24th Bard on the Beach Offers a Salty Selection

If Kenneth Branagh movies have taught us anything, it’s that Shakespeare is meant to be lively, salty, mischievous fun. Message clearly received by one Christopher Gaze, artistic director of Bard on the Beach, now in its 24th season. With the wines and the chocolate and the zany period settings, if Bard were Hamlet, it would be a lot more Branagh’s than, say, the iconic Sir Laurence Olivier’s. (I myself favour the Kevin Kline version.) This year’s presentations hew closely to the spoonful-of-sugar approach, with elements to recommend each show.

                                        Images: Courtesy of Bard on the Beach

Bard on the Beach runs June 12 – September 14 at Vanier Park