Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Under the direction of Artistic Director Tim Carroll, Bernard Shaw’s charming retelling of the beloved Aesop fable Androcles and the Lion is an interactive spur-of-the-moment theatre experience. The fusing of audience engagement with music and song, along with Shaw’s delightful text, creates a distinctly different performance every time. Previews of Androcles and the Lion begin June 6 at the Court House Theatre.
In ancient Rome, Androcles, a fugitive Christian tailor, and his wife, Megaera are on the run from persecution. While hiding in the forest they meet up with a fierce lion. Though his wife flees, Androcles stands his ground. Noticing a large thorn embedded in its paw, Androcles removes it and tends to the lion. Man meets lion, man helps lion, and so begins one of Shaw’s most beguiling plays. But what happens next depends on the audience’s choices. This production is full of twists and turns, while always remaining faithful to the original text.
Dana Osborne’s flexible set and quick-change costumes, Kimberly Purtell’s lighting design, Alexis Milligan’s dance sequences and puppetry; and Paul Sportelli’s music direction and original compositions all work together to enhance the show’s fluidity, spontaneity and unpredictability.
Androcles and the Lion is on stage at the Court House Theatre (26 Queen Street, Niagara-on-the-Lake) from June 6 to October 7 (opening June 24).
This Shaw Festival production is proudly sponsored by CIBC and the Gabriel Pascal Memorial Fund.
The Shaw Festival’s 2017 season is on stage April 5 through October 15. The playbill features Me and My Girl, Saint Joan, Dracula, 1837: The Farmers’ Revolt, Androcles and the Lion, Wilde Tales, The Madness of George III, Dancing at Lughnasa, An Octoroon, Middletown, 1979 and Secret Theatre.
Direct bus service from Toronto to Niagara-on-the-Lake on the Shaw Express began April 5. Patrons can choose to come for one day or stay for the weekend with a round trip costing $25. A ticket to a 2017 Shaw Festival performance is required to access this service.
Tickets for the 2017 Festival season and Shaw Express are available through the Box Office at 1-800-511-SHAW and online at www.shawfest.com.
2017-06-02
Niagara-on-the-Lake: Shaw's "Androcles and the Lion" begins previews June 6