Shakespeare in two acts

On my trip to Minnesota, I saw two theatrical performances: first, a professional rendering of Macbeth at Guthrie Theater, and second, a law students' rendering of A Midsemester Night's Dream. Both performances were highly acclaimed and done very well. I especially applaud how the directors and performers arranged Shakespeare's classic works for modern settings. In the former, the dark settings and usage of modern props (e.g. guns) brings the audience closer to the history. But the timeless message that power corrupts remains. Likewise, in the latter, the almost complete overhaul of the traditional story in favor of a law school's tales helps bring laughs to the audience members, many of whom lived or will live the same thing. The comedic effect is still highly entertaining. Much props to the performers and performances!

http://www.guthrietheater.org/whats_happening/shows/2009/macbeth
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~tort/