Much Ado About Nothing is a comedic play by William Shakespeare
thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599, as Shakespeare was
approaching the middle of his career. The play was included in the First Folio, published in 1623. Much Ado About Nothing
is generally considered one of Shakespeare's best comedies because it
combines elements of mistaken identities, love, robust hilarity with
more serious meditations on honour, shame, and court politics.
By means of "noting" (which, in Shakespeare's day, sounded similar to "nothing" as in the play's title,and which means gossip, rumour, and overhearing), Benedick and Beatrice
are tricked into confessing their love for each other, and Claudio is
tricked into rejecting Hero at the altar on the erroneous belief that
she has been unfaithful. At the end, Benedick and Beatrice join forces
to set things right, and the others join in a dance celebrating the
marriages of the two couples.
At Messina, a messenger brings news that Don Pedro, a prince from Aragon, will return that night from a successful battle, Claudio being among his soldiers. Beatrice, Leonato's
niece, asks the messenger about Benedick and makes sarcastic remarks
about his ineptitude as a soldier. Leonato explains that "There is a
kind of merry war betwixt Signior Benedick and her."
Upon the arrival of the soldiers, Leonato welcomes Don Pedro and
invites him to stay for a month, Benedick and Beatrice resume their
"merry war," and Pedro's illegitimate brother Don John is introduced.
Claudio's feelings for Hero, Leonato's only daughter, are rekindled upon
seeing her, and Claudio soon announces to Benedick his intention to
court her. Benedick, who openly despises marriage, tries to dissuade his
friend but Don Pedro encourages the marriage. Benedick swears that he
will never get married. Don Pedro laughs at him and tells him that when
he has found the right person he shall get married.
A masquerade ball is planned in celebration of the end of the war, giving a disguised Don Pedro the opportunity to woo
Hero on Claudio's behalf. Don John uses this situation to get revenge
on his brother Don Pedro by telling young Claudio that Don Pedro is
wooing Hero for himself. A furious Claudio confronts Don Pedro, but the
misunderstanding is quickly resolved and Claudio wins Hero's hand in
marriage.
Meanwhile, Benedick disguises himself and dances with Beatrice. Beatrice proceeds to tell this "mystery man" that Benedick
is "the prince's jester, a very dull fool." Benedick, enraged by her
words, swears he will have revenge. Don Pedro and his men, bored at the
prospect of waiting a week for the wedding, harbour a plan to match-make
between Benedick and Beatrice. They arrange for Benedick to overhear a
conversation in which they declare that Beatrice is madly in love with
him but afraid to tell him; that their pride is the main impediment to
their courtship. Meanwhile, Hero and her maid Ursula ensure Beatrice
overhears them discuss Benedick's undying love for her. The tricks have
the desired effect: both Benedick and Beatrice are delighted to think
they are the object of unrequited love, and both accordingly resolve to mend their faults and reconcile.
Meanwhile, Don Pedro's brother Don John, the "bastard prince", plots
to prevent the wedding, embarrass his brother and wreak misery on
Leonato and Claudio. He informs Don Pedro and Claudio that Hero is
unfaithful, and arranges for them to see John's associate Borachio enter
her bedchamber where he has an amorous liaison (actually with Margaret,
Hero's chambermaid). Claudio and Don Pedro are taken in, and Claudio
vows to humiliate Hero publicly.
At the wedding the next day, Claudio denounces Hero before the
stunned guests and storms off with Don Pedro. Hero faints. Her
humiliated father Leonato expresses the wish that she would die. The
presiding friar intervenes, believing Hero to be innocent. He suggests
the family fake Hero's death in order to extract the truth and Claudio's
remorse. Prompted by the day's harrowing events, Benedick and Beatrice
confess their love for each other. Beatrice then asks Benedick to slay
Claudio as proof of his devotion, since he has slandered her kinswoman.
Benedick is horrified and at first, denies her request. Leonato and his
brother Antonio blame Claudio for Hero's apparent death and challenge
him to a duel. Benedick then does the same.
Luckily, on the night of Don John's treachery, the local Watch
apprehended Borachio and his ally Conrade. Despite the comic ineptness
of the Watch (headed by constable Dogberry, a master of malapropisms),
they have overheard the duo discussing their evil plans. The Watch
arrest the villains and eventually obtain a confession, informing
Leonato of Hero's innocence. Though Don John has fled the city, a force
is sent to capture him. Claudio, stricken with remorse at Hero's
supposed death, agrees to her father's demand that he marry Antonio's
daughter, "almost the copy of my child that's dead" and carry on the family name.
