Shakespeare on the Common

I’m from Los Angeles so this reminded me of Cinespia, except for nerds. :) Just kidding. I went on a Friday night and it was pretty packed. You need to show up early if you want to be close to the stage. They have food trucks nearby for snacking. I would say you have to be a fan of Shakespeare to really get the most out of this. I’ve never really been a fan, not since doing a Hamlet play in the 7^th grade. But due to all the positive reviews on Unilocal and being in Boston for only a short period of time, I thought I would give it a shot. The production is about 3 hours long, we made it through the first hour and then walked across the street and saw a movie. I’m glad I went for that hour, it was fun but again, you need to enjoy the source material. It’s a great service and the fact that it’s free is really cool.

Free play in the park. Pack a picnic dinner, grab your blanket or lawn chair and make this a must-​do every summer.

Free Shakespeare on the Common! What a perfect evening. How can life get any better than sitting outside on a beautiful summer night listening to the dolcet phrases of William Shakespeare. The lighting and sound are always top notch and I love the energy the cast and crew always brings. This is by far on of my favorite Boston Summer traditions!

What can I say.
This is perhaps one of the best performance events in Boston this year, and really every year. The atmosphere casual and moving, the performers talented and extraordinary, the weather is blessed with summer evening’s warmth and glory. This is my third year attending CSC’s performance on the commons, Twelfth Night by Shakespeare is there to entertain the 100,000 people who show up for this appreciation of the modern adaptation of the works of arguably the greatest playwright in history.
Oh and, don’t forget to dig through the wallet and donate some to the organization who has brought about this fantastic and profound cultural experience.

I am not at all a Shakespeare girl but a friend asked if I would go with her and I was really surprised at how funny and well put on twelfth night was. A fun mix of old and new and the actors were terrific. Last shows are tonight and tomorrow.

Wanteth anoth’r way to highlight thy summ’r with thy cat’r-cousins and family? Grabeth a blanket and cozy up with thy neighbors and timeth traveleth to the 1600s f’r a glorious Shakespearian playeth!
Cometh hith’r!
What’s that? Your butt gets dewy and numb from sitting on the lawn too long?
–Ooh, pish posh! Become friends with Commonwealth Shakespeare Company! As a thank you from them, you’ll get your own lawn chair and prime seats for the play.
You can also rent chairs a very low cost.
–Also, thank you to the awesome Damien and the Unilocal team for hooking us up with a great view, great seats, and a picnic from the Earl of Sandwich! (Not to even mention, sheltering us from a passing rainstorm!)
You’ll adore the wonders of true talent of acting and hardworking outdoor production!
Bravo, Good Sir, Braaavoooo!

All that’s mentioned in my prior review holds true, yet I had to update so you’d know the 2014 staging of Twelfth Night has been CSC’s best production in the past five years.
There are four shows left. Catch one of them.

Get yourself cultured for free! Doesn’t get much better than that, if you ask me.
I’ve tried to hit this summer tradition each year, though sometimes the weather doesn’t always set you up for success. Lesson learned — set some contingency rain dates! This year (2014), the production of Twelfth Night was fantastic. I loved the modern take on a classic. Many of the lead actors were absolutely fantastic. I still am completely left in awe given the sheer quantity of lines some of them have to memorize. The play was raunchy, funny, and full of plot twists. The actors are miked up, so sound is just fine.
The Commonwealth Shakespeare Company does have some corporate sponsors, however they do rely on donations as a large funding source. So, there will be staff & volunteers coming around during the intermission asking for donations. Please be kind and toss a few bones their way. Additionally, you can rent a low backed chair from them for $ 10 (of which $ 5 is a deposit).
This is a great event to do with friends, out of town visitors, or a special someone on date night. Bring some snacks, smuggle in some wine/​adult beverages, a fleece, and a blanket. Forgot to bring snacks? There are concessions available for sale and the Earl of Sandwich is right there as well. Shows start at 8:00, but I would suggest getting there by 7:30 or so to set up. The 2014 version was about 2 ½ hours including intermission.

«Summer’s lease hath all too short a date» — soak in some Shakespeare before it gets too late.
I would have gladly paid, to watch a production so excellently made, but free it is for those who care, to consume some comedy and excellent fare!
Rediscovering my latent literary interests aside, watching a matinée performance of Twelfth night on a sunny summer saturday afternoon in the Boston Commons, was an incredible experience indeed. A huge thumbs up for CSC for making some of the best works of the Bard accessible to the general public and the volunteers and others for making these events really well organized — chair rentals, disciplined park seating, options for food and drink — overall the entire setup had me bowled over.
Comedy of errors, mistaken identities, romantic entanglements, comic interludes, memorable quotes — Twelfth night has it all. As is oft quoted in the play — Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them — applies to the folks on stage just as much as the characters they potrayed!
In the spirit of Shakespeare — if theater is the window to culture, play on CSC!

