CEDAR CITY — The unlikely convergence of the duke of Athens, Richard III, Professor Harold Hill and a tennis star in one location is all part of the diversity that makes up the 2011 Utah Shakespeare Festival offerings.
The festival was founded by Fred C. Adams in 1961 to cater to what www.bard.org says was the city’s natural love for drama.
Fifty years later, the timeless nature of these classic plays allows the festival to thrive, attracting approximately 120,000 visitors each year.
“Shakespeare speaks volumes to the human condition and the stories are still relatable today,” said Nikki Allen, media and public relations manager for the festival.
Contemporary musicals and plays are performed each year in addition to the traditional Shakespeare plays. Allen notes that there is often a perceived language barrier that many first-time theater patrons are hesitant to take on.
“Introducing them to a musical or a Tennessee Williams or an Arthur Miller will at least get them through the door and experiencing live theater,” she said. “It helps them realize that theater shouldn’t be perceived as an art form that is hard to connect to.”
With information found through the festival’s website, here is a guide to help theater veterans and novices alike navigate their way through the 2011 season of the Utah Shakespeare Festival.
‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’
True to its name, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is a comedy filled with bewitching concoctions and crosses between mortals and mystical creatures. This comedy begins as the duke of Athens awaits his marriage to the queen of the Amazons. He commands a young woman to marry a man of her father’s choosing, despite her love for another. The daughter’s plans to run away with her love are spoiled when the king and queen of the fairies intervene with a series of mixed-up love potions that turn everyone’s love story upside down.
• Runs: through Sept. 3.
• Show times: Days vary Monday through Saturday, with matinee performances at 2 p.m. and evening performances at 8 p.m.
• Location: Matinee shows are performed in the Auditorium Theatre and evening shows are performed in the Adams Shakespearean Theatre.
• Prices: Matinee tickets are $26-$58 Monday through Wednesday and $30-$62 Thursday through Saturday. Evening tickets are $22-$67 Monday through Wednesday and $26-$71 Thursday through Saturday.
‘Richard III’
The fantasy of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is starkly contrasted with the historical context that fuels “Richard III.” Set at the end of the English civil war between the Yorks and the Lancasters, Richard is jealous of his brother’s place on the throne. With a villainous determination to become king, Richard uses his intelligence and charisma to manipulate political leaders, clergy and family members. He murders those who block his path without a second thought until the ghosts of his past catch up with him.
• Runs: through Sept. 3.
• Show times: Days vary Monday through Saturday, with all performances at 8 p.m.
• Location: Adams Shakespearean Theatre.
• Prices: $22-$67 Monday through Wednesday and $26-$71 Thursday through Saturday.
• Content advisory: The festival’s website notes that the show contains some mild sexual innuendo.
‘Romeo and Juliet’
“Romeo and Juliet” is a tragic love story that has lasted through the ages. The feud between the Capulets and the Montagues plagued the city of Verona for years, with brawls and mutually traded insults. In the midst of animosity, Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet experience love at first sight. Nothing can restrain the couple from sealing their forbidden love in marriage, but rumors and misunderstandings lead to a series of untimely deaths.
• Runs: through Sept. 2.
• Show times: Days vary Monday through Saturday, with all performances at 8 p.m.
• Location: Adams Shakespearean Theatre.
• Prices: $22-$67 Monday through Wednesday and $26-$71 Thursday through Saturday.
• Content advisory: The festival’s website notes that the show contains some mild sexual innuendo.
‘The Winter’s Tale’
“The Winter’s Tale” stands as the only Shakespeare play showing during the second half of the festival’s season. Polixenes, king of Bohemia, is wrongfully accused of an affair with the wife of his friend, Leontes, king of Sicilia. Leontes disowns his baby daughter and orders her to be left in the forest in a vengeful rage against his wife. The princess is found in the Bohemian woods by a shepherd, who raises her as his own. Years later, the grown-up princess finds her own love and overcomes betrayal with forgiveness.
