From January 17 to 29, 2023, the Great Canadian Theatre Company presents As You Like It: A Radical Retelling, a (you guessed it!) radical interpretation of Shakespeare’s play from Cliff Cardinal, creator of Huff and Stitch.
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“Playright Cliff Cardinal takes Shakespeare’s tale of mistaken identity, trials of love, and the tension between nature and the state, and spins it on its head for a contemporary Canadian audience,” says Artistic Director Sarah Kitz.
Born on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Cardinal is a cultural provocateur, playwright and performer known for dipping his toes in complex subject matter, raw emotions, and topical comedy. This 2022 Canadian cultural icon (The Globe and Mail‘s words, folks) studied playwriting at the National Theatre School of Canada, and he’s currently an associate artist at VideoCabaret.
“[Cardinal] has an uncanny ability as a writer to grapple with the big ideas in this old play while making them relevant to us now,” says Kitz. “He also brings laughter!”
Cliff Cardinal. Photo by: Dahlia Katz
Known for his cutting humour, Cardinal’s take on this Shakespearean classic brings rekindled energy to this twisting comedy about mistaken identity as well as the hardships love carries with it. Not your typical Shakespeare: this adaptation shows that this playwright’s unpredictability doesn’t pull its punches.
“I hope that the audience receives the invitation of love and care that is embedded in this piece,” says Kitz.
Give it a go, it’s what Shakespeare would have wanted (he told me himself).
Tickets are available at gctc.ca or the box office. Limited Pick-Your-Price tickets ($15/$25/$35) are available; you can find the promo code for the respective prices on GCTC’s website. Opening night is January 19 with curtain at 8pm. Cast will be announced at each performance. No photos are allowed in the theatre.
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