Polishing Shakespeare is the BEST-SELLING show in the 21-year history of 59E59 Theatre B!
Watch the Trailer.
A dot-com billionaire pays an esteemed American theatre company to translate Shakespeare into English (Wait. What?). A sly comedy inspired by an unbelievably true story. To sell out or not to sell out—is that the question?
A runaway hit at the Edinburgh Fringe and Kitchen Theatre Company in Ithaca, Polishing Shakespeare arrives Off Broadway.
“The most enjoyable, engaging, and meaningful off-Broadway play of this Summer Season!
– New York Theatre Buying Guide
“Few modern scribes have matched the wit, depth, and élan Brian Dykstra summons up in his Polishing Shakespeare…a battle of wits, means, and consciences…a zippy, funny, and ultimately dark comedy that requires close attention - and repays it handsomely.”
— Blog Critics Magazine
“A comedic delight! When you’re not barking with laughter you could be shaking in your seat with fury or shaking your head in dismay. Dykstra’s play is bold, brash, and funny as hell. Watching the cruelty of Capitalism trample these artists shouldn’t be this much fun, but this is one audacious playwright.”
— Metroland Now
"Fleet, funny, and fantastic…Wedding virtuosic writing to impeccable staging, Polishing Shakespeare reminds us, both in its narrative and as a theatrical experience, that plays, in the Elizabethan period as now, not only can move or entertain but also can be tools to think with."
— Thinking Theater NYC
“Dykstra has wondrously, cleverly and humorously, written Polishing Shakespeare in iambic pentameter, complete with plenty of puns and Elizabethan wordplay…Polishing Shakespeare, unique and gloriously literate, is a must see for anyone interested in well-developed and well executed plays. Its message is timely, and bonus points are richly deserved for it being funny as hell.”
—Nite Life Exchange
Polishing Shakespeare
by Brian Dykstra
directed by Margarett Perry
with
Brian Dykstra
Kate Levy
Kate Siahaan-Rigg
Scenic & Lighting Designby Tyler M. Perry
Sound Design by Ariana Cardoza
Costume Design by MuMbles
★★★★
“An Absolute Delight!”
-Three Weeks
★★★★
“razor sharp script…an absolute delight for lovers of theatre.”-Three Weeks”
— Three Weeks
★★★★
“Brian Dykstra’s script is high polemic poetry. Every. Single. Word is a masterclass in precision.”
—Get Your Coats On
★★★★★
”A satire of coruscating wit that rocked the rafters with bright laughter and gasps of pleasure from the opening weekend’s audiences. Dykstra’s newest work stages a battle royale between Art and Commerce...It’s a fierce yet hilarious debate about money, artistic truth, ‘selling out,’ and as the evening progresses, a descent into an Orwellian landscape of thought management that feels all too present in today’s climate...This soaring triumph of text and stagecraft is not to be missed!"
—Ithaca Times
★★★★
“a meditation on art in society.”
— British Theatre Guid
★★★★★
“The show uses finely wrought prose to explore the unavoidable battle between a donor’s power of the purse, and art’s criticism of such power.”
— FringeFan
★★★★★
“Hilarious! Kate Levy, Brian Dykstra and Kate Siahaan-Rigg are incredibly amazing as they banter, bargain, and bully each other for their own needs and wishes; with both comedy and reality of today’s harsh theatre atmosphere taking center stage. This is a play every theater executive, funder, and board member as well as the playwrights themselves should see.”
— Theatre Eddys
★★★★
“a fast-paced, skillful piece of theatre...
an exhilarating, entertaining rollercoaster of a ride.”
- Edinburgh Reporter
★★★★
“Beautiful, lyrical ruminations on Shakespeare’s legacy, the importance of art, and the influence of money and capitalism on creative expression.”-Theatre Weekly
— Theatre Weekly
Photos by Rachel Philipson
Shakespeare Image by Alan Buttar