All set for another bumper season by the Stamford Shakespeare Company

The mesmorising Stamford Shakespeare Company has a triptych of delightful plays lined up for their open air summer season, at Tolethorpe Hall, in June.
A Midsummer Night's Dream - The Mechanicals PHOTO: SuppliedA Midsummer Night's Dream - The Mechanicals PHOTO: Supplied
A Midsummer Night's Dream - The Mechanicals PHOTO: Supplied

Kick-starting the month is the traditional Elizabethan comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

The plot: four runaway lovers must spend the night in a dark and ominous wood. Meanwhile, in a nearby glade, humble workmen are rehearsing a play. They encounter the parallel universe of fairies, goblins and sprites, where all is not well between the fairy King and Queen, whose quarrel spills over into the mortal world. The first show starts on June 6 and runs until the end of July.

The company is also performing Shakespeare’s funniest comedy, Much Ado About Nothing.

The plot: battle-weary heroes return from the First World War with their thoughts turning to romance. Benedick and Beatrice are “horribly in love;” they mock each other, feign disinterest and hurl insults until they are duped into declaring their true feelings. Meanwhile, the dastardly Don John and his comical sidekicks plot to scupper any romances.

Can the incompetent WPC Dogberry and the riotous ladies of ‘the watch’ foil their plans? From the directors of 2013’s hit The Comedy of Errors, this hilarious production is full of witty love-duelling, comic villains and crazy chases. The first show starts on June 13 and runs through June and August.

The third play to be staged is Harold Brighouse’s classic comedy from the cobbles of Lancashire, Hobson’s Choice.

The plot: the hilarious trials and tribulations of bombastic boot-shop owner Henry Horatio Hobson and his three uppity daughters in 1880’s Salford.

When Hobson teases his eldest daughter, Maggie, about being past the marrying age, she promptly retaliates by marrying his best boot-hand, Willie Mossop, and setting up a rival shop. Hobson’s future looks uncertain. As a battle of wills ensues between father and daughter, can the hapless Willie triumph?This timeless tale never fails to amuse and entertain in equal measure. The first show starts on July 4 and runs until the end of August.

Shows run daily, except Sunday. Tickets cost £14 Monday to Thursday, £16 for Fridays, £19 for Saturdays and £19 for Saturday matinees.

Call the box office on (01780) 756133 or for more information visit http://stamfordshakespeare.co.uk/

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