The National Asian American Theater Company's production of 'Cymbeline' challenges perceptions of the play’s complexity with a modern verse translation by Andrea Thome. Directed by Stephen Brown-Fried, this rendition features an all-female cast that effectively critiques toxic masculinity while adding humor and depth. Significant plot elements revolve around Imogen, who defies her father's wishes to marry posthumously, resulting in a tale of love, deception, and resilience. The fresh, accessible language meets 21st-century sensibilities, illustrating how Shakespeare’s work can be rejuvenated in contemporary theater.
Thome imbues her translation with a light, graceful touch; her Cymbeline feels like Shakespeare, but our 21st-century ears acclimate to it faster.
With not a single man among its wonderfully strong cast, it has both a sense of frolic in satirizing macho pride and an in-the-bones understanding of male menace.
The plot is still, of course, ridiculous, and less about the title character, a British king, than about his daughter, Imogen who has secretly wed her beloved.
This Cymbeline is presented with Play on Shakespeare, a project dedicated to creating versions of Shakespeare's plays in modern English.
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