Robert Behr

Donald Marguiles' well-crafted Off-Broadway play brings the real historical figure of Louis de Rougemonte to life on CATCO's Riffe Center stage. CATCO's Studio Two space transforms as it tells this whirlwind of a tale, so fantastically ridiculous, you can't help but think that it might just be true. Aided by a set that looks much like the deck of a Pirates of the Carribean movie sprawled out before your eyes in absolutely breathtaking detail (designed by the phenomenal Michael S. Brewer), and characters brought to life in Victorian era charm with costumes by Marcia Hain, Director Mark Seamon creates a re-telling that is like a bedtime story on steroids- full of over-the-top imagination as chapters unfold.

Appearing in rotation with its production of "The Taming of The Shrew" as part of their summer series at Mill Run Amphitheater's "Island", "Henry IV: Part One" is one of Shakespeare's history plays, but this version is also one of the more accessible Shakespeare productions I have seen in awhile. The storyline, as written by the bard, is admittedly a bit dry at times, but this particular production is acted with gusto, and the plotline is easily understandable, even without the program synopsis. The tale centers around the universal themes of family and duty, and is a coming of age tale of Hal, the Prince of Wales who finds himself torn between living the life of the free and easy at Eastcheap Tavern with his buddies, or assuming the duty of protecting the kingdom of his father, King Henry IV.

Among its many assets, Columbus, Ohio has an abundance of college students, research facilities, and, according to Kate Tull, Shakespearean actors.

The board of directors of Midwest's oldest professional theatre devoted to outdoor productions of the classics will now be lead by Oak Park resident Kevin Theis. Theis directed last summer's popular and critical smash hit Cyrano de Bergerac which shattered box office records.