How dost thou summer fare thus far? Damn fine, I hope. It’s about to get better. The 2014 Colorado Shakespeare Festival is in full swing over at the University of Colorado at Boulder and they have a performance lineup that would make a most envious monster of devoted fans of the bard.
The season begins with The Tempest — a tale on the high seas that makes landfall. Noted as Shakespeare’s final play, the set design on this one looks to be exceptionally stunning and should be a must-see on your festival list.
Run Dates: June 7 – August 10
Next up is The Merry Wives of Windsor, billed by Colorado Shakes as a delightful mashup between Dirty Dancing and one of the bard’s most popular comic plays. They’ve relocated the setting to a Catskills resort in the early 60s. Nobody puts the bard in a corner.
Run Dates: June 29 – August 9
Then, there’s a modern play written by one of today’s most celebrateed comedic playwrights, Paul Rudnick. I Hate Shakespeare just might be for you if you’ve ever wondered why anyone would love the stilted and swirling language and stylized speech of Shakespearean plays. The tale told? A Hollywood star accepts a role as Hamlet and his agent thinks he’s gone bonkers — as who would trade the silver screen for the stage?
Run Dates: June 12 – August 9
And finally, there are the Henrys. Come take in Henry IV Part I and Henry IV Part II, the festival’s most traditional playd of this year’s festival. With lavish sets and period costumes, come witness one of the bard’s most famous characters, Falstaff, and his swirling comedic turns. Mixed with clashing swords and fierce battles, there’s no shortage of testosterone where Henry’s concerned. Consider seeing Part I, grabbing dinner, and then retuning for a performance of Part II the same evening.
Run Dates:
Henry IV Part I: July 17 – August 10
Henry IV Part II: July 27 – August 3
Image courtesy of The Colorado Shakespeare Festival
