Shakespeare in the park is afoot, with 'The Tempest' in West Park and 'The Winter's Tale' in the Arb
Summer’s here and the time is right—for Shakespeare in the park! This week, two Shakespeare productions premiere in two separate open-air venues, and they are as different as they can be.
Shakespeare West’s four-actor version of “The Tempest” in the West Park bandshell will likely live up to the company’s reputation for “daredevil theater,” while Shakespeare in the Arb is a time-tested favorite, with its more classical version of “The Winter’s Tale.”
So, pack up your blanket and bug spray and head out for a unique experience under the stars, or come in from the heat and cool off at one of these other fine venues. There’s no shortage of great theater offerings this week!
Theater listings for the week of May 23 - May 29
Show: "Music Make Me...Do the Things I Never Should Do!" a one time event, Saturday June 11, 8 p.m.
Company: The Choral Connection
Type of Company: Song-and-dance troupe
Recommended ages: 10+
Description: This two-part musical celebration features familiar favorites along with quirky gems, celebrating all things "musical, edible, and occasionally regrettable." This mash-up offers numbers that are funky, familiar and fun, and tunes that are offbeat, original, and over-the-top. After the stage show, the entertainment moves to the lobby for the sounds of The Saline Big Band.
Preview from AnnArbor.com
Fun fact: Over the past 17 years, The Choral Connection has given over 100 performances at special events in more than 45 venues in Southeast Michigan.
For tickets and information: www.brownpapertickets.com, 1-800-838-3006, 734-944-7729, www.choralconnection.org
Show: “The Winter's Tale” by William Shakespeare, through June 26
Company: Shakespeare in the Arb
Type of Company: Pre-professional
Recommended ages: 10+
Description: One of Shakespeare's late romances, "The Winter's Tale" concerns the jealousy of King Leontes, and how the actions he has taken are reversed by the passing of time. The first acts are dramatic and the next are comic and romantic, leading to a hopeful ending. This production features English court and country dancing and Elizabethan period music.
Preview from AnnArbor.com
Fun Fact: Different scenes in the play move to different locations in the Arboretum so guests are encouraged to bring a blanket or folding chair that is easy to carry. Bug spray and bottled water are also recommended.
For tickets and information: Tickets are only sold the evening of the performance - at 5 pm for members of Nichols Arboretum and at 5:30 for others.
Show: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Music & Lyrics by William Finn, Book by Rachel Sheinkin, Conceived by Rebecca Feldman, through June 11
Company: EMU Theatre
Type of Company: Higher education
Recommended ages: Ages 13+
Description: Winner of the 2005 Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical, this is a witty foray into the lives of 6 kids caught in the clutches of puberty and clinging to the outskirts of popular society. Spelling bee entrants include last year’s winner, Chip Tolentino whose body has a mind of its own, the youngest contestant Logainne Schwartzandgrubinniere, the much maligned William Barfée, clueless but charming Leaf Coneybear, over-achiever Marcy Park, and last minute entry Olive Ostrovsky.
Fun fact: The musical was based upon C-R-E-P-U-S-C-U-L-E, an original improvisational play created by Rebecca Feldman and performed by New-York-based comedy troupe The Farm. Wendy Wasserstein's weekend nanny, Sarah Saltzberg, was in the original production, and Wasserstein recommended that Bill Finn see the show. Finn took the show to Broadway, working with Rachel Sheinkin and Feldman to transform the piece into a full-length musical.
For tickets and information: 734-487-2282, www.emutix.com
Special ticket offers: Print out this article and bring it to the Quirk Box Office to purchase a $15 regular admission for only $7!
Show: Miss Saigon, music by Claude-Michel Schonberg, lyrics by Alain Boubil and Richard Maltby Jr., book by laude-Michel Schonberg and Alain Boubil, through June 12
Company: Ann Arbor Civic Theatre
Type of company: Community theater
Recommended ages: 13+
Description: East collides with West in this musical set in Vietnam near the end of the war. Kim, an impoverished Vietnamese showgirl, and Chris, an American GI, fall desperately in love, amid the chaos and depravity of Saigon. They struggle to find a way to stay together as their world collapses. Infused with haunting, pop-inflected music, this daring musical became an instant classic.
Fun fact: While most productions of "Miss Saigon" feature some semblance of a helicopter, this production features a 3-D helicopter that "flies."
For tickets and information: http://www.a2ct.org/, 734-971-2228.
Jamie Weeder as Ariel and Barton Bund as Prospero in "The Tempest."
Photo by Carla Angeloni | Courtesy of the Blackbird Theatre
Name of company: The Blackbird Theatre
Type of company: Professional Non-Equity
Recommended ages: 13+
Description: Four actors play eighteen roles in Shakespeare’s final masterpiece. Set on a remote island, Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place on the throne. Using his special brand of magic, he conjures up a tempest to shipwreck his usurping brother Antonio, Alonso, King of Naples, and others of their court, with the help of his spritely assistant Ariel, and slave beast Caliban. Romance, magic, mayhem and some of the Bard’s greatest poetry ensues.
Fun facts: This is the first production of the Blackbird Theatre's Shakespeare West, a summer-long outdoor theatre festival. The series takes place at the newly refurbished West Park bandshell.
For tickets: 734-332 3848, www.blackbirdtheatre.org
Show: “Next Fall” by Geoffrey Nauffts, through July 3
Company: Performance Network Theatre
Type of company: Equity SPT
Recommended ages: 17 +
Description: Adam and Luke are in love. But that doesn’t stop them from being constantly at odds over their religious beliefs. Adam doesn't understand how Luke, a devout Christian closeted to his family, can pray to the same God that is supposed to condemn him. At the same time, Luke agonizes that his atheist partner will go to hell. When Luke lands in a coma after a life-threatening accident, everything comes to a head in the hospital waiting room as family and friends meet for the first time.
Preview from AnnArbor.com
Fun fact: June is LGBT pride month and numerous pride celebrations are taking place all over the state. For a full history of the pride festival in Michigan visit www.pridesource.com/gallery.html?article=47350
For tickets and information: 734-663-0696, www.performancenetwork.org/
*Did you know that...?: Works are in the public domain if they are not covered by intellectual property rights or if the intellectual property rights have expired. Examples include the English language, the formulae of Newtonian physics, and the works of William Shakespeare.