Community Corner
Hudson Shakespeare Presents Old West 'Cymbeline'
Performances begin next week in Jersey City.
Legends of the Bard
Ready for a funny camp fire tale of buffoonish clowns, an epic legend of long ago battles, a scary story with a headless man and young love torn asunder? Hudson Shakespeare Company serves up all of these and a lot more with Shakespeare's "Cymbeline", performing at:
Thursday, July 10th, @7pm
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Friday, July 11th @ 7pm
Monday, July 14th @ 7pm
Frank Sinatra Park in Hoboken, NJ
410 Frank Sinatra Drive (No rain location)
Tuesday, July 15th @ 7:30pm
Monument Park, Fort Lee, NJ (No rain location)
Wednesday, July 16th @ 7:30pm
Saturday, July 19th @7pm
Historic Jersey City and Harismus Cemetery, Jersey City, NJ
(Rain location - Tent on site) *$10 suggested donation with this performance and sold concessions. All other shows are free.
Monday, July 21nd @ 7pm
Frank Sinatra Park, Hoboken, NJ
410 Frank Sinatra Drive (No rain location)
Tuesday, July 22rd @ 7:30pm
Returning for their second helping of summer Shakespeare in its 23rd touring season, the comany takes the late fairy tale like romance of "Cymbeline" and transplants it to the Old West. Like many of Shakespeare's plays, the plays settings often lend themselves to many different time periods. "Cymbeline" with its fairy tale like setting of stern stepmothers, lost princes, wilderness settings and the doings of kings and princesses slips well into a fantastical world of 1880s Americana.
Story of the play:
Good King Cymbelilne (Tony White) is a wealthy widower has just married Queenie (Laura Hill) and looks to have his vivacious daughter Imogen (Noelle Fair) married to Queenie's dopey son Cloten (Phillip Corso). However, Imogen has other plans and elops with her true Prince Charming, the noble, but poor Posthumous (Jeff DeGlow). Furious, Cymbeline banishes Posthumous from his site and seeks to have the marriage dissolved.
Posthumous sets off on a trail to house of his father's old friend Philario (Tox Cox) and meets the card sharp Iachimo (James Masciovecchio), who never met a wager he didn't like. Seeing an easy con with Posthumous, Iachimo bets him that he can bed his faithful Imogen. Posthumous knowing he can't lose takes the bet and Iachimo finds his work cut out for him and steps to dishonest means to dishonor Imogen. As work comes back of the supposed affair, Posthumous orders Pisanio (Lisa LaGrande), a trusty servant to kill Imogen but relents and helps her escape disguised as a boy.
As Imogen enters the wilderness to escape her father, Posthumous' revenge and a stinging reputation she runs into some long lost relatives she never knew she had. With their help and in the midst of a border war she seeks to clear her name, reunite with Posthumous and unknowingly bring all her family back together.
Written in 1608, "Cymbeline" is one of Shakespeare's late plays often known as "The Romances". These often include shades of tragedy and comedy, with a road trip and a dash of divine providence. The play is free to the public, note show at Jersey City Cemetery has a suggested $10 donation for cemetery upkeep. Patrons are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets as seating is limited in most venues. The company will return for the final leg of the touring summer with another Shakespeare romance, the Greek influenced, "Pericles" in August. For more information, visit hudsonshakespeare.homestead.com or call 973 449-7443.