At the wedding, the bride is revealed to be Hero, still living.
Claudio is overjoyed. Beatrice and Benedick, prompted by their friends'
interference, finally and publicly confess their love for each other. As
the play draws to a close, a messenger arrives with news of Don John's
capture – but Benedick proposes to postpone his punishment to another
day so that the couples can enjoy their new-found happiness. Don Pedro
is lonely because he hasn't found love. Thus Benedick gives him the
advice "Get thee a wife."
Link to the review by The Morning Call here
The Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare,
believed to have been written in 1610–11, and thought by many critics
to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote alone. It is set on a remote
island, where the sorcerer Prospero, rightful Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda
to her rightful place using illusion and skilful manipulation. He
conjures up a storm, the eponymous tempest, to lure his usurping brother
Antonio and the complicit King Alonso of Naples to the island. There,
his machinations bring about the revelation of Antonio's lowly nature,
the redemption of the King, and the marriage of Miranda to Alonso's son,
Ferdinand.
There is no obvious single source for the plot of The Tempest, but researchers have seen parallels in Erasmus' Naufragium, Peter Martyr's De orbe novo, and eyewitness reports by William Strachey and Sylvester Jordain of the real-life shipwreck of the Sea Venture on the islands of Bermuda, and the subsequent conflict between Sir Thomas Gates and Sir George Somers. In addition, one of Gonzalo's speeches is derived from Montaigne's essay Of the Canibales, and much of Prospero's renunciative speech is taken word for word from a speech by Medea in Ovid's poem Metamorphoses. The masque in Act 4 may have been a later addition, possibly in honour of the wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Frederick V in 1613. The play was first published in the First Folio of 1623.
The story draws heavily on the tradition of the romance, and it was influenced by tragicomedy, the courtly masque and perhaps the commedia dell'arte. It differs from Shakespeare's other plays in its observation of a stricter, more organised neoclassical style. Critics see The Tempest
as explicitly concerned with its own nature as a play, frequently
drawing links between Prospero's "art" and theatrical illusion, and
early critics saw Prospero as a representation of Shakespeare, and his
renunciation of magic as signalling Shakespeare's farewell to the stage.
The play portrays Prospero as a rational, and not an occultist, magician by providing a contrast to him in Sycorax:
her magic is frequently described as destructive and terrible, where
Prospero's is said to be wondrous and beautiful. Beginning in about
1950, with the publication of Psychology of Colonization by Octave Mannoni, The Tempest was viewed more and more through the lens of postcolonial theory—exemplified in adaptations like Aimé Césaire's Une Tempête set in Haiti—and there is even a scholarly journal on post-colonial criticism named after Caliban.
The Tempest did not attract a significant amount of attention before the ban on the performance of plays in 1642, and only attained popularity after the Restoration,
and then only in adapted versions. In the mid-19th century, theatre
productions began to reinstate the original Shakespearean text, and in
the 20th century, critics and scholars undertook a significant
re-appraisal of the play's value, to the extent that it is now
considered to be one of Shakespeare's greatest works. It has been
adapted numerous times in a variety of styles and formats: in music, at
least 46 operas by composers; orchestral works by Tchaikovsky; and songs; in literature, Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem With a Guitar, To Jane; in paintings; and on screen, inclujding Julie Taymor's 2010 film version which changed Prospero to Prospera (as played by Helen Mirren), and Des McAnuff's 2010 Stratford Shakespeare Festival production which starred Christopher Plummer.
Synopsis:
The magician, Prospero, rightful Duke of Milan, and his daughter, Miranda, have been stranded for twelve years on an island after Prospero's jealous brother Antonio (aided by Alonso, the King of Naples)
deposed him and set him adrift with the 3-year-old Miranda. Gonzalo,
Alonso's counselor, had secretly supplied their boat with some food,
fresh water, "rich garments, linens, stuffs and necessaries", and
"volumes" (books) that Prospero prizes. Possessing magic powers due to
his great learning, Prospero is reluctantly served by a spirit, Ariel, whom Prospero had rescued from a tree in which he had been trapped by the cruel witch, Sycorax,
after he had refused to obey her. Prospero maintains Ariel's loyalty by
repeatedly promising to release the "airy spirit" from servitude.
