We’re seeing a total Shakespeare boom on Broadway this season with productions of Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Twelfth Night and Richard III all hitting theaters this fall. (Plus, there’s that Romeo and Juliet film with Ed Westwick and Hailee Steinfeld–will YOU be seeing it?) But all around the country, wonderful Shakespearean productions happen each day. Here is a list of some of my personal favorite of the Bard’s plays that are currently running throughout the nation!
The Taming of the Shrew– Oregon Shakespeare Festival
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival puts on productions year round, and is one of my personal favorite Shakespeare companies. They also put on shows that aren’t Shakespeare, but their classic plays are wonderful. The Taming of the Shrew is currently running there, and is possibly my favorite of Shakespeare’s plays.
The Tempest at the American Ballet Theater
This wonderful production is so unique, featuring the classic play The Tempest performed as a ballet, choreographed by Alexi Ratmansky and performed by the incredibly talented dancers of the American Ballet Theatre. This show, playing at Lincoln Center, is sure to be a hit.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Metropolitan Opera
Another unconventional Shakespeare production happening in New York City this fall, A Midsummer Night’s Dream is bound to be a ton of fun in opera form. As Midsummer is sort of a bizarre show, I’m sure it will make for quite the entertaining opera.
A Winter’s Tale at California Shakespeare Theatre
A Winter’s Tale is SUCH. A. WEIRD. SHOW. People yell at people and run into the woods and go crazy, is essentially my understanding of it. So maybe that’s not exactly how it goes. Thankfully, the California Shakespeare Company, located in Berkely, CA, is presenting the show targeted specifically at young and impressionable students like myself, offered alongside a workshop for them to learn even more about Shakespeare.
The Complete Works Of William Shakespeare Abridged on tour
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged, written and performed by the Reduced Shakespeare Company (not to be confused with the Royal Shakespeare Company because that would just be silly), is one of my favorite Shakespeare-ish productions EVER. It essentially takes the entire canon and condenses it into one short, comedic show, performed in its entirety by three zany, talented, cross-dressing men. It’s incredibly accessible and a really funny play, and I would highly recommend checking this one out.
What are some of your favorite Shakespeare productions going on right now? Let us know in the comments!
Photo via The Telegraph