What if Shakespeare's greatest tragedies were actually comedies?
That's where lovelorn academic Constance Ledbelly starts her work in Ann-Marie MacDonald's revisioning of Shakespeare, Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet).
The Vagabond Players are bringing the Canadian work to the stage next month, running April 3 to 19 at the Bernie Legge Theatre in Queen's Park.
The production is directed by Michael Parker and stars Karryn Ransom as Constance.
"After devastating disappointments in love and academia, she is transported into the Bard's world of Othello and Romeo and Juliet, where she finds herself sending his stories in new directions," a press release explains. "However, although she saves Desdemona and Juliet from their scripted deaths, their lives shoot off into directions that Constance had never envisioned."
Joining Ransom is a lineup of talented performers romping through a variety of Shakespearean roles. Among them are Chris Fofonoff, previously seen in Vagabond's productions of Amadeus and The Winslow Boy, along with Boris Bilic and Carly June Friesen, who recently appeared in Alone Together.
Kurtis Maguire, from last season's Wait Until Dark, is also in the cast, along with Vagabond newcomers Rose McNeil and Alex Ross.
The production runs Thursdays to Saturdays at 8 p.m., with Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15, or $13 for students and seniors, with two-for-one previous on April 3 and 4.
For reservations, call 604-521-0412 or email [email protected].
The play will also be the Vagabond Players' entry into the Theatre B.C. Greater Vancouver Zone Festival at Metro Theatre in May.
The Bernie Legge Theatre is in Queen's Park. See www.vagabondplayers.ca for all the details.