Sycorax had been exiled from Algiers to the island for wreaking havoc
with her magic, and had died before Prospero's arrival and without
releasing Ariel. Sycorax' son, Caliban,
a deformed monster and the only non-spiritual inhabitant before the
arrival of Prospero, was initially adopted and raised by him. He taught
Prospero how to survive on the island, while Prospero and Miranda taught
Caliban religion and their own language. In slavery, Caliban has come
to view Prospero as a usurper and has grown to resent him and his
daughter. Prospero and Miranda in turn view Caliban with disappointment,
contempt and disgust. Prospero only performs one act of magic himself
directly on stage: he disarms Ferdinand, causing his nerves to become
"in their infancy again". The rest of his magic is through controlling
spirits (or mentioned as happening previously), which is how magicians
of the time were believed to operate.
Prospero, having divined that his brother Antonio is on a nearby
ship, has raised a tempest that causes the passengers to believe they
are shipwrecked and marooned. Also on the ship are Antonio's friend and
fellow conspirator, King Alonso of Naples, Alonso's brother and son
(Sebastian and Ferdinand, respectively) and Alonso's "trusted
counselor", Gonzalo. All these passengers are returning from the wedding
of Alonso's daughter Claribel and the King of Tunis.
Prospero contrives to separate the shipwreck survivors into several
groups by his spells, and so Alonso and Ferdinand are separated, each
believing the other to be dead.
Three plots then alternate through the play. In one, Caliban falls in with Stephano
and Trinculo, two drunkards, believing Stephano to be a "brave god" who
"bears celestial liquor". They attempt to raise a coup against
Prospero, which ultimately fails. In another, Prospero works to
encourage a romantic relationship between Ferdinand and Miranda; the two
fall immediately in love, but Prospero worries that "too light winning
[may] make the prize light", and compels Ferdinand to become his
servant, pretending that he regards him as a spy. In the third subplot,
Antonio and Sebastian conspire to kill Alonso and Gonzalo so that
Sebastian can become King. Ariel thwarts them, at Prospero's command.
Ariel appears to the "three men of sin" (Alonso, Antonio and Sebastian)
as a harpy,
reprimanding them for their betrayal of Prospero. Prospero, who has
witnessed this, leaves to visit Ferdinand and Miranda. The three guilty
nobles run off, distracted and in a frenzy, and Gonzalo and the
attendant lords chase after to prevent them from doing "what this
ecstasy may now provoke them to".
Prospero then explains that he tested Ferdinand, and betroths a
willing Miranda to him. He then asks Ariel to bring some other spirits
and create a masque to entertain the young couple. These spirits present
a blessing by Iris, Ceres, and Juno, followed by dancing. Prospero
suddenly remembers the plot against his life, dismisses the spirits and
Miranda and Ferdinand, and sets a trap for Caliban, Trinculo, and
Stephano. They are chased offstage by goblins in the shape of hounds.
Prospero, all his enemies in his power, discovers that Ariel would
pity them if he were "human", and decides to forgive the people who
tried to kill him. He tells Ariel to fetch the nobles while he breaks
his charms.
In the conclusion, all the main characters are brought together
before Prospero, who forgives Alonso, Antonio and Sebastian. Ariel is
charged to prepare the proper sailing weather to guide the King's ship
back to the Royal fleet and then to Naples, where Ferdinand and Miranda
will be married. After discharging this task, Ariel will finally be
free. Prospero pardons Caliban, who is sent to prepare Prospero's cell,
to which Alonso and his party are invited for a final night before their
departure. (It is however not made clear whether, after their
departure, Caliban will remain on the island or whether he will be taken
to Naples). Prospero indicates that he intends to entertain them with
the story of his life on the island. Prospero has resolved to break and
bury his magic staff, and "drown" his book of magic, and in his
epilogue, shorn of his magic powers, he invites the audience to set him
free from the island with their applause.
Link to the review by The Morning Call here
Extreme Shakespeare: A play rehearsed the way
Shakespeare’s company would have. Actors arrive with their lines
learned, rehearse on their own, wear what they can find, and open in a
matter of days. No director, no designers. Just great actors, a dynamic
play, and pure adrenaline, spontaneity and creativity.
King John, a history play by William Shakespeare, dramatises the reign of John, King of England (ruled 1199–1216), son of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine and father of Henry III of England. It is believed to have been written in the mid-1590s but was not published until it appeared in the First Folio in 1623.
