"Brews with the "Bard" at Henderson's Lovelady

By Marianne Donnelly

"Bard at the Bar Theatre Company” will perform a delightful combination of small batch brews and large comedy theatrics, based on William Shakespeare's, "Taming of the Shrew," at Lovelady Brewery in Henderson on Wednesday, August 14 at 7:00 pm. The ever-evolving, inventive, immersive theatrical troupe, specializes in performing in alternative venues--from trendy welcoming bars such as Velveteen Rabbit in the Arts District--to family festivals like Pirate Fest

Their upcoming bar(d)-worthy reworking of The Bard of Avon's comedy, "The Taming of the Shrew,” jumps right into Signor Baptista announcing he "will not bestow my younger son, until I have procured a wife for the elder!” And so, the hilarity begins. This is unlike any other revision. Keenly gender-swapped, suitors are now female and daughters are sons!

Who are these brave bard-busters? Producing Director Greg Korin had been trying to sell his clever shows that combine heroes and lovers from Shakespeare plays, but kept hearing, "its all Greek to me" (pun) from timid space owners. But, as Shakespeare's saying goes, "I am a kind of burr; I shall stick." indeed Korin and his crew stuck it out, dug in deeper and pulled out gold!

BATB's (Bard at the Bar) persistance paid off as one venue after another raked in decent money from his troupe's tongue-in-cheek renditions. Now, they are soaring high and planning many more adventures.

Artistic Director and actress, Cassandra Krupp, and her mother Ann Krupp, Manager Extraordinaire, adapt unwieldy Shakespearean opuses into manageable shorter presentations for bars, restaurants, plazas, festivals, pop-up theatres and other challenging spaces. Adding to the creative punnery is the clever timing of productions such as their deftly produced "Macbeth" on Halloween (get it!?), "Twelfth Night" on, ahem, January 12, and "Romeo and Juliet" for Valentine’s Day!

Front LtoR: Tori Imlach, Sara Desautels, Greg Korin, Juliana Renee Martin, Devon Burke, Johnie Wood IV Back LtoR: Kent Allen, Kate Reilly, Myles Lee, Michael Brunner

One could say, "Much Ado About Nothing" (which also had a fun run) but there is definitely something to have much ado about Bard at the Bar Theatre, including pun-fun.

These experiences are now sell-outs. Their success continues with this second booking at Lovelady Brewery, a non-smoking gem with a pet friendly patio, owned and operated by long-time Henderson natives who, "are dedicated to giving back to their community." It is a wide open, welcoming, popular hangout with an extensive menu of small batch, rare, fun and fine brews by the glass or growler.

You do not need to be familiar with Shakespeare, or theatre, to enjoy BATB's inviting, fast-paced, funny productions chuck full of delicious bon-mots like these:
"A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool... Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them...
There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so...
They do not love that do not show their love..."

Perhaps Korin thinks of himself as, "I am a fellow o' the strangest mind i' the world; I delight in masques and revels-- sometimes altogether!"
I will ask him at Lovelady on August 14. Won't you join us?

On-site ticket purchase starts at 6:00 pm.