[NEohioPAL] Mistaken Identities and Movie Moguls: Ken Ludwig's "Shakespeare in Hollywood"at CVLT Jan 23 - Feb 8

[Chagrin Valley Little Theatre]

Chagrin Valley Little Theatre • Phone: (440) 247-8955 • Email: 
cvlt at cvlt.org • Website: www.cvlt.org <http://www.cvlt.org/>

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*Mistaken Identities & Movie Moguls: Ken Ludwig's "Shakespeare in 
Hollywood" at CVLT Jan 23 - Feb 8*

CHAGRIN FALLS, OH – Chagrin Valley Little Theatre (CVLT) invites 
audiences to a rollicking, Tinseltown romp with its upcoming production 
of Ken Ludwig’s /Shakespeare in Hollywood/. This award-winning comedy, 
commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company and winner of the Helen 
Hayes Award for Best New Play, brings the "mischievous magic of 
moviedom" to life on the CVLT stage from January 23 through February 8, 
2026.  Performances will be Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30 PM and Sundays 
Feb. 1 & 8 at 2 PM.

It is 1934 and Hollywood is buzzing with the filming of an epic movie 
version of Shakespeare’s /A Midsummer Night’s Dream/. When the legendary 
director Max Reinhardt (played by Michael Rogan) finds himself in a 
bind, Shakespeare’s most famous fairies, Oberon (Stephen Noreck) and 
Puck (Angela Rich), magically materialize on the Warner Bros. lot. 
Instantly smitten by the glitz and glamour of show business, the two are 
ushered onto the silver screen to play themselves, blurring the lines 
between reality and fantasy.

Ludwig's comedy takes its cues from the chaos that plagued Reinhardt's 
real-life movie adaptation. Mickey Rooney, who played Puck, broke his 
leg while tobogganing, requiring the strategic use of foliage and holes 
in the floor to hide his cast. Dick Powell felt miscast as 'Lysander' 
but was refused permission to leave the project, and Olivia de Havilland 
was given her film debut because the original 'Hermia' actress fell 
ill.  Further complicating matters, Max Reinhardt himself had recently 
fled to the US from Austria and only spoke German, directing through an 
interpreter. Upon release, the film suffered a record-setting 2,971 
cinema cancellations due to bungled booking procedures and was 
ultimately banned in Nazi Germany because the director and soundtrack 
composers were Jewish.

CVLT's stage production, directed by Martin Friedman and produced by 
Cindee Catalano and Nancy Rogoff, sets Ludwig's hilarious whirlwind of 
mistaken identities and theatrical chaos against this historical 
backdrop. With the help of a feisty magical flower, blonde bombshells 
and movie moguls are tossed into loopy love triangles with raucous results.

The production features a vibrant cast of classic Hollywood 
personalities, including Chris DiMichele as the iconic movie mogul Jack 
Warner, Carsyn Avegno as his "yes-man" Daryl, Amara Alberto as the 
ambitious starlet Lydia Lansing, Jackie Hufstetler as Olivia Darnell, 
Valerie Doersen in the dual roles of gossip columnist Louella Parsons 
and star Jimmy Cagney, Bradford Eason and Bryan Rowe as actors Dick 
Powell and Joe E. Brown, and Kevin Derrick as the legendary censor Will 
Hays.

The creative team bringing the Golden Age of Hollywood to the stage 
includes Stage Manager Emily Lynch, Costumer Marina Arko, Set Designer 
Mark Kobak, Light Designer Marcus Dana, and Sound Designer Steve M. Savanyu.

TICKETS: $24 general admission, $21 seniors, students, military. Group 
discounts available. Tickets are on sale at CVLT.org or by phone at 
(440) 247-8955 (Tuesday-Friday, 1-6 PM). The Box Office opens two hours 
before all performances. Early arrival is recommended. Questions?  Email 
BoxOffice at CVLT.org

Don’t miss this "fast, funny, entertaining night" that left critics at 
The Wall Street Journal "smiling... all the way home". /Shakespeare in 
Hollywood/ is a dazzling comedy that pays a loving homage to both the 
Bard and the Golden Age of cinema.

“Ken Ludwig’s Shakespeare in Hollywood” is presented by arrangement with 
Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. 
www.concordtheatricals.com <http://www.concordtheatricals.com/>

ABOUT CHAGRIN VALLEY LITTLE THEATRE:

Chagrin Valley Little Theatre, now in its 96th Season, is a 501(c)(3) 
nonprofit funded through individual and corporate contributions. Our 
programming is made possible in part by the citizens of Cuyahoga County 
through Cuyahoga County Arts and Culture and by state tax dollars 
allocated by the Ohio Legislature to the Ohio Arts Council (OAC). The 
OAC is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences 
to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally, and economically.
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