Shakespeare Hits The Connecticut Shore
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New Yorkers have enjoyed Shakespeare in the Park, even Shakespeare in the Parking Lot. But now, many are flocking north for Shakespeare on the Sound. NY1's Stephanie Simon filed the following report.The romance of Shakespeare's poetry, the warmth of a summer breeze and the feel of good, old-fashioned community theater brought to life by Stew. The award wining musician and playwright behind the Broadway Musical and upcoming spike Lee film, "Passing Strange", wrote the music for the new production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" being staged in Connecticut.
"Stew's score is a very beautiful contemporary underscoring. There are seven songs and two reprises and the show is almost entirely underscored," said Shakespeare on the Sound Artistic Director Joanna Settle.
Shakespeare on the Sound presents free outdoor summer theater in Connecticut parks along the Long Island Sound, just a stone's skip from the city.
The story is more than a love triangle, it's more like a love square with two couples in a star crossed love frenzy.
"And on the set where we can literally make a hundred foot dash for love. Just run at it. We are in every way treating this play as a new play and speaking with our own voices in response to its themes," said Settle.
Actor Albert Jones plays the love struck Lysander. He says the bard is never dated.
"I think he's always relevant I think it's timeless I mean the messages of love and what it means to be in love is as relevant and as fitting as it was than," said Jones.
Actor Ty Jones lives in Washington Heights. He says not only will this production draw a big New York City audience, the organization itself could also play an important role for city performers.
"It will be the kind of place I think where actors will want to take their summers because a number of regional theaters are quite far away and for somebody like me who has a family you know right in New York City it's great that I'm barely an hour away to be able to do a show and be paid decently for it and have a lot of fun," said Jones.
After the show is done with runs in Rowayton it heads to Greenwich for another two week engagement.
Greenwich is less than an hour by car or train from the city.