• Runs: Sept. 28-Oct. 21.
• Show times: Days vary Tuesday through Saturday, with matinee performances at 2 p.m. and evening performances at 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Randall L. Jones Theatre.
• Prices: $26-$58 Tuesday and Wednesday and $30-$62 Thursday through Saturday.
‘The Music Man’
The festival deviates from the European setting of the Shakespearean classics by visiting the wholesome town of River City, Iowa, in “The Music Man.” The musical follows traveling salesman Harold Hill as he stops in this traditionally stranger-weary community disguised as a music professor. He sets out to swindle the people out of their money by convincing them to purchase instruments, uniforms and music to form a local boy’s band. With the suspicious librarian Marian Paroo keeping a close eye, Hill charms his way into the hearts of the unsuspecting citizens.
• Runs: June 29-Sept. 2.
• Show times: Days vary Monday through Saturday, with matinee performances at 2 p.m. and evening performances at 8 p.m.
• Location: Randall L. Jones Theatre.
• Prices: $30-$67 Monday through Wednesday and $34-$71 Thursday through Saturday.
‘The Glass Menagerie’
“The Glass Menagerie” takes a more serious look at America in the midst of the Great Depression. Set in St. Louis in 1937, the drama examines the intricacies and glass-like fragility that characterizes the Wingfield family’s relationships. As Tom Wingfield dreams of experiencing greater things while supporting his mother and sister through a dismal job, his mother is stuck reminiscing the days of her youth while plotting to find a suitor for her shy daughter.
• Runs: June 27-Sept. 3.
• Show times: Days vary Monday through Saturday, with matinee performances at 2 p.m. and evening performances at 8 p.m.
• Location: Randall L. Jones Theatre.
•Prices: $30-$67 Monday through Wednesday and $34-$71 Thursday through Saturday.
‘Noises Off!’
“Noises Off!” takes the audience through the performance and backstage antics of a play within a play. The comedy follows a band of actors throughout the run of the show “Nothing On,” from the preparation stages to the final performances. With the turmoil of their personal relationships making its way onto the stage, the company’s performance increasingly deteriorates and forgotten lines, missed entrances and other flops become rampant.
• Runs: June 28-Oct. 22.
• Show times: Days vary Monday through Saturday, June 28-Sept. 3, with matinee performances at 2 p.m. and evening performances at 8 p.m. Days vary Tuesday through Saturday, Sept. 9-Oct. 22, with matinee performances at 2 p.m. and evening performances at 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Randall L. Jones Theatre.
• Prices: Tickets cost $30-$67 Monday through Wednesday and $34-$71 Tuesday through Saturday, June 28-Sept. 3. Ticket prices change to $26-$58 Tuesday and Wednesday and $30-$62 Thursday through Saturday, Sept. 9-Oct. 22.
• Content advisory: The festival’s website notes that the show contains some mild sexual innuendo.
‘Dial M for Murder’
The murder mystery “Dial M for Murder” completes the festival’s well-rounded season. A professional tennis star plans the murder of his wealthy wife after learning of her affair with an American author. In his vindictive desire to inherit her money, he enlists the help of a criminal to carry out his seemingly perfect plot, only to have things go completely off course.
• Runs: Sept. 23-Oct. 22.
• Show times: Days vary Tuesday through Saturday with matinee performances at 2 p.m. and evening performances at 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Randall L. Jones Theatre.
• Prices: $26-$58 Tuesday and Wednesday and $30-$62 Thursday through Saturday.
In addition to providing what Allen refers to as “the best of both worlds” in its variety of plays, the Utah Shakespeare Festival will also provide activities such as a costume exhibit, car show and history tour to celebrate its milestone anniversary. “The whole concept of the 50th is to celebrate with the community of patrons that come visit us,” Allen said. “Because without them, we wouldn’t be here.”
Email: wbutters@desnews.com