DC Shakespeare Theatre Co.'s 24-25 season: Matthew Broderick, Alex Brightman, John Kani, Hugh Bonneville, Patrick Page, Leopoldstadt, and more

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 3/26/24 at 2:32pm

This is a strong season on paper.

 

COMEDY OF ERRORS
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Simon Godwin
SEP 10 – OCT 6, 2024
Two sets of twins. Two rival cities. Infinite hilarity. Confusions collide in this hilariously illogical comedy. Lookalikes Alex Brightman (School of Rock on Broadway) and David Fynn (School of Rock on the West End) come together as Dromio and Dromio (respectively) to add a splash of rock ‘n’ roll to Shakespeare’s most deliriously funny play. Artistic Director Simon Godwin (Much Ado about Nothing, Macbeth) directs this raucous reflection of families lost and found, topsy-turvy love, and the utterly human desire to belong.

 

Matthew Broderick in 
BABBITT
By Joe DiPietro 
Adapted from the Novel by Sinclair Lewis 
Directed by Christopher Ashley 
Produced in association with La Jolla Playhouse 
OCT 1 – 27, 2024
Two-time Tony-winner Matthew Broderick (The Producers, Plaza Suite) makes his STC debut in this breathtaking political satire. Meet George F. Babbitt: real estate broker, father of two, a fine, upstanding, middle-class American everyman. Seeking meaning to his humdrum existence, Babbitt plunges headlong into the most spectacular rebellion of his life (using the guest towel) and unwittingly turns the world around him upside down. Prepare to be amazed by this exhilarating adaptation of Sinclair Lewis’s satirical masterpiece. 

 

 

LEOPOLDSTADT
by Tom Stoppard
Directed by Carey Perloff
Produced in association with The Huntington
NOV 30 – DEC 29, 2024
Five-time Tony winner Tom Stoppard (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead) offers his most personal story in Leopoldstadt.

 

KUNENE AND THE KING
By John Kani 
Directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson
Produced in association with Octopus Theatricals
FEB 16 – MAR 16, 2025
South African actor, activist, and playwright John Kani (Black Panther, Sizwe Banzi Is Dead/The Island) stars in his story of Shakespeare’s unifying force. It’s a quarter century since the first post-apartheid democratic elections, and Jack Morris has just been given a career-defining role as King Lear—and a life-changing diagnosis. As the celebrated classical actor faces his own mortality, he clashes and connects with his at-home caregiver, Lunga Kunene (Kani), in this “poignant two-hander" (The Guardian).

 

UNCLE VANYA
by Anton Chekhov
Adapted by Conor McPherson 
Directed by Simon Godwin
Produced in association with Berkeley Repertory Theatre
MAR 30 – APR 20, 2025
One of the UK’s most beloved actors makes his D.C. debut in STC’s first ever production by Anton Chekhov. When the distinguished elderly owner of a rural estate returns with a new, young wife, Yelena, chaos erupts. Tensions run high, marriages reach their limits, confessions—and vodka—flow freely, and weapons are drawn. Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey, Paddington) plays Uncle Vanya, in this heartbreaking comedy about the eternal battle between futility and change. 

 

FRANKENSTEIN
By Mary Shelley
Adapted and Directed by Emily Burns
JUN 3 – 29, 2025
Buckle in for an electrifying take on a classic tale. Emily Burns (adaptor of STC’s Macbeth and Much Ado About Nothing), reimagines Mary Shelley's romantic gothic science fiction masterpiece as a chilling exploration of what it means to create a new life. Visceral and provocative, this world-premiere production reveals the inner lives of Elizabeth and Victor Frankenstein in bold new ways. Riding the edge of cinematic thriller and intense drama, Frankenstein redefines the legend we know, the name we fear, and the monstrous act at the heart of the story.

 

ALL THE DEVILS ARE HERE
How Shakespeare Invented the Villain 
Created and Performed by Patrick Page 
Directed by Simon Godwin
DEC 6 – 29, 2024
A beguiling bonanza of Shakespearean devilry. Tony Award-nominee and Grammy Award-winner Patrick Page (King Lear, Hadestown) has never shied away from exploring his dark side. Now, with this tour de force show, Page turns to the twisted motivations and hidden humanity at the heart of Shakespeare’s greatest villains. Moving swiftly through the canon, Page illuminates Shakespeare’s evolving conception of evil by delving into more than a dozen of his most wicked creations, offering a thrilling masterclass on the most terrifying subject of them all: human nature. Previously seen onscreen, now is the chance for audiences in DC to experience an enhanced version live on stage. 

[dramamama611]

Posted: 3/26/24 at 2:44pm

Twins Dromio being played by these two is hysterical in itself - even if they didn't have a physical resemblance!

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 3/26/24 at 2:54pm

dramamama611 said: "Twins Dromio being played by these two is hysterical in itself - even if they didn't have a physical resemblance!"

Yeah, that's particularly ingenious casting.

[Broadway Flash]

Posted: 3/26/24 at 5:15pm

Simon Godwin will have a busy fall.  He’s directing Audra Gypsy.