality.   Many old favorites return and are joined by a few newcomers and others who return to the company after a few seasons absence.   Benjamin Curns and Alison Glenzer are merry and delightful as the two clowns Launce and Speed.  Ms. Glenzer in particular is crisp of tongue rapidly delivering Speed's humorous quips.   Mr. Curns manages to elude the axiom that one should not perform with children or animals by delivering a wonderful comedic performance while sharing the stage with the special guest stars who are portraying Launce's dog, Crab.

The American Shakespeare Center is partnering with Augusta Dog Adoptions for the run of The Two Gentlemen of Verona.  Each week a different dog available for adoption is portraying Crab. The American Shakespeare Center should be lauded for providing a platform and assisting homeless dogs in finding their forever homes.   Audience members are introduced at the beginning of the show to the featured dog and instructed to visit the box office to find out how to adopt the guest star or other dogs.   Bravo.

Returning to the human stars of the show, Abbi Hawk is regal as Sylvia the object of both Proteus and Valentine's ardent desire.  Tracie Thomason makes Julia a petulant lover at the beginning of the play who grows into heartbreak as she witnesses Proteus' betrayal of her constant heart.   Grant Davis plays well the heroic Valentine suffering through the obstacles his best friend places in the way of true love.

It was wise to place the troubling Proteus into the hands of company veteran Gregory Jon Phelps.  Proteus is an absolute jerk and the audience let Mr. Phelps know their feelings loudly as he first became the ardent suitor of Julia and then the wicked betrayer of Valentine and Sylvia.  The ending of the play is problematic as Proteus physically attacks Sylvia before realizing how far he has sunk from the bounds of decency.  Yet, Mr. Phelps wins back the audience by showing true remorse in that troubling scene.   While we may not accept Proteus' easy reconciliation with Julia, Mr. Phelps makes the audience believe that Proteus may yet earn that redemption.

The Two Gentlemen of Verona is being performed as part of The American Shakespeare Center's summer season through November 23, 2012, along with William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice and James Goldman's The Lion in Winter.   These plays will be joined in the fall by William Shakespeare's Cymbeline and King John.   For tickets and other performance information please visit www.americanshakespearecenter.com.

For information on Augusta Dog Adoptions and the guest stars appearing as Crab please visit www.augustadogadoptions.org.