What better way to inaugurate a theater column than with a tribute to the greatest dramatist in the English language? William Shakespeare is believed to have been born 434 years ago this Thursday (he died on the same date -- April 23 -- 52 years later).
So it seems an auspicious time to share the good news of the Royal Shakespeare Company's forthcoming residency at Washington's Kennedy Center. Fifty actors will perform nearly 100 roles in five plays (three by Shakespeare, one by Samuel Beckett and one by that prolific author, Anonymous) from June 9 to July 5.
Here's the lineup:
"Hamlet," June 9-21, Eisenhower Theater. Director Matthew Warchus' radical interpretation not only uses modern settings and evening dress, but cuts and re-orders scenes to focus on the central theme of revenge. Alex Jennings, who starred in the RSC's 1996 production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream," plays the Danish prince.
"Cymbeline," June 24-July 5, Eisenhower Theater. RSC artistic director Adrian Noble and designer Anthony Ward have rejected the traditional European setting of this rarely produced late romance in favor of a Japanese Kabuki feel.
"Henry VIII," June 9-21, Terrace Theater. Rarer still is this history play, believed to be a collaboration between Shakespeare and John Fletcher. Jane Lapotaire, winner of the 1981 Tony Award for the title role in "Piaf," stars as Katharine of Aragon, opposite Paul Jesson's Henry.
"Everyman," June 23-28, Terrace Theater. Continuing the rarities is this anonymously written medieval morality play, given a stark, new production by co-directors Kathryn Hunter and Marcello Magni. American actor Joseph Mydell stars as the sinner facing death.
"Krapp's Last Tape," June 17 and 19, Terrace Theater. Edward Petherbridge, best known in this country as the star of the British TV series "Lord Peter Wimsey," co-directed and stars in Beckett's one-man play in which an old man reviews tapes made in his younger days.
Tickets to the RSC productions range from $47.50 to $65, except "Krapp's Last Tape," which is $15. Call 800-444-1324.
Students to perform
On the local Shakespeare front, the Baltimore Shakespeare Partnership will hold the first installment of its 1998 Student Shakespeare Festival at Center Stage, 700 N. Calvert St., on Wednesday from 9: 30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Student groups from five schools in Baltimore City and Baltimore and Anne Arundel counties will perform Shakespearean scenes they've been preparing throughout the academic year.
