THEATRE AT-A-GLANCE
THE ALCHEMIST
The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey
www.ShakespeareNJ.org
When the merchant Lovewit flees London to
avoid the plague, wild antics ensue as Lovewit’s opportunistic butler reimagines himself
as Captain Face, a clever character with a “get
rich quick” mentality. Face joins forces with
fellow con man Subtle and a local prostitute Dol Common. Together, the
trio baits a parade of colorful dupes with the promise of gold, including a
lawyer’s clerk, a tobacconist, a nobleman, a widow, and religious fanatics.
Written in 1610, Jonson’s bawdy, lunatic comedy demonstrates how little
has changed about greed or gullibility in the affairs of mankind. The production runs August 6 through August 24.
SPAMALOT
Surflight Theatre
www.Surflight.org
The Tony Award-winning musical, lovingly
ripped off from the 1975 film classic “Monty
Python and the Holy Grail”, runs from July 30
to August 24. Featuring music and lyrics by the
Grammy-Award winning team of Eric Idle and
John Du Prez and book by Eric Idle, Spamalot tells the story of King Arthur
and his Knights of the Round Table as they embark on their madcap quest
for the Holy Grail. Plus there’s the bevy of beautiful show girls, flying cows,
killer rabbits, taunting Frenchmen and show-stopping musical numbers.
New Jersey Stage
July 2014
pg 36