Synopsis:
King John receives an ambassador from France, who demands, on pain of
war, that he renounce his throne in favour of his nephew, Arthur, whom
the French King, Philip, believes to be the rightful heir to the throne.
John adjudicates an inheritance dispute between Robert Faulconbridge
and his older brother Philip the Bastard, during which it becomes
apparent that Philip is the illegitimate son of King Richard I. Queen
Eleanor, mother to both Richard and John, recognises the family
resemblance and suggests that he renounce his claim to the Falconbridge
land in exchange for a knighthood. John knights the Bastard under the
name Richard.
In France, King Philip and his forces besiege the English-ruled town
of Angiers, threatening attack unless its citizens support Arthur.
Philip is supported by Austria, who is believed to have killed King
Richard. The English contingent arrives; Eleanor trades insults with
Constance, Arthur's mother. Kings Philip and John stake their claims in
front of Angiers' citizens, but to no avail: their representative says
that they will support the rightful king, whoever that turns out to be.
The French and English armies clash, but no clear victor emerges.
Each army dispatches a herald claiming victory, but Angiers' citizens
continue to refuse to recognize either claimant because neither army has
proven victorious.
The Bastard proposes that England and France unite to punish the
rebellious citizens of Angiers, at which point they propose an
alternative: Philip's son, Louis the Dauphin, should marry John's niece
Blanche, a scheme that gives John a stronger claim to the throne, while
Louis gains territory for France. Though a furious Constance accuses
Philip of abandoning Arthur, Louis and Blanche are married.
Cardinal Pandolf arrives from Rome bearing a formal accusation that
John has disobeyed the pope and appointed an archbishop contrary to his
desires. John refuses to recant, whereupon he is excommunicated. Pandolf
pledges his support for Louis, though Philip is hesitant, having just
established family ties with John. Pandolf brings him round by pointing
out that his links to the church are older and firmer.
War breaks out; Austria is beheaded by the Bastard in revenge for his
father's death; and both Angiers and Arthur are captured by the
English. Eleanor is left in charge of English possessions in France,
while the Bastard is sent to collect funds from English monasteries.
John orders Hubert to kill Arthur. Pandolf suggests to Louis that he now
has as strong a claim to the English throne as Arthur (and indeed
John), and Louis agrees to invade England.
Hubert finds himself unable to kill Arthur. John's nobles urge
Arthur's release. John agrees, but is wrong-footed by Hubert's
announcement that Arthur is dead. The nobles, believing he was murdered,
defect to Louis' side. The Bastard reports that the monasteries are
unhappy about John's attempt to seize their gold. Hubert has a furious
argument with John, during which he reveals that Arthur is still alive.
John, delighted, sends him to report the news to the nobles.
Arthur dies jumping from a castle wall. (It is open to interpretation
whether he deliberately kills himself or just makes a risky escape
attempt.) The nobles believe he was murdered by John, and refuse to
believe Hubert's entreaties. John attempts to make a deal with Pandolf,
swearing allegiance to the Pope in exchange for Pandolf's negotiating
with the French on his behalf. John orders the Bastard, one of his few
remaining loyal subjects, to lead the English army against France.
While John's former noblemen swear allegiance to Louis, Pandolf
explains John's scheme, but Louis refuses to be taken in by it. The
Bastard arrives with the English army and threatens Louis, but to no
avail. War breaks out with substantial losses on each side, including
Louis' reinforcements, who are drowned during the sea crossing. Many
English nobles return to John's side after a dying French nobleman,
Melun, warns them that Louis plans to kill them after his victory.
John is poisoned by a disgruntled monk. His nobles gather around him
as he dies. The Bastard plans the final assault on Louis' forces, until
he is told that Pandolf has arrived with a peace treaty. The English
nobles swear allegiance to John's son Prince Henry, and the Bastard
reflects that this episode has taught that internal bickering could be
as perilous to England's fortunes as foreign invasion.
Link to the review by The Morning Call here
Shakespeare Untamed! For the first time ever at PSF: a play by
Shakespeare rehearsed by methods akin to those in Shakespeare's time.
Actors arrive with their lines learned, rehearse on their own, wear what
they can find, and open in a matter of days. No director, no designers.
Just great actors, a lyrical and romantic play, and pure adrenaline and
spontaneity. Two nobles - cousins who are best friends - fall in love
with the same beautiful woman, leading to unexpected twists of fate.
