Slept-On Shakespeare

Ol’ Willie Shakespeare wrote many a play, but the usual roster of performances can be whittled down to a top five list: Hamlet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, and Macbeth. Toss in King Lear and perhaps The Tempest for bonus plays. For some reason (obscurity? lack of interest? cowardly playhouses?), many of the Bard’s other works get overlooked when it comes time to stage ye olde Shakespeare festival. And some of the most oft overlooked are utterly amazing works of stagecraft. Take Cymbeline, a tragicomedy that seldom gets the credit (or attendance) it deserves.

Cymbeline is as chock full of drama, adultery, and betrayal as any of Shakespeare’s more popular masterpieces. All praise to the brave actors of New Theatre for their courage and fortitude in bringing it to the local stage. To kick off its Shakespeare & Friends Festival, the acclaimed troupe has been putting on the rarely performed play for the masses since June 7, and the final performance is today at 1:00 p.m.
Sun., July 1