The Oberon Playhouse has a problem. It’s 1942, the men are off fighting the Germans and the playhouse needs men to cast its upcoming work — Shakespeare’s “Henriad.” The inventive wife of Oberon’s artistic director, however, has the answer – direct the production herself and use an all-female cast.
Such is the premise of George Brant’s “Into the Breeches,” where a dedicated troupe of female performers unite in desire — if not actual theater experience — to pull together this group of the Bard’s history plays depicting the rise of the English kings.
Before the enterprising director (Katharine Otis) begins rehearsals, she must convince a certain monied board member (Chris Harper) to fund the venture and the popular local diva (Dana Lewenthal) to play a man’s role. Helping her along the way is the board member’s very supportive wife (Marsha Van Broek).
Given Shakespeare’s pension for creating hilarious “play within a play” plots, Brant is on solid ground with this 1942 version where the women play the men’s roles and the one female role is played by the male stage manager (Gregory Lynch). Other cast members playing a variety of colorful characters are Mary Katherine Patterson, Helen Kim and Alana Wagner.
Marilyn Langbehn directs this moving comedy, which runs July 11 through Aug. 3 at Masquers Playhouse on 105 Park Ave. in Pt. Richmond.
For tickets, call 510-232-3888 or go to masquers.org.
Livermore and Danville: Also focusing on Shakespeare, SPARC Theater, formerly known as Livermore Shakespeare Festival, hopes to help fill the void now that Cal Shakes is no longer producing theater.
The company opens with “Sir John Falstaff and the Merry Wives of Windsor,” running July 5 through Aug. 24. Taking a cue from Shakespeare’s habit of dropping contemporary references into his plays, SPARC has reimagined the romantic comedy to the late 1800s when the founding of Livermore occurred.
“It’s a great way to enjoy a little history and literature,” suggested Artistic Director Lisa Tromovitch, who is also directing. “We get a glimpse into our own history while enjoying the writing of arguably the greatest playwright in the English language. I’ve edited out the references to then-local news that don’t make sense to a contemporary audience and replaced them with music appropriate to the 1800s in the new State of California.”
Livermore’s first railway station opened in 1870. It’s in this setting of endless possibilities that SPARC sets the story of a pair of merry wives and Sir John Falstaff, who thinks he can trick these savvy women into a tryst. Needing money, the disreputable Falstaff pursues Mistress Ford and Mistress Page hoping to gain access to their fortunes. The wives, however, are much too clever and devise a series of humiliating pranks to teach Falstaff a lesson.
Meanwhile, young love is definitely in the air as Mistress Page’s daughter Anne is beset by multiple lovers, none of which she intends to marry.
Lots of fun and silliness mark this Shakespeare comedy with a heavy dose of smart, loyal women full of courage and wit.
Performances in July take place under the stars at Darcie Kent Vineyards on 7000 Tesla Road in Livermore. The show moves to Danville’s Village Theatre on 233 Front St. for the three weekends in August. For tickets, call 925-433-2273 or go to sparctheater.org/tickets.
Martinez: Congratulations to the Campbell Theater which recently had their lease with the city of Martinez renewed for two more years. So many theater companies perform in this lovely space that losing it as a venue would have been truly tragic.
For a listing of current events happening at the theater, go to campbelltheater.com.
Also in Martinez: If you’re interested in auditioning for OnStage Repertory Theatre’s show “Boeing Boeing,” contact director Michael McGarty at mmcgarty@gmail.com. Auditions take place Saturday and Sunday, rehearsals begin mid-August with the show performing Nov. 7-23.
S.F.: A rarely performed comic gem — Rossini’s “Le Comte Ory” — takes to the San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s Caroline H. Hume Concert Hall on 50 Oak St. in San Francisco on July 31 and Aug. 2, marking the first time in over 30 years that the opera has been performed in the Bay Area.
Presented by the Merola Opera Program, “Le Comte Ory” features Metropolitan Opera conductor Pierre Vallet and stars tenor Minghao Liu, who is known for his radiant tone and comic flair. Garnett Bruce directs.
Audience members unfamiliar with the piece will be treated to a very funny, mischievous, romantic comedy as Count Ory stops at nothing including disguising himself in increasingly ridiculous ways to win the heart of Countess Adele, performed by soprano Eva Rae Martinez.
Merola Opera also announces the appointment of performer and inventive director Alek Shrader as the company’s director of membership and engagement.
For more information on the Merola Opera and tickets to “Le Comte Ory,” call 415-864-3330 or go to merola.org.
Reach Sally Hogarty at sallyhogarty@gmail.com, and read more of her reviews online at eastbaytimes.com/author/sally-hogarty.