The Two Noble Kinsmen is a Jacobean tragicomedy, first published in 1634 and attributed to John Fletcher and William Shakespeare. Its plot derives from "The Knight's Tale" in Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, which had already been dramatised at least twice before.
Formerly a point of controversy, the dual attribution is now generally accepted by the scholarly consensus.
A prologue informs the audience that the play is based on a story from Chaucer.
Three queens come to plead with Theseus and Hippolyta, rulers of Athens, to avenge the deaths of their husbands by the hand of the tyrant Creon of Thebes. Creon has killed the three kings and refuses to allow them proper burial. Theseus agrees to wage war on Creon.
In Thebes, Palamon and Arcite, cousins and close friends, are bound
by duty to fight for Creon, though they are appalled by his tyranny. In a
hard-fought battle Palamon and Arcite enact prodigies of courage, but
the Thebans are defeated by Theseus. Palamon and Arcite are imprisoned,
but philosophically resign themselves to their fate. Their stoicism is
instantly destroyed when from their prison window they see the Athenian
princess Emilia. Both fall in love with her, and their friendship turns
to bitter rivalry. Arcite is released after a relative intercedes on his
behalf. He is banished from Athens, but he disguises himself, wins a
local wrestling match, and is appointed as Emilia's bodyguard.
Meanwhile, the jailer's daughter has fallen in love with Palamon and
helps him escape. She follows him, but he ignores her: still obsessed
with Emilia. He lives in the forest half-starved, where he meets Arcite.
The two argue, but Arcite offers to bring Palamon food, drink and
armaments so that they can meet in an equal fight over Emilia.
The jailer's daughter, forsaken, has gone mad. She sings and babbles
in the forest. She meets a troupe of local countrymen who want to
perform a Morris dance
before the king and queen. Local schoolmaster Gerald invites the mad
daughter to join the performance. Theseus and Hippolyta appear, hunting.
Gerald hails them, and they agree to watch the yokels perform a bizarre
act for them, with the jailer's mad daughter dancing. The royal couple
reward them.
Arcite returns with the food and weapons. After a convivial dinner
with reminiscences, the two fight. Theseus and his entourage arrive on
the scene. He orders that Palamon and Arcite be arrested and executed.
Hippolyta and Emilia intervene, and so Theseus agrees to a public
tournament between the two for Emilia's hand. Each warrior will be
allowed three companions to assist them. The loser and his companion
knights will be executed.
The jailer finds his daughter with the help of friends. He tries to
restore her mental health. On the advice of a doctor, he encourages her
former suitor to pretend to be Palamon so that she will be gradually
accustomed to see him as her true love. His devotion slowly wins her
over.
Before the tournament, Arcite prays to Mars that he win the battle;
Palamon prays to Venus that he marry Emilia; Emilia prays to Diana that
she be wed to the one who loves her best. Each prayer is granted: Arcite
wins the combat, but is then thrown from his horse and dies, leaving
Palamon to wed Emilia.
Link to the review by The Morning Call here
The Comedy of Errors is one of the William Shakespeare's early plays. It is his shortest and one of his most farcical comedies, with a major part of the humour coming from slapstick and mistaken identity, in addition to puns and word play. The Comedy of Errors (along with The Tempest) is one of only two of Shakespeare's plays to observe the Unity of Time (classical unities). It has been adapted for opera, stage, screen and musical theatre.
The Comedy of Errors tells the story of two sets of identical
twins that were accidentally separated at birth (Shakespeare was father
to one pair of twins). Antipholus of Syracuse and his servant, Dromio of Syracuse, arrive in Ephesus,
which turns out to be the home of their twin brothers, Antipholus of
Ephesus and his servant, Dromio of Ephesus. When the Syracusans
encounter the friends and families of their twins, a series of wild
mishaps based on mistaken identities lead to wrongful beatings, a near-seduction, the arrest of Antipholus of Ephesus, and false accusations of infidelity, theft, madness, and demonic possession.