Nice food, Not bad for the price but I’m sure they Can do Better

Review #1100!
I can’t give this business less than five stars. It’s Shakespeare. It’s Boston. It’s Boston Common. It’s Shakespeare on the Common!
I caught «Two Gentlemen of Verona» on its very last day (sun July 28), and thought the modern take was so well done. The motto of the night was «what happens in Milan, stays in Milan,» a play on Vegas’ popular slogan. Dancing, costumes, set design, & songs («witchcraft» & «fever «among others) were very 60s-​style in the Vegas. Very Rat Pack.
Since I’m so star-​struck, this performance was very special, as it had not one, but two tv/​movie actors playing in it!!! Peter Cambor of «NCIS LA» fame played Proteus, and Kourtney Adams played Antonia. She looked familiar; my neighbor confirmed – she’s been in a few blockbusters *shrugs*
Most awesome scenes were those with adorable doggie Crab! Lots of «awwwws» from the audience whenever the pup was on stage.
Okay, how to make your nite as comfy as possible:
– get there early for the closets spots to the stage, but even 15 minutes before the 7pm show time, there was plenty of desirable real estate left.
– port-​a-​potties are always busy, so either don’t drink a lot, or brave the crowds at nearby McDonald’s
– if you don’t want to drag a chair and/​or blanket on the T (park st stop on the red or green line), then rent a chair for $ 10 when you get to the park ($ 5 deposit given back after you return chair)
– bring a snacks if you want, but several food tents were set up (Ben & Jerry’s, earl of sandwich, etc.)
– show was almost 3 hours long… as warm as Boston has been, it got a little chilly towards 9pm & I was thankful for my thin hoodie & scarf
Amazing experience!

Did anybody say Date Night?! Look cool and cultured when you take your date to Shakes on the Common. Bring a blanket, bring some wine and cookies and enjoy a summer night with some old folks and people reciting ye ol’ English on a stage.
But seriously, I enjoy every summer when this company brings Shakes out on the Common, over by the gazebo area. They always do a good job and interpretation. I’ve seen maybe 3 plays, and overall it is a great way to spend a weekend night out under the stars.
Feel free to bring your own picnic and/​or food and booze and just have a rip roaring good time. I swear the plays get funnier the more you drink — just be aware that the rest of the clientele are generally old people — folks that will likely never understand how to see this review. I’m not worried about the old people seeing my comments here, but just a heads up — they are harmless, so have no fear.
Enjoy your Shakes!

We went to opening night of «The two gentlemen of Verona» last night and it was excellent. We got there 1.5 hours early and picnicked, got great seats, and enjoyed people watching prior to the show. It couldn’t have been easier with parking in the garage a short walk away.
It was a beautiful night and an excellent performance. A great way to spend a night out. This is a very talented, professional organization putting on free shows in a beautiful venue. What more could you ask for?

Wow! Free Shakespeare. in the commons. no words to describe the feeling of the sun, warmth, and theater. 2 gentlemen of Verona is a classic. The play had a little bit of humor and classic all wrapped up with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.
The play started at 8 with a 10 – 15 min intermission lasting a few hours.
I showed up at 8pm when the show was starting was able to get a great view as you can see from the pictures posted.
I would recommend:
Towels, drinks (of course concealed)
Snacks next time and possibly some bug spray!
There are porta-​potties lined up behind the crowd, as gross as these can be… they have plenty of hand sanitizer!
If you havent been take your family & friends have a blast get some culture and watch a great shake

This ain’t your average community theater’s Shakespeare in the park.
Commonwealth Shakespeare Company puts on a top notch production every summer, on par with any professional theater company, free to all. It’s one of my favorite events of the summer, one I never miss.
If it’s your first time, here are some tips:
Bring a picnic, blankets, a lawn chair, bug spray, and a bottle of your favorite «grape juice.»
Watch the weather, and plan to go to a performance early in the production, so if it’s rained out you’ll get another chance.
If you bring a chair, keep in mind that «tall» chairs are discouraged, and limited only to certain areas of the park (to keep from blocking the view of those behind you).
Most people will tell you to get there early, but the production crew blocks off the first 20 yards of lawn for VIP seating (sponsors and those who actually paid for seats). However, about an hour before the show, after the seats have been set up, the crew will open up the rest of the area. Keep your eyes out for this and be ready to move, and you can get yourself a spot right up front.
If you have the means, bring some extra cash to make a donation to the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company. It’s such a valuable service they provide, and they run a tight budget, so every little bit helps. (New to 2012, you can make a $ 10 donation by texting «CSC» to 80 100).

