Draw your quills, sharpen your wits and polish your pickaxes for a rootin’-tootin’ good time at “The Great Shakespeare Showdown” at the Pagosa Springs Center for the Arts on Sunday, June 14, at 3 p.m.
It’s the fall of 1882 in Leadville — where a tale unfolds in a real-life mining community so crazy about Shakespeare that silver mines are actually named after his characters. And tonight promises to be a very special one at the Tabor Opera House when famed English actor Sir Charles Goodknight (played by Pagosa favorite Dan Morrison) is tricked into an onstage duel of bardic banter against the firebrand all-American actress Harriet Twelvetrees (Kate Poling).
Surprise, surprise: The town is torn down the middle over who to support. The town’s upper-crust favors Sir Charles, while the redneck residents (led by Mel Schaffer) root for Twelvetrees. The management is so excited they’ve even put out clean spittoons.
Audiences will be encouraged to hiss and boo and cheer along with the miners as well as the socialites. And you can quote along with the cast if you know your “Merchant of Venice,” “Romeo and Juliet” and “Richard III.” You might even want to sing along, too.
“The Great Shakespeare Showdown” is the latest production by playwright Dennis Elkins in collaboration with Flying Solo Presents in preparation for taking this production to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival later in August.
This onetime performance at 3 on June 14 is a special thank you to Thingamajig Theatre Company season subscribers.
Please contact the Pagosa Springs Center for the Arts to reserve your seats, (970) 731-7469 or thingamajigbox@gmail.com.
Join us to find out who comes out on top in this quick-fire contest and be crowned The Best Bard West of the Alleghenies.
>