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Royal Shakespeare Company: The Canterbury Tales, Part 1
The RSC presents a brand-new adaptation of Chaucer's timeless classic about a boisterous and bawdy storytelling competition.
- Apr 15 - May 6, 2006
- Eisenhower Theater
- 2 hrs. 45 min.
- $25.00 - $78.00
About the Program | Reviews | Watch and Listen | Additional Resources | Related Events
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About the Program
WATCH THE TRAILER!RAVES FROM LONDON:
"FOUR STARS!"
--The Times | Read the full review
"Scintillating... an ensemble triumph! An astonishing range of styles and emotions on display. Takes one's breath away!
--The Guardian | Read the full review
"Wickedly entertaining...well worth the pilgrimage"
--The Independent
"Antic merriment that overspills the stage"
--The Sunday Times
"Rumbustious and passionate new staging...hilarious!"
--The Daily Mail
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By Geoffrey Chaucer
In a new adaptation by Mike Poulton
From the very first of its five annual engagements, Royal Shakespeare Company's productions at the Kennedy Center have been uniformly praised--from its "appealing and open-hearted production" (The Financial Times) of As You Like It to its "inventive and witty" (The New York Times) presentation of The Taming of the Shrew. For the 2005–2006 season, the company returns with a brand-new adaptation of the timeless classic The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer's light-hearted look at human nature. On a pilgrimage to Canterbury, a group of people from different social classes band together for a boisterous storytelling competition to relieve the boredom of the journey. The contest heats up as a gallant knight, a coy nun, a gangrenous cook, a bawdy miller, and other colorful characters tell tales that offer moral lessons as well as a hilarious diversion.
RSC Associate Director Gregory Doran and co-directors Rebecca Gatward and Jonathan Munby will present the stories in different styles to reflect the many narrative voices used by Chaucer. This staging of all the tales in two parts will be the first RSC adaptation of a Chaucer work. From high romance to low farce, The Canterbury Tales is a lively journey through 14th-century English traditions and values as performed by one of the most critically acclaimed theater companies in the world.
Contains mature themes and nudity.
"The RSC is...a potent, imaginative dramatic force."
–The Washington Post
Tales in Part 1 include the Knight's, Miller's, and Nun's Priest's Tales.
Purchase tickets for Part II
All events and artists subject to change without prior notice.
Group of 20 or more? Group Sales offers special terms and discounts for most performances.
Additional Resources
About the Kennedy Center Theater Series
The Shakespeare Explorer
: An Interactive Exploration of the Bard's Legacy
This new interactive website on the life and legacy of William Shakespeare delves into the complex relationships between the art, artists, and the world we live in.
Trailer for Canterbury Tales : Watch the Canterbury Tales trailer
Reviews and Articles
The Washington Post - Washington, DC (Apr. 21, 2006) "They do gas on in the Royal Shakespeare Company's epic-length retelling of "The Canterbury Tales." And we're not just talking about the dialogue. It's nothing short of astonishing how much flatulence a major classical theater company has to muster in the noble cause of bringing six hours of Chaucer to the stage." Read More...
The Washington Post - Washington, DC (Apr. 21, 2006) "To anyone whose most vivid memory of "The Canterbury Tales" is wading through Chaucer's 14th-century stories in school -- all the while grappling with Middle English verse -- the Royal Shakespeare Company's stage adaptation may be eye-opening, if not eyebrow-raising." Read More...
Related Events
Royal Shakespeare Company: The Canterbury Tales, Part 2 Apr 19 - May 7, 2006
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