Cedar City looks ahead to next year

Monday, June 16, 2003 | 8:11 a.m.

Although the 2003 season of the Utah Shakespearean Festival is waiting in the wings to come on stage, the 2004 season is in the planning stages at Cedar City.

Three Shakespearean classics will be performed in the outdoor Adams Shakespearean Theatre from June 24 to Sept. 4, 2004.

A farce from French playwright Moliere, a nostalgic American comedy and a popular musical will also be performed during the season at the Randall L. Jones Theatre.

"The Taming of the Shrew" will pitch playgoers into the midst of a battle of the sexes between the fun-loving Petruchio and the serious, strong-willed Katherine, who is determined not to marry.

"Henry IV, Part I" brings rebellion and war onstage as baronial families fight to claim the crown. A comic subplot, featuring the affable Sir John Falstaff, adds a touch of lightness to one of Shakespeare's plays rich in characters.

"The Winter's Tale" is a story of human frailty and the terrible dangers of absolute power. Considered by many to be one of Shakespeare's most spiritual plays, it will leave audiences deeply moved and believing in the restoratives of time, faith and forgiveness.

"Mornings at Seven," written by Paul Osborn, is a refreshing comedy portraying the charms of a small-town American family. This three-time Tony Award-winning play is a light-hearted look at the perfect family.

"The School for Wives," by Moliere, is a farce of irrational and improbable romance that has charged audiences for over four centuries.

"My Fair Lady," Frederick Loewe and Alan Jay Lerner's musical adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's story of a common flower girl who betters herself through dedication and education.

Tickets for the 2004 festival season become available on Thursday, the first day of the 2003 season. The schedule is available at www.bard.org.