[NEohioPAL] Berko: Preview: 2014 Stratford Shakespeare Festival's Season for Madness

[Roy Berko]

***********************************

Roy Berko
(Member, American Theatre Critics Association and Cleveland Critics Circle)

The 2014 Stratford Festival's theme is "Madness:  Minds Pushed to the
Edge," and includes more than 150 debates, concerts, workshops, and, of
course, theater, theater, and more theatre.  The play offerings examine the
madness of love, family, power, war, desire and money!

Though the snow and cold weather are still swirling, in some cases due to
the frigid Canadian weather which they graciously share with Americans,
those people up north, also, when spring and summer come, offer wonderful
accommodations, good food, unusual shopping, and theatre, theatre and more
theater, in Stratford, Ontario, Canada.

This season's 12 productions in the Festival's four theatres are:

KING LEAR (May 5-October 10)--In this Shakespeare classic, an aging monarch
resolves to divide his kingdom between this three daughter, with
consequence he little expects.  In the process he discovers the essence of
his own humanity.

CRAZY FOR YOU (April 21-October 12)--The George and Ira Gershwin musical
that gave the world such songs as, "I Got Rhythm," "Nice Work if You Can
Get It," and "Someone to Watch Over Me."

A MIDSUMMER NIGHTS DREAM (May 16-October 11)--Shakespeare's comedy about
Hermia, who elopes with her lover Lysander, and is pursued by a rival
suitor , Demetrius, and jos  spurned admirer, Helena.  It's a tale of
love's giddiest lunacy.

THE BEAUX STATAGEM (JULY 31-OCTOBER 11)--George Farquhar's tale of larcenous
lovers who realize that their hearts might be susceptible to ensnarement.

MAN OF LAMANCHA (May 8-October 11)--"Dream the Impossible Dream" as you are
taken on the mythical journey of Don Quixote in a mythical reenactment of
the Miguel de Cervantes enduring and endearing tale.

ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING-GLASS (April 30-October 12)--Climb through the
living-room mirror with Alice as she enters a world of wonders populated by
"fantastical" characters and dreams of the mind.

HAY FEVER (May 28-October 11)--Noël Coward's  witty tale of a stage star,
novelist husband and two grown children who have each invited guests for
the weekend which results in flirtations and histrionics.  Will they
survive the weekend with their sanity intact?

KING JOHN (May 21-September 20)--Yes, Shakespeare's mad world of mad kings
highlights the inevitable war, excommunications, attempted atrocities,
rebellion and assassination that results when the King of France demands
that King John of England relinquish his crown.

MOTHER COURAGE AND HER CHILDREN (May 15-September 21)--Bertolt Brecht's
compelling tale of what happens when Mother Courage, who sells provisions
to both Protestant and Catholic combatants during the Thirty Years' War,
discovers that the very chaos that sustains her will eventually cost her
everything she holds most dear.

ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA (August 3-September 20)--Reason and judgement prove no
match for the tsunami of mutual passion engulfing Mark Antony and Cleopatra
in Shakespeare's tale of the love that shook the very foundation of the
world.

CHRISTINA, THE GIRL KING (July 29-September 21)--Michel Marc Bouchard's tale
of Queen Christina who seeks to make her country the most sophisticated in
Europe, but her goals put her at odds with her culture's expectations of
her, both as a monarch and as a woman.

 MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, a chamber play (July 11-September 20)--Two couples
become gods, animals, demons, monsters, children, playing things in
Shakespeare's classic masterpiece about our multiple selves and conflicted
identities.

What's the lodging like?  Hotels, motels and bed and breakfasts abound to
fit any wallet.  I like a b & b.  You get to meet new people and there is a
nice friendly feel of being more than a guest.   My favorite is the Avery
House (http://www.averyhouse.com).

Hungry?  For moderate cost and high quality, try The Annex Cafe (38 Albert
Street) and the Stratford Thai Cuisine (82 Wellington Street).

Theater and housing packages can be arranged by www.theatrevacations.com.
Stratford Escapes (theatrevacations.com), is an efficient way to make
reservations.  For individual tickets call 800-567-1600 or go on-line to
http://www.stratfordfestival.ca.

Helpful hints: The ride from Cleveland is about six hours through Buffalo.
Go on-line to the festival for directions.  The routings offered by AAA and
Yahoo maps are confusing and miles longer.  To satisfy border requirements
carry your passport.  Nothing else will do.

Go to Stratford, Canada!  Find out what lovely hosts Canadians are, and see
some great theatre!

*******************************
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.neohiopal.org/pipermail/neohiopal-neohiopal.org/attachments/20140312/a6e63739/attachment.htm>