Hansol Jung’s previously announced modern verse translation of Romeo and Juliet will be transferring to Off-Broadway’s Lynn F. Angelson Theater this spring. Not-for-profit Play On Shakespeare has announced the production’s transfer from New Jersey’s Two River Theater as part of its spring 2023 season.
Presented by NAATCO in partnership with Two River Theater where Romeo & Juliet will make its world premiere April 8-30, the Off-Broadway run will begin May 9 and open May 14. Performances are set through June 3 for the classic story about star-crossed lovers. The production will feature an all-Asian American cast under the direction of Jung and Dustin Wills with original music by Brian Quijada. Jung’s take on the work was originally presented by Two River Theater as part of their Benefit Reading Series under the direction of Chay Yew.
Newly announced is that A. Nora Long will direct Sean San José’s translation of the political thriller Coriolanus at The Plaza Theatre, Boston Center for the Arts. Actors’ Shakespeare Project explores the tragedy with a particular lens on the impact of violence and political power on marginalized populations in the production, which will run March 29-April 23.
In Dallas, Texas, Shakespeare’s Henriad will play the Samuell-Grand Amphitheatre April 20-30. For the set of four plays, Naomi Iizuka translated Richard II with Yvette Nolan taking on Henry IV Parts 1 & 2, and Lloyd Suh writing the modern translation of Henry V.
For Play On Podcast listeners everywhere, the series will release the first episode of Kenneth Cavender’s The Tempest April 10. Jay O. Sanders will star as Prospero in the podcast play which is presented in partnership with New Chapter Podcasts. Director Andy Wolk said in a statement, “In 1611, Shakespeare ventured into a territory he had never gone before, writing a wholly original play—The Tempest—about someone who could be him: A playwright manipulating characters, stage-managing spectacle, and spinning a fantastic story of love and revenge.”
Play On Shakespeare will announced more 2023 titles soon. The organization commissions contemporary playwrights and translators to update Shakespeare’s words into modern verse, “with a majority of commissions being helmed by BIPOC and womxn playwrights.” Some translations are then presented as audio performances in episodic form via the podcast series, and are often accompanied by additional episodes that take listeners inside the play. Previous series include Macbeth, Pericles, Coriolanus, King Lear, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Twelfth Night. The podcast is available on Apple and Spotify.
Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies releases all Play On Shakespeare’s translations in print.
For tickets and more information on Romeo and Juliet, visit TwoRiverTheater.org; for tickets and more information on Coriolanus, visit ActorsShakespeareProject.org; for tickets and more information on the Henriad, visit ShakespeareDallas.TicketSpice.com; and for more information on the podcasts and to listen, visit NCPodcasts.com.