Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM 14 UCW APRIL 5 - 11, 2023 e upcoming spring and summer season of Sweet Tea Shakespeare will include plays in both Fayetteville and Raleigh. "Shakespeare in Love," "A Midsummer Night's Dream," "e Illusion," and "e Little Princess" will take audiences to a realm of grand drama and intense emotion. Tickets for all plays continue to be among the most reasonably priced entertainment alternatives in the area, as Sweet Tea Shakespeare embraces its purpose to make theater accessible to everyone. A chance to see all four plays at a discounted price has been made available for those looking for a genu- inely entertaining spring and summer event. "e Illusion" and "Shakespeare in Love" will run consecutively in Fayetteville April through early July. "A Little Princess" will run in June and "A Midsummer Night's Dream" will run in late July, both in Raleigh. To see all four shows, it's only $50. For students of any age, it is $25. Sweet Tea Shakespeare's produc- tion of Tony Kushner's "e Illusion" will sprinkle some magic across Fayetteville. is comedy drama, which is an adaptation of "L'Illusion Comique" by French writer Pierre Corneille from the 17th century, is sure to amuse audiences this spring. "e Illusion" focuses on Prida- mant, a worried parent frantically looking for his son Clindor. When he meets Alcandre the Magician, whose promise is to reveal Clindor's location through a vision, this story takes an unexpected turn. It serves as a re- minder that travels are genuine, even if some of what we see in life may not be, as it unfolds with stock characters from commedia dell'arte and full of illusions that confound even Alcandre himself. Jeremy Fiebig, Sweet Tea Shake- speare Artistic Director, is in charge of directing the play. is outdoor performance will run from April 21-23, April 28-30 and May 5-7 starting at 7:30 p.m. at the rustic amphitheater at Gillis Hill Farm. ere will be a live music pre-show 45 min- utes before show time. Many call "Shakespeare in Love" a testament to storytelling. In this story, the Queen demands a comedy and every word the playwright pens leaves him perplexed. To have the opportunity to voice her opinions, a noblewoman challenges the estab- lished quo. In Sweet Tea Shakespeare's production, the most tragic love story ever written is re-imagined. "Shakespeare In Love," a theatrical adaptation of the 1999 Oscar-winning screenplay by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard, will be performed in Fayetteville this summer to the delight of Sweet Tea Shakespeare audiences. e play follows a young Will Shake- speare's struggle to write his next play and how his encounters with Viola DeLessex, a young member of the aristocracy, affect him. Viola dreams of appearing in one of his plays despite the fact that doing so is against the law. eir interactions inspire Will to write the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. It is directed by special guest Jim Warren (Founding Director of the American Shakespeare Center, author of Shakespeare's New Contempo- raries, and head project consultant for the American Globe Center), and features original music by award-win- ning multi-hyphenate musician Owen Eddy (www.oweneddy.com). Will and Viola fall in love and get into trouble as they try to navigate their star-crossed path to happiness against the humorous backdrop of mistaken identity, cunning plotting and backstage antics. What transpires is evidence of the storytelling's ability to lead us to unex- pected locations, unbelievable oppor- tunities, and eventually our magum opus — our great life's work. e venue for this performance is to be announced soon. is show will run from June 23-25, June 20-July 2 with shows beginning at 7:30 p.m. ere will be a live music pre-show 30 minutes before show time. Guests can purchase the All Four One package or individual show tick- ets. For more information on produc- tions in Fayetteville and the two to be performed in Raleigh, visit https:// sweetteashakespeare.com/. EVENTS CHAYENNE BURNS, Staff Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomin- gweekly.com. 910-484-6200. Sweet Tea Shakespeare ready to deliver magic, love and mayhem to audiences this season by CHAYENNE BURNS Sweet Tea Shakespeare will present "e Illusion" at Gillis Hill Farm in April and May. e comedy is part of an All Four One ticket package deal offered this season where guests can attend four plays. (Photo courtesy Sweet Tea Shakespeare)