Because the law forbids merchants from Syracuse to enter Ephesus,
elderly Syracusian trader Egeon faces execution when he is discovered in
the city. He can only escape by paying a fine of a thousand marks. He
tells his sad story to Solinus, Duke of Ephesus. In his youth, Egeon
married and had twin sons. On the same day, a poor woman without a job
also gave birth to twin boys, and he purchased these as slaves to his
sons. Soon afterwards, the family made a sea voyage, and was hit by a
tempest. Egeon lashed himself to the main-mast with one son and one
slave, while his wife was rescued by one boat, Egeon by another. Egeon
never again saw his wife, or the children with her. Recently, his son
Antipholus of Syracuse, now grown, and his son’s slave Dromio of
Syracuse, left Syracuse on a quest to find their brothers. When
Antipholus of Syracuse did not return, Egeon set out in search of him.
The Duke is moved by this story, and grants Egeon one day to pay his fine.
That same day, Antipholus of Syracuse arrives in Ephesus, searching
for his brother. He sends Dromio of Syracuse to deposit some money at The Centaur,
an inn. He is confounded when the identical Dromio of Ephesus appears
almost immediately, denying any knowledge of the money and asking him
home to dinner, where his wife is waiting. Antipholus, thinking his
servant is making insubordinate jokes, beats Dromio of Ephesus.
Dromio of Ephesus returns to his mistress, Adriana, saying that her
"husband" refused to come back to his house, and even pretended not to
know her. Adriana, concerned that her husband's eye is straying, takes
this news as confirmation of her suspicions.
Antipholus of Syracuse, who complains "I could not speak with Dromio
since at first I sent him from the mart," meets up with Dromio of
Syracuse who now denies making a "joke" about Antipholus having a wife.
Antipholus begins beating him. Suddenly, Adriana rushes up to Antipholus
of Syracuse and begs him not to leave her. The Syracusans cannot but
attribute these strange events to witchcraft, remarking that Ephesus is
known as a warren for witches. Antipholus and Dromio go off with this
strange woman, the one to eat dinner and the other to keep the gate.
Antipholus of Ephesus returns home for dinner and is enraged to find
that he is rudely refused entry to his own house by Dromio of Syracuse,
who is keeping the gate. He is ready to break down the door, but his
friends persuade him not to make a scene. He decides, instead, to dine
with a courtesan.
Inside the house, Antipholus of Syracuse discovers that he is very
attracted to his "wife's" sister, Luciana of Smyrna, telling her "train
me not, sweet mermaid, with thy note / To drown me in thy sister's flood
of tears." She is flattered by his attentions, but worried about their
moral implications. After she exits, Dromio of Syracuse announces that
he has discovered that he has a wife: Nell, a hideous kitchen-maid. He
describes her as "spherical, like a globe; I could find out countries in
her". Antipholus jokingly asks him to identify the countries, leading
to a witty exchange in which parts of her body are identified with
nations. Ireland is her buttocks: "I found it out by the bogs". He
claims he has discovered America and the Indies "upon her nose all o'er
embellished with rubies, carbuncles, sapphires, declining their rich
aspect to the hot breath of Spain; who sent whole armadoes of caracks to
be ballast at her nose." (This is one of Shakespeare's few references
to America.) The Syracusans decide to leave as soon as possible, and
Dromio runs off to make travel plans. Antipholus of Syracuse is
apprehended by Angelo of Ephesus, a goldsmith, who claims that he
ordered a chain from him. Antipholus is forced to accept the chain, and
Angelo says that he will return for payment.
Antipholus of Ephesus dispatches Dromio of Ephesus to purchase a rope
so that he can beat his wife Adriana for locking him out, then is
accosted by Angelo, who tells him "I thought to have ta'en you at the
Porpentine" and asks to be reimbursed for the chain. He denies ever
seeing it, and is promptly arrested. As he is being led away, Dromio of
Syracuse arrives, whereupon Antipholus dispatches him back to Adriana's
house to get money for his bail.
After completing this errand, Dromio of Syracuse mistakenly delivers
the money to Antipholus of Syracuse. The Courtesan spies Antipholus
wearing the gold chain, and says he promised it to her. The Syracusans
deny this, and flee. The Courtesan resolves to tell Adriana that her
husband is insane. Dromio of Ephesus returns to the arrested Antipholus
of Ephesus, with the rope. Antipholus is infuriated. Adriana, Luciana
and the Courtesan enter with a conjurer named Pinch, who tries to
exorcise the Ephesians, who are bound and taken to Adriana's house. The
Syracusans enter, carrying swords, and everybody runs off for fear:
believing that they are the Ephesians, out for vengeance after somehow
escaping their bonds. Adriana reappears with henchmen, who attempt to
bind the Syracusans. They take sanctuary in a nearby priory, where the
Abbess resolutely protects them.
