Lantern Theater
February 6 – March 16, 2014
Directed by Charles McMahon
[button url=”https://www.lanterntheater.org/tickets/tix3CAE.html” target=”blank”]Buy Tickets[/button]
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)
Chicago Shakespeare Festival
February 6 – March 23, 2014
Directed by: Gary Griffin
[button url=”http://www.chicagoshakes.com/plays_and_events/gypsy” target=”blank”]Buy Tickets[/button]
Boasting one show-stopping song after another—like “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” and “Let Me Entertain You”—this classic musical is inspired by memoirs of the burlesque dancer Gypsy Rose Lee; and it marks Associate Artistic Director Gary Griffin’s continued exploration of the Sondheim canon. Tony Award® nominee Louise Pitre makes her Chicago Shakespeare debut as Rose, the most infamous of all stage mothers. Pitre’s career highlights include many critically acclaimed performances in the theater, on television and concert stages across North America and Europe. Gypsy, a jewel of the American musical theater, has been described by The New York Times critic Frank Rich as “Broadway’s own brassy, unlikely answer to King Lear.”
Chicago Shakespeare Festival
February 22 – March 22, 2014
Director: David H. Bell
[button url=”http://www.chicagoshakes.com/plays_and_events/ssdream#sthash.nYv8mFRx.dpuf” target=”blank”]Buy Tickets[/button]
A magical forest filled with a host of some of Shakespeare’s most comedic characters make A Midsummer Night’s Dream one of his most popular plays. CST’s 75-minute abridged Short Shakespeare! production serves as an ideal introduction to the Bard—for audiences of all ages. When lovers cross with mischievous sprites in an enchanted forest, a series of mishaps occur and nothing is what it seems. Add to the mix a bevy of fumbling actors and chaos breaks loose until dawn breaks and all is once again right with the world. After the performance, the actors remain on stage for a brief question-and-answer session. Then join the audience in the Lobby for one-on-one conversations and photo opportunities.
Chicago Shakespeare Festival
March 13 – May 4, 2014
Directed by Gary Griffin
[button url=”Ticket: http://www.chicagoshakes.com/plays_and_events/roadshow#sthash.rCQ0Hj79.dpuf” target=”blank”]Buy Tickets[/button]
Associate Artistic Director Gary Griffin brings you not one, but two musicals, Gypsy and Road Show, that feature the extraordinary talents of Stephen Sondheim—both inspired by real stories of ambitious Americans in pursuit of their dreams. Based on the lives of the boldly enterprising brothers Addison and Wilson Mizner, the musical journey of Road Show spans forty years—from the Alaskan Gold Rush to the Florida real estate boom in the 1930s. Traversing the continent in a variety of get-rich-quick schemes, the brothers stick together through experiences that change their lives in unexpected ways.
Royal Shakespeare Company
18 March – 6 September 2014
[button url=”http://www.rsc.org.uk/buy-tickets/” target=”blank”]Buy Tickets[/button]
With his crown under threat from enemies both foreign and domestic, Henry IV prepares for war.
Having deposed the previous king, he is only too aware how tenuous his position is, and the price to be paid if he falters.
As his father prepares to defend his crown, Prince Hal is languishing in the taverns and brothels of London, revelling in the company of his friend, the notorious Sir John Falstaff.
With the onset of the war, Hal and Falstaff are thrust into the brutal reality of the battlefield, where Hal must confront his responsibilities to family and throne.
RSC Associate Artist Antony Sher returns to the Company to play the infamous comic knight Falstaff. He is joined by Jasper Britton as Henry IV and Alex Hassell as Prince Hal. Jasper returns following his performances in The Taming of the Shrew/The Tamer Tamed (2003). Alex returns to the RSC following his recent credits in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Cardenio and The City Madam(2011).
Royal Shakespeare Company
28 March – 6 September 2014
[button url=”http://www.rsc.org.uk/buy-tickets/” target=”blank”]Buy Tickets[/button]
King Henry’s health is failing as a second rebellion threatens to surface.
Intent on securing his legacy, he is uncertain that Hal is a worthy heir, believing him more concerned with earthly pleasures than the responsibility of rule. Meanwhile, Falstaff is sent to the countryside to recruit fresh troops.
Amongst the unwitting locals, opportunities for embezzlement and profiteering prove impossible to resist as Falstaff gleefully indulges in the business of lining his own pockets.
As the King’s health continues to worsen, Hal must choose between duty and loyalty to an old friend in Shakespeare’s heartbreaking conclusion to this pair of plays.
RSC Associate Artist Antony Sher returns to the Company to play the infamous comic knight Falstaff. He is joined by Jasper Britton as Henry IV and Alex Hassell as Prince Hal. Jasper returns following his performances in The Taming of the Shrew/The Tamer Tamed (2003). Alex returns to the RSC following his recent credits in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Cardenio and The City Madam(2011).