<div dir="ltr"><br><span style="color:rgb(0,255,255)">•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••</span><br><br>Roy Berko<br>(Member, American Theatre Critics Association and Cleveland Critics Circle)<br><br>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!<br><br>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.<br><br>This season’s 12 productions in the Festival’s four theatres are:<br> <br>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.<br><br>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.”<br><br>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. <br><br>THE BEAUX STATAGEM (JULY
31-OCTOBER 11)—George Farquhar’s tale of larcenous lovers who realize
that their hearts might be susceptible to ensnarement. <br><br>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.<br><br>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.<br><br>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?<br><br>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.<br><br>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.<br><br>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.<br><br>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.<br><br> 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.<br><br>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 (<a href="http://www.averyhouse.com">http://www.averyhouse.com</a>).<br><br>Hungry? For moderate
cost and high quality, try The Annex Cafe (38 Albert Street) and the
Stratford Thai Cuisine (82 Wellington Street).<br><br>Theater and
housing packages can be arranged by <a href="http://www.theatrevacations.com">www.theatrevacations.com</a>.
Stratford Escapes (<a href="http://theatrevacations.com">theatrevacations.com</a>), is an efficient way to make
reservations. For individual tickets call 800-567-1600 or go on-line to
<a href="http://www.stratfordfestival.ca">http://www.stratfordfestival.ca</a>.<br><br>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.<br><br>Go to Stratford, Canada! Find out what lovely hosts Canadians are, and see some great theatre!<br><br><span style="color:rgb(0,255,255)">•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••</span><br>
<br><br></div>