Something wacky this way comes!
Several unorthodox versions of Shakespeare’s plays will grace the stages, parks, clubs, and spas of Brooklyn this summer! These off-beat productions will put a modern spin on the Bard’s centuries-old plays.
Brave new girl
Park Slope’s Gallery Players will put on this season’s most traditional production, a version of Shakespeare’s final play “The Tempest.” In telling the story of the wizard Prospero and his daughter Miranda, exiles on a distant island, the Players will use a youth chorus as the spirits who work Prospero’s magic. And this show has a romance appropriate for thie post-Pride season, with Miranda falling in love with a shipwrecked princess.
Gallery Players [199 14th St. between Fourth and Fifth avenues in Park Slope, (212) 352–3101, wwww.galle
Getting Cage-y
This group takes the Shakespeare out of “Shakespeare in the Park!” Instead, theatrical comedy event “Cage in the Park” will re-enact the 1997 Nicolas Cage film “Face/Off” — but will do it in iambic pentameter, with a full band, and with the setting moved to ancient Rome. Created by a writer and a producer at “The Daily Show,” this Bard-adjacent show is sure to make you laugh.
The Peristyle Grecian Shelter in Prospect Park [Parkside Avenue between Parade Place and Park Circle in Prospect Park South]. July 14 at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Free.
House of Yea, verily
Bushwick’s famous club House of Yes will give the Bard of Avon a modern makeover. On July 17 and 18, the venue will host “Shakespeare in the Club: The Dream Midsummer ’19,” an adaptation of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” with a focus on sexual consent. Loaded with original songs and choreography, the production will critique the lack of bodily autonomy in the shape-shifting, potion-pushing original play, while delivering raunchy and interactive performances.
House of Yes [2 Wyckoff Ave. at Jefferson Avenue, (646) 838–4973, www.house
Spa, sirrah!
The fairies and star-crossed lovers from Shakespeare’s summer romp will descend on a Gowanus spa on July 24 for “A Midsummer Night’s Steam,” where the all-female cast will mingle with the cocktail-sipping audience. Rather than sticking strictly to the original script, the actresses will role play their characters as they relax in hot tubs and saunas, sing ballads, and read sonnets to guests. The spa will serve light refreshments, and attendees can enjoy full access to its steam room, aromatherapy, and other amenities.
CityWell Brooklyn [496 President St. between Nevins Street and Third Avenue in Gowanus, (347) 294–0100, www.cityw
