Twists on Shakespeare have become the rule rather than the exception as theater companies strive to make the Bard more relevant to contemporary audiences by transporting his themes to other times and places. Shakespeare Dallas’ summer and fall outdoor season has a pair of such conceptual productions.
Othello is relocated to the 1990s as if the maritime Venetian empire where it’s set — a European force for more than 1,000 years — were still a dominant power. Later, The Taming of the Shrew unfolds in the American Wild West.
The Shakespeare in the Park season at Samuell-Grand Amphitheatre has already opened more straightforwardly with Oscar Wilde’s romantic comedy The Importance of Being Earnest.
Earnest runs through July 18 concurrently with Othello, which opens June 20 and closes July 20. Shrew runs Sept. 19-Oct. 19. Details, tickets at shakespearedallas.org.
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