The Long Beach Shakespeare Company knows that love is complicated. That’s why beginning this Friday, it’s dedicating the entire year to performances that depict love in all its messy, beautiful, joyous, ugly ways.
Through stories both classic and modern, Creative Director Holly Leveque has handpicked tales that all ask the same question, “So This Is Love?” Some shows will explore this ancient question through familial relationships, others via romances, friendships, self-love, and as Leveque put it, “the non-obvious forms of love.”
“There’s so many different kinds of love out there, and I wanted to bring some joy to people in light of the times we live in, which seems to be so overwhelming, especially right now with the fires,” Leveque said. “You’re discovering what really matters to you.”
This year’s ensemble of staged productions, radio shows, poetic works and even a fairytale-turned-Christmas-tale will challenge the concepts of love, and ask how are you willing to be treated in the name of love, and what are you willing to endure?
“It’s driven people insane, this idea of what love is,” Leveque said. “Wars have been fought all for the sake of a woman, all for the sake of a relationship and love. It’s something that people are willing to do basically anything for.”
The Shakespeare Company’s loyal patrons can still expect the return of beloved traditions, like the New Works Festival in May and June and the haunting Poetry Series in October.
Going Back to the Classics
“Richard III” – Select dates from Jan. 24 – Feb. 8
True to its namesake, the theatre is kicking off its love-laden season with quintessential Shakespearean shows, beginning this Friday with “Richard III.” That “non-obvious” form of love that Leveque wanted to explore is on full display in The Bard’s bloody tale of power and betrayal.
The Duke of York Richard is beside himself with jealousy when his brother George IV takes the throne of England, and his pursuit to usurp his brother results in deadly consequences. While Richard’s love is not for his family or eventual wife, the audience can decide for themselves if Richard’s actions are fueled by a love for his country, for himself, or simply for power.
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” – Select dates from March 28 – April 13
Audiences can enjoy a lighter tone in this comedic tale following a mess of arranged marriages, love triangles and mischievous fairies.
A marriage between Theseus, the Duke of Athens and Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons sets the stage. The Duke’s daughter Hermia however, is refusing to marry her betrothed Demetruis and flees from Athens and into the forest with her lover, Lysander. In direct pursuit is Hermia’s friend Helena, who of course is in love with Demetrius and hopes he will see she is the one for him.
A group of fairies contribute to the confusion with love potions, which they use liberally, and the true chaos ensues. The humorous classic questions the difference between real love and fake love, and how is a person to know when they actually love somebody?
“Much Ado About Nothing” – Select dates from July 18 – Aug. 3
Perhaps the most clear embodiment of the season, this comedy follows two couples as they stumble through their “will they, won’t they?” passions for one another. This show features an engagement, a bitter bachelor’s plot to ruin said engagement and another plot to trick people into falling in love.
Audiences will enjoy the character’s wittiness set in lovely Italy, as schemes and affections run high. Before diving into more serious subject matter later in the season, “Much Ado About Nothing” revels in the silliness and unpredictability of love.
A Turn for the Modern…ish
“A Doll’s House” – Select dates from Aug. 29 – Sept. 14
Following Shakespeare’s staged productions, the company will jump forward roughly 300 years for an adaptation of Henrick Ibsen’s 1879 three-act play, “A Doll’s House.” In a callback to Leveque’s first season with the company, when she directed Ibsen’s “Peer Gynt,” she expressed her excitement to explore the rich themes in the text, this time on the stage herself.
Taking place in the main character Nora’s living room, the audience is introduced to a cheerful woman with a beautiful family: three kids and a husband with a well-paying job. Very quickly, the varnish of this picture perfect life begins to wear off, and it becomes clear that Nora is merely a doll, a decoration in her house and life.
“It’s a play about the inequity of gender roles and the hypocrisy of traditional society,” Leveque said. “Nora has sacrificed so much in her life, and what is she willing to lose to become her true self? […] And what lies and misadventures can come up all for the sake of trying to protect the people that you love?”
“Cinderella Holiday Edition” – Select dates from Nov. 21 – Dec. 7
In this fairytale meets modern romance meets Christmas story, audiences can finally see the reason behind the name for the season.
“It felt right to acknowledge that little nugget that I couldn’t get out of my head, but then also that question that you’re asking yourself like, ‘Is this love, is this lust?’” Leveque said. “It’s another testament to the grand story in this classic fairytale that you think we’re so far removed from.”
The Long Beach Shakespeare Company will be taking a page out of the British handbook for this production, by giving a well known tale a holiday spin. (Take any British television Christmas special as an example). Audiences will get their fair share of holiday cheer in this classic love story, complete with original Christmas songs.
Radio Shows and Festivals
A season at the Long Beach Shakespeare Company wouldn’t be complete without their annual old-time radio-style productions. This year’s slate includes “War of the Worlds,” which Leveque called “a love letter to Helen,” whom the theater is named after, the comedy “Arsenic and Old Lace,” the classic “A Christmas Carol” and much to the delight of patrons, “Wizard of Oz.”
Leveque said after the “Wicked”-mania that swept the nation following the theatrical release, she received many requests from the community to have a “Wizard of Oz” production. The show will receive a slightly longer run than its companions, with two weeks.
Radio shows are as scheduled:
- “Wizard of Oz” – Feb. 21 – March 2
- “Arsenic and Old Lace” – Oct. 10 – 19
- “War of the Worlds” – Oct. 24 – 26
- “A Christmas Carol” – Dec. 12 – 14
Audiences will get a taste of something new in May and June: six original one-acts, full-length plays or musicals in the 2025 New Works Festival on May 16 – 18 and June 20 – 22. Local playwrights and companies without their own theater will have a chance to debut their work to the world from the stage of the Helen Borgers Theater.
From Oct. 3-5, the company will spotlight poetry, especially that with a spooky or haunting feeling. Southern California poet Brian Sonia-Wallace will curate three days of readings, performances and other activities. A horror piece inspired by Franz Kafka’s “Metamorphosis” will premiere during this series, exploring the secrets that families keep behind their doors in the name of love.
To purchase tickets for “Richard III” or any other show during the “So This Is Love?” season, visit lbshakespeare.org/. All proceeds for the Jan. 24 show will go toward Theatre Palisades, as their playhouse was lost in the Palisades fire.
