Shakespeare Society

2007-2008 year productions

        Boston University Shakespeare Society presents Queen Lear, directed by Viv Brand and Tim Collins. The story follows the near-death King of England, as he decides upon the division of his kingdom amongst his three daughters. Lear loves his youngest daughter Cordelia most, but the kindhearted girl refuses to exaggerate her true feelings for her father. Lear's stupidity results in the banishment of both the only daughter who truly loves lim and his most loyal servant, Kent. As the play unfolds, Lear's physical and mental health begin to deteriorate as he is faced with the consequences of his actions. Like most of Shakespeare's classics, the result, of course, is tragedy. A modernization of Shakespeare's King Lear set in 1980's New York City, Lear is a drag queen who owns several loval bars and decides to give his property away to his daughters before he dies. In this version, Gloucester is a female character who is in male drag throughout the play. The result...well, see for yourself. 

        While BUSS's adaptation of Lear was admittedly controversial, it presents universal feelings of inadequacy, loss of identity, the fear of growing old, and the pressure to conform to societal norms. Queen Lear highlights the central themes of Shakespeare's original masterpiece and proves that people can sympathize with the King of England as easily as they can with a New York drag queen.

        Boston University Shakespeare Society presents Taming of the Shrew, directed by Arielle Davidsohn and Corey Eridon. It opens with a father facing a big problem: one of his daughters was hot. The other was just hot tempered. The father banned the younger daughter, Bianca, from marriage until the elder daughter, Kate, found a husband. There were not many voluteers. After years of sexual frustration, Bianca's suitros hatched a plan. They found someone just crazy enough to give Kate a chance. Meanwhile, the suitors disguise themselves as tutors to win Bianca's love. But she already has a man in mind: amerous Lucentio. Lucentio disguises himself as the tutor Cambio, and sets his servant Tranio loose in Padua disguised in his clothes. Meanwhile, Hortensio fumbles as he tries to win Bianca's love by disguising himself as the musically inept flute tutor Litio. In this mess of confused identities, misogyny, and the battle for supremacy in the battle of the sexes, hilarity is bound to insue.