Suddenly, the Abbess enters with the Syracusan twins, and everyone
begins to understand the confused events of the day. Not only are the
two sets of twins reunited, but the Abbess reveals that she is Egeon's
wife, Emilia of Babylon. The Duke pardons Egeon. All exit into the abbey
to celebrate the reunification of the family.
Link to the review by The Morning Call here
The Merry Wives of Windsor is a comedy by William Shakespeare,
first published in 1602, though believed to have been written prior to
1597. The Windsor of the play's title is a reference to Windsor Castle in Berkshire, England, and though nominally set in the reign of Henry IV, the play makes no pretence to exist outside contemporary Elizabethan era English middle class life. It features the character Sir John Falstaff, the fat knight who had previously been featured in Henry IV Parts 1 and 2. It has been adapted for the opera on several occasions.
The play is nominally set in the early 15th century, during the same period as the Henry IV
plays featuring Falstaff, but there is only one brief reference to this
period, a line in which the character Fenton is said to have been one
of Prince Hal's rowdy friends (he "kept company with the wild prince and
Poins"). In all other respects, the play implies a contemporary setting
of the Elizabethan era, c. 1600.
Falstaff arrives in Windsor very short on money. He decides, to
obtain financial advantage, that he will court two wealthy married
women, Mistress Ford and Mistress Page. Falstaff decides to send the
women identical love letters and asks his servants – Pistol and Nym – to
deliver them to the wives. When they refuse, Falstaff sacks them, and,
in revenge, the men tell Ford and Page (the husbands) of Falstaff's
intentions. Page is not concerned, but the jealous Ford persuades the
Host of the Garter Inn to introduce him to Falstaff as a 'Master Brook'
so that he can find out Falstaff's plans.
Meanwhile, three different men are trying to win the hand of Page's
daughter, Anne Page. Mistress Page would like her daughter to marry
Doctor Caius, a French physician, whereas the girl's father would like
her to marry Master Slender. Anne herself is in love with Master Fenton,
but Page had previously rejected Fenton as a suitor due to his having
squandered his considerable fortune on high-class living. Hugh Evans, a
Welsh parson,
tries to enlist the help of Mistress Quickly (servant to Doctor Caius)
in wooing Anne for Slender, but the doctor discovers this and challenges
Evans to a duel. The Host of the Garter Inn prevents this duel by
telling both men a different meeting place, causing much amusement for
himself, Justice Shallow, Page and others. Evans and Caius decide to
work together to be revenged on the Host.
When the women receive the letters, each goes to tell the other, and
they quickly find that the letters are almost identical. The "merry
wives" are not interested in the ageing, overweight Falstaff as a
suitor; however, for the sake of their own amusement and to gain revenge
for his indecent assumptions towards them both, they pretend to respond
to his advances.
This all results in great embarrassment for Falstaff. Mr. Ford poses
as 'Mr. Brook' and says he is in love with Mistress Ford but cannot woo
her as she is too virtuous. He offers to pay Falstaff to court her,
saying that once she has lost her honour he will be able to tempt her
himself. Falstaff cannot believe his luck, and tells 'Brook' he has
already arranged to meet Mistress Ford while her husband is out.
Falstaff leaves to keep his appointment and Ford soliloquises that he is
right to suspect his wife and that the trusting Page is a fool.
When Falstaff arrives to meet Mistress Ford, the merry wives trick
him into hiding in a laundry basket ("buck basket") full of filthy,
smelly clothes awaiting laundering. When the jealous Ford returns to try
and catch his wife with the knight, the wives have the basket taken
away and the contents (including Falstaff) dumped into the river.
Although this affects Falstaff's pride, his ego is surprisingly
resilient. He is convinced that the wives are just "playing hard to get"
with him, so he continues his pursuit of sexual advancement, with its
attendant capital and opportunities for blackmail.
Again Falstaff goes to meet the women but Mistress Page comes back
and warns Mistress Ford of her husband's approach again. They try to
think of ways to hide him other than the laundry basket which he refuses
to get into again. They trick him again, this time into disguising
himself as Mistress Ford's maid's obese aunt, known as "the fat woman of
Brentford". Ford tries once again to catch his wife with the knight but
ends up beating the "old woman", whom he despises, and throwing her out
of his house. Black and blue, Falstaff laments his bad luck.
