A Valentine's Affair
Benjamin Barlow
"O Romeo, Romeo, what art thou doing to celebrate Valentine’s Day?” Why not spend the night with Madison Shakespeare Company, reveling in some of the greatest love poetry and romantic couples in all of literature? A group of eight actors, directed by Bridget Doxtater, will perform scenes from Julius Caesar, As You Like It and Much Ado About Nothing. The work of Shakespeare’s contemporaries Middleton and Marlowe will also be on display, and audience participation is encouraged when actors interpret a sonnet based on suggestions from the crowd.
press release: Madison Shakespeare Company announces the upcoming premiere of A Valentine’s Affair 2020, a collection of classic love scenes directed by Bridget Doxtater. The limited run of these love scenes from the works of William Shakespeare and prominent contemporaries spans just three dates in Madison: February 13 at The Brink Lounge, and February 14-15 at Crucible.
This is the fifth entry in MSC’s Affair series of classic theatrical scenes, and like the first two in the Valentine series, A Valentine’s Affair 2020 runs about one hour. But unlike past shows which focused exclusively on Shakespeare, this year’s edition includes the work of Christopher Marlowe, whose groundbreaking Edward the Second changed assumptions about stage portrayals of sexual orientation. It also includes two scenes from Thomas Middleton’s extremely dark comedy Women Beware Women, which explores marital transgression and the depths of revenge.
The 2020 edition also includes more “Sonnets From a Hat,” an improv event in which cast members are challenged to perform a randomly selected sonnet, with style and emotion chosen by the audience.
Shakespearean lovers on display include Brutus and Portia, Orlando and Rosalind, and Benedick and Beatrice. The ensemble features the MSC debuts of Patrick O’Hara, James Palmer, and Leigha Vilen, and returning performers Marie Freese, Laura Kochanowski, Deanna Martinez, Glenn Widdicombe, and Jason Compton.
Tickets are $15 general admission, available now at madisonshakespeare.org/
Madison Shakespeare Company was founded in 2011 to present affordable theater classics to Madison-area audiences. The company was named Non-Equity Theater of the Year two consecutive years by readers of BroadwayWorld Madison.
