All's Well That Ends Well

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Steve Noll

Donavon Armbruster in the Madison Shakespeare Company production "All's Well That Ends Well."

All's Well That Ends Well is one of those Shakespearean mistaken identity/gender reversal comedies that is neither as popular as Twelfth Night nor as coherent as As You Like It. And ethically it may give modern viewers pause, as The Taming of the Shrew and Measure for Measure can do. Yet those chinks in the bard's work provide openings for directors and actors to mold the material in various ways, keeping Shakespeare great material for centuries. Madison Shakespeare Company gives a full-length production of this seldom-performed play outdoors at the Madison Country Day School amphitheater; audience members are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets. ALSO: Saturday-Sunday, July 24-25, 4 p.m. Through Aug. 1. More info including reservations available at madisonshakespeare.org.  

media release: Madison Shakespeare Company returns to full-length classic production when All’s Well That Ends Well opens on Friday July 23 at the Madison Country Day School amphitheater in Waunakee. This complex comedy is rarely performed in south-central Wisconsin and centers on the incompatibly compatible lovers Helena and Bertram, childhood friends on very different paths who nevertheless find themselves in the same place when they need one another most.

All’s Well features one of Shakespeare’s strongest heroines in Helena de Narbonne, a young woman who risks her life to practice medicine and braves a war to follow her heart. The production is directed by Kendra C. Thompson and features several returning MSC veterans in key roles:

Madeleine O’Keefe (Helena) was recently seen on MSC stages as Cleopatra, and made her MSC debut in 2020’s Sudden Shakespeare: Hamlet. She comes to Madison via Chicago and Boston.

Matt Reines (Bertram) was recently seen on MSC stages as Smirnov in Chekhov’s The Bear, and made his MSC debut in 2018’s staged reading of Dido, Queen of Carthage.

Sarah Z. Johnson (Countess) has played some of Shakespeare’s mightiest women in MSC productions, from her debut as Lady Macbeth in 2016 to Queen Gertrude in 2020’s Sudden Shakespeare: Hamlet. She is the English and Reading Department Co-Chair at Madison College where she also serves as Writing Center Director.

This production was originally planned for Summer 2020, but rescheduled due to pandemic response.

All’s Well That Ends Well will be performed Fridays through Sundays, July 23 through August 1. Friday performances begin at 6:30 PM, with weekend performances at 4 PM. Audience is encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets for best comfort in the beautiful natural performance space.

Additional details including reservations are available at https://madisonshakespeare.org/allswell.