Getting Even with Shakespeare

Here’s an illustration job I recently completed for a play called Getting Even with Shakespeare.  The production is an official selection in the Manhattan Repertory Theatre’s Winterfest 2010.  Here’s the premise (from the website):

“Five Shakespearean tragic heroes are in a New York City bar…and they are pissed. According to the laws of metaphysics, Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear, Romeo and Juliet are required to “attend” every performance of the shows that bear their names.  When not reliving their horrible deaths on a nightly basis, the characters spend time at the bar where they drink away their sorrows, settle old scores, and partake in their favorite pastime – plotting revenge on Shakespeare, the man who put them in this very unenviable position.  The characters’ four century old routine is thrown into flux when Matt, a 30 year old lawyer and unsuccessful college playwright, enters the bar with an idea that may finally allow them to get even.”

As you might guess, the tone of the play is very light and the hi-jinx of the characters is reminiscent of the follies of Wile E. Coyote trying to ensnare the Road Runner.  Therefore, the playwright, Matt Saldarelli, suggested we make strong allusions to the old cartoons by setting the Shakespeare characters in the desert.

The two images shown above will be printed out as post cards for promotional use. For the play’s website, I drew a third panel to create a strip:

The performances are on Jan. 27th – 29th at 9pm at the Manhattan Repertory Theater (303 W 42nd St) and the $20 tickets can be purchased by calling 646-329-6588.

As the playwright says: “You don’t have to know anything about Shakespeare to enjoy this show (i.e., there’s a lightsaber duel between William Shakespeare and a Terminator).”  I can’t wait!