‘The Man in The Iron Mask’

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Jul 31 2012
Charles Pasternak plays both the king and his imprisoned brother in 'The Man in The Iron Mask.' (r.r. jones)

Shakespeare Santa Cruz unveiled its world premiere production of The Man in the Iron Mask

with a rollicking flourish on July 28 in the incomparable Festival Glen. The plot-bending reconstruction of the Dumas classic by Scott Wentworth (who also directs this season’s Henry IV: Part II) offered up great helpings of slapstick, melodrama and multiple endings to the energetic tale of aging musketeers recalled to service in the aid of France’s true king, imprisoned in the Bastille.

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‘A Year With Frog and Toad,’ a Creature Feature for All Ages

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Nov 23 2011
Toad (Mike Ryan) and Frog (Nick Gabriel) go sledding in SSC's holiday show. Photo by r.r. jones.

When it comes down to it, Frog shouldn’t really even need Toad. The congenial amphibian could just as easily pal around with the mice and birds that hang around the swamps if he wanted. But he doesn’t. He prefers his slower-moving, socially inept foil. This year’s winter Shakespeare Santa Cruz play, A Year With Frog and Toad—the group’s first holiday production in two years—is an all-ages tale of friendship based on the children’s books by Arnold Lobel.

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