Midsummer Mayhem: The Prophesies at Winnemac Park

Chicago On Stage - Recommended

"...Having recently moved into the city, I decided to indulge myself with a two-night immersion into one of its rich traditions: Shakespeare in the Park. First stop: Winnemac Park for Shakespeare's Motley Crew's sixth compilation of scenes they call "Midsummer Mayhem." Shakespeare's Motley Crew has been performing full-length plays and compilations of scenes since 1992; this year's theme is "Prophecies"-a term they use loosely, as any seemingly predetermined set of circumstances will fit. Thus they can include Macbeth's witches, Julius Caesar's soothsayer, and even Teiresias from guest artist Sophocles' Oedipus The King alongside of the "star-crossed lovers" Romeo and Juliet and Malvolio from Twelfth Night. It makes for a fun hour's entertainment with a lot of variety. There is laughter, love, and (yes) mayhem in the form of both fisticuffs and swordplay."