Constance Ledbelly, a mild-mannered university professor, is on the trail of a great literary discovery: a manuscript that she believes is the true source material for Shakespeare’s plays Othello and Romeo and Juliet. When, in a moment of magic, she is transported into the world of the plays, Constance has the opportunity to put her theories to the test, and see what would happen if a “wise fool” were able to divert the path of tragedy. Little could she know that, by preventing Desdemona’s death, she would turn Iago’s wrath upon herself, or that Romeo and Juliet were not as perfect a match as Shakespeare made them out to be. Constance’s bumbling journey through the plays is likewise a journey of self-discovery, as she realizes that she is the author of her own identity. Ann-Marie MacDonald’s revision of these classic texts incorporates Shakespeare’s own words along with seamless new compositions in blank verse, filled to the brim with wit and theatrical surprises. The play is designed for an ensemble with most roles double, triple or quadruple-cast, adding pleasant challenges for actors and layers of symbolism for audiences.
Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) guide sections