Eventually the wives tell their husbands about the series of jokes
they have played on Falstaff, and together they devise one last trick
which ends up with the Knight being humiliated in front of the whole
town. They tell Falstaff to dress as "Herne, the Hunter" and meet them by an old oak tree in Windsor Forest (now part of Windsor Great Park). They then dress several of the local children, including Anne and William Page, as fairies
and get them to pinch and burn Falstaff to punish him. Page plots to
dress Anne in white and tells Slender to steal her away and marry her
during the revels. Mistress Page and Doctor Caius arrange to do the
same, but they arrange Anne shall be dressed in green. Anne tells Fenton
this, and he and the Host arrange for Anne and Fenton to be married
instead.
The wives meet Falstaff, and almost immediately the "fairies" attack.
Slender, Caius, and Fenton steal away their brides-to-be during the
chaos, and the rest of the characters reveal their true identities to
Falstaff.
Although he is embarrassed, Falstaff takes the joke surprisingly
well, as he sees it was what he deserved. Ford says he must pay back the
20 pounds 'Brook' gave him and takes the Knight's horses as recompense.
Slender suddenly appears and says he has been deceived – the 'girl' he
took away to marry was not Anne but a young boy. Caius arrives with
similar news – however, he has actually married his boy! Fenton and Anne
arrive and admit that they love each other and have been married.
Fenton chides the parents for trying to force Anne to marry men she did
not love and the parents accept the marriage and congratulate the young
pair. Eventually they all leave together and Mistress Page even invites
Falstaff to come with them: "let us every one go home, and laugh this
sport o'er by a country fire; Sir John and all".
Link to the review by The Morning Call here
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart.
Inspired by the farces of the ancient Roman playwright Plautus (251–183 BC), specifically Pseudolus, Miles Gloriosus, and Mostellaria, the musical tells the bawdy story of a slave
named Pseudolus and his attempts to win his freedom by helping his
young master woo the girl next door. The plot displays many classic
elements of farce, including puns, the slamming of doors, cases of mistaken identity
(frequently involving characters disguising themselves as one another),
and satirical comments on social class. The title derives from a line
often used by vaudeville comedians to begin a story: "A funny thing happened on the way to the theater".
The musical's original 1962 Broadway run won several Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Author (Musical). A Funny Thing has enjoyed several Broadway and West End revivals and was made into a successful film starring the original lead of the musical, Zero Mostel.
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum opened on Broadway on May 8, 1962, at the Alvin Theatre, and then transferred to the Mark Hellinger Theatre and the Majestic Theatre, where the show closed on August 29, 1964, after 964 performances and 8 previews.
The show's creators originally wanted Phil Silvers in the lead role of Pseudolus,
but he turned them down, allegedly because he would have to perform
onstage without his glasses, and his vision was so poor that he feared
tripping into the orchestra pit. He is also quoted as turning down the
role for being "Sgt. Bilko
in a toga". (Silvers eventually played the role — wearing his glasses —
in a 1972 revival. In the film, he played Marcus Lycus.) Milton Berle also passed on the role. Eventually, Zero Mostel was cast.
During the out of town pre-Broadway tryouts the show was attracting little business and not playing well. Jerome Robbins
was called in to give advice and make changes. The biggest change
Robbins made was a new opening number to replace "Love Is in the Air"
and introduce the show as a bawdy, wild comedy. Stephen Sondheim wrote
the song "Comedy Tonight" for this new opening. From that point on, the show was a success.
It was directed by George Abbott and produced by Hal Prince, with choreography by Jack Cole and uncredited staging and choreography by Robbins. The scenic and costume design was by Tony Walton. This wardrobe is on display at the Costume World Broadway Collection in Pompano Beach, Florida. The lighting design was by Jean Rosenthal. Along with Mostel, the musical featured a cast of seasoned performers, including Jack Gilford (Mostel's friend and fellow blacklist member), David Burns, John Carradine, Ruth Kobart, and Raymond Walburn. The young lovers were played by Brian Davies and Preshy Marker. Karen Black, originally cast as the ingenue, was replaced out of town.
The show won several Tony Awards:
Best Musical, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor (Burns), Best Book, and
Best Director. The score, however, was coolly received; it was
Sondheim's first musical on Broadway in which he wrote both the music
and lyrics, and did not earn a nomination for Best Original Score.
Link to the review by The Morning Call here