The play’s the thing on the Boston Common, and for free Shakespeare, it hits the spot.
I went to last year’s show (Comedy of Errors) and was less than thrilled, but this year more than made up for it. I think Othello is a great show anyway, but this version was particularly easy to understand and get drawn into. They put a 1940s spin on it (made a lot more sense than last year’s nightclub vibe) and really poured their hearts into the production.
We arrived at 7:15 on a Saturday night and got a spot that someone else had recently abandoned. There were thousands of people there, and we never would have had a good view were it not for the luck of finding this space for our blanket. I highly recommend at least one person in your party getting there no less than an hour early to grab a good seat — we ended up sitting on the ground for 4 hours but at least it was worth it.
For Othello, specifically, do yourself a favor and don’t read the synopsis for Act V. Trust me — it’s much better to go into it not knowing the exact ending.
This is the perfect summer activity with friends or as a cheap (free) date. Bring your blanket, your dinner, and your sweater, and enjoy!

So Othello was a well portrayed, not exactly fit for a child, and slightly realistic in a tragic disheartening way (save for the iambic pentameter and old english verbage) presentation. The last 10 minutes had the audience silenced in captivation from the scene unfolding (eeks!) yet they were possibly silenced from just being asleep. I am proud to say that this is my first complete viewing of a Shakespeare on the Common show EVER! And how many years have I lived in the city? Nevermind.
I got a decent seat with MMC, adjacent to the aisle and a trash can with no obstructions before us. We even arrived 15 minutes early. Without a lawn chair, a beach chair, or a bottle of wine, but with blankets and full stomachs, we were still fairly well prepared for the 3 hour show. A pillow and a long sleeved shirt might have been a nice addition, but there was plenty of area to lay out and even catch some stars and planets.
I always recommend to friends to get their butts out to the show, because they do such a great job! It’s not just people prancing in the park either, there’s a legitimate stage with legitimate actors, too. And it’s free. Free. FREEEEEE!!!

I’ve been to Shakespeare on the Common twice, and each time I leave with such appreciation for theatre and art being available to the public. The production always includes a beautiful set and a cast of great actors and actresses.
I love that the Shakespeare plays are set in non-​Shakespearean times – I believe The Taming of the Shrew was set in the ‘50s in Europe somewhere, and this summer’s A Comedy of Errors was set in South Beach Miami.
Always creative and a great time. Just grab a blanket, some snacks, and some friends for some Shakespeare in the park, and you’re set for a really fantastic night!

What a wonderful way to enjoy both the beauty of a summer night as well as a performance of classic theatre.
Parking was quick and easy at the Boston Common garage and it was nice knowing that $ 2 of my $ 10 parking fee was donated back to the event (with a coupon that was handed out after the performance, also available on the event website.) Even though I had packed a picnic, the selection of food vendors looked tempting (Upper Crust, Ben & Jerry’s, Figaro’s, etc.)
I arrived around 7pm and found the best seating to be taken already, but was still quite happy with a spot near the back. Though it was a little difficult to see from my blanket on the ground, I had a clear view of the stage once I hopped up in a friend’s folding chair. The sound projected well and we could hear everything clearly from where we were sitting (near the gazebo). My dog was happy to be at her first theatre performance and made sure she greeted everyone nearby.
As for the actual performance… if you aren’t familiar with the play, definitely squeeze in a quick read of the program so you understand what’s happening before it gets messy. Personally, «A Comedy of Errors» isn’t one of my favorite pieces of Shakespeare, but I am still happy to support the artistic effort. From a production standpoint, I found the dance numbers in between each scene to be a bit disconnected from the play and for quite a while I was distracted by the lifeguard who stayed on stage for everything but the intermission– simply to remind us that this is the «Miami» version. However, I do appreciate the director’s attempt to take some artistic liberties, even if I don’t really agree with the results.
The audience responded heartily to the physical humor and lagged a bit behind on some of the more subtle jokes– many of which aren’t as «gastly» in the 21^st century as they once were when gender and stature roles were different. However, all of that is to be expected with Shakespeare– which makes the actor’s task even more difficult in bringing a sense of drama to that which we no longer find exceedingly dramatic.
Overall, this is a delightful treat for all ages and should be a staple in every Boston summer experience.

Shakespeare under the open sky. Free.
(brevity is the soul of wit, and tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes — Polonius)