Avon calling…

Shakespearean festival will ‘returneth’ to Canton stage

Photos provided by Michigan Shakespeare Festival

Works of 'The Bard of Avon' will take to the stage at The Village Theater at Cherry Hill in Canton beginning this week when the Michigan Shakespeare Festival, the official Shakespeare Festival of the State of Michigan, will return to the theater for performances from July 19 through Aug. 21. This is the only time in the 27-year history of the festival that the entire run will be performed at one theater.

“We're so pleased that our home in Canton is welcoming us back for our 2022 season, and we're thrilled to be able to rehearse, tech, and open our shows at The Village Theater,” Shakespeare Artistic Director Janice L. Blixt said. 

The three Main Stage shows will be the heroic and epic drama Henry V, featuring Ann Arbor native Sam Hubbard as the king, the bright comedy The Merry Wives of Windsor being directed by award-winning Artistic Associate Robert Kauzlaric, and the silly farce Charley's Aunt by Brandon Thomas featuring Edmund Alyn Jones.

Focusing on the events prior to and following the famous Battle of Agincourt, Henry V tells the story of one of the greatest British kings - and the man behind the title. The final piece of Prince Hal's story first played out in Henry IV, parts one and two, award-winning Shakespeare festival productions from 2015, where audiences witnessed the wild and angry young man as he grew into a leader of men. One of Shakespeare's most famous histories, Henry V features some of the most famous scenes and speeches in the cannon. The production is directed by Blixt.

Mistress Page and Mistress Ford have a very large problem - a drunken rogue who won't leave them alone. Sir John Falstaff is short of money and on the hunt for a lady willing to take him on and pay his bills.  The ladies get together and hatch a plan to thwart the pest - if only their husbands can stay out of the way.  The Merry Wives of Windsor is famously the result of Queen Elizabeth I demanding that Shakespeare write a play featuring Falstaff falling in love - and how else could such a request play out? 

Jack and Charley have fallen in love with Kitty and Amy - who are being sent away to Scotland by Amy's Uncle - who is also Kitty's guardian.  The guys invite their loves to lunch - where they intend to declare their intentions and meet Charley's slightly eccentric Aunt Donna Lucia D'Alvadorez.  What follows is a romantic comedy full of starchy relatives, clever servants, and Lord Fancourt Babberley.  Charley's Aunt was a sensation upon opening, running 1,466 performances-come take a break this summer and join us for the mayhem. This production is adapted and directed by Blixt.  

The third show on the MSF calendar is always a classical play from a playwright other than Shakespeare.

The 2022 season will also feature beloved festival actors Alan Ball and Jason Briggs and designers Aly Renee Amidei, Emily McConnell, and Melanie Schuessler-Bond.

The 2022 season is partially supported by the Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment for the Arts / Arts Works Program.

Season tickets are on sale now at www.cantonvillagetheater.org or by calling The Village Theater Box Office at (734) 394-5300.  For additional information, visit the MSF website: www.michiganshakespearefestival.com.

The Village Theater at Cherry Hill is located at 50400 Cherry Hill Road, Canton, MI  48187 www.cantonvillagetheater.org.                                    

Reduced price Flexpasses for all three shows are also available.

Curtain time is usually 7:30 p.m. with Saturday matinees at 2 pm, and the Sunday matinees at 3 pm.