Lantern Theater
February 6 – March 16, 2014
Directed by Charles McMahon
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Idealism, envy, and power politics collide as the Roman Republic reaches a crisis. Caesar’s political genius, military prowess, and overwhelming popular appeal make him the most powerful leader the Republic has ever known. But his popularity breeds suspicion among his rivals and some fear Caesar’s power will corrode the freedom of the State. Shakespeare’s vision of Rome is both epic and intimate, from powerful speeches in grand public squares to whispered conspiracies in back rooms and dark hallways. There in the shadows, unlikely alliances set up a chain of events that bring down the great Caesar and thrust Rome into a disastrous civil war. Tony Award nominee Forrest McClendon leads an all-Philadelphia cast in Shakespeare’s timeless political thriller, brought to you by “the city’s top presenter of Shakespeare’s work.” (TheaterMania.com)
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA
By William Shakespeare
Edited and Directed by Tarell Alvin McCraney
February 18 – March 23, 2014
In an exciting international collaboration with the Royal Shakespeare Company and GableStage, Miami, The Public welcomes back writer/director Tarell Alvin McCraney (The Brother/Sister Plays) as its new artist in residence with ANTONY & CLEOPATRA. At the fringes of a war-torn empire, a man and a woman have fallen desperately, passionately in love. But for a soldier set to enforce the imperial will and the queen of a people intent on throwing off the yoke of empire, there is no place for personal desire. McCraney creates a stripped down, radical new version of Shakespeare’s gripping story of romance set against a world of imperial politics and power play and transports us to 18th century, sun-soaked Saint-Domingue on the eve of revolution. RSC in America is presented in collaboration with The Ohio State University.
King John
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Tim Carroll
Tom Patterson Theatre
May 21 to September 20
Opens May 28
War is the inevitable result when the King of France demands that John relinquish his crown in favour of his nephew, the young Prince Arthur. Excommunication, attempted atrocity, rebellion and assassination all contribute to a political and personal turmoil that finds devastating expression in an anguished mother’s grief for her son.
The Shakespeare Theatre of NJ
Begins May 28
Directed by Bonnie J. Monte
[button url=”http://www.shakespearenj.org/OnStage/PurchaseTickets.html” target=”blank”]Buy Tickets[/button]Artistic Director Bonnie J. Monte directs The Tempest for the first time since 1991, her inaugural production at The Shakespeare Theatre. Prestigious company veteran Sherman Howard, an actor Ms. Monte describes as “a force of nature in himself,” will portray Prospero, the powerful magician who rules over his enchanted island home.
The Shakespeare Theatre of NJ
Begins October 15
Directed by Paul Mullins
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Longtime company director Paul Mullins returns to direct Shakespeare’s final play, the rarely produced historical epic about the young King Henry and the first two of his six wives.
Begins December 4
Directed by Scott Wentworth
[button url=”http://www.shakespearenj.org/OnStage/PurchaseTickets.html” target=”blank”]Buy Tickets[/button]The 2014 season concludes with the of Shakespeare’s delightful comedy Much Ado About Nothing, which has not been seen at the Theatre in over a decade. Renowned actor and director Scott Wentworth sets the play post-World War II, à la “White Christmas,” and will appear on stage alongside his wife, Marion Adler (last seen in Our Town).