Bertolt Brecht is having quite a month on New York stages. First there’s the Jean Cocteau Repertory’s production of Mother Courage, in a never-before-seen translation by Marc Blitzstein – see our review of this excellent show, which will jar you in a good way, after the jump. Then there’s Ralph Lee’s adaptation of The Caucasian Chalk Circle, which is playing at the Garden of St. John the Divine. Lee is a puppet artist, so his creations stalking through that beautiful setting, acting out Brecht’s retelling of a folk tale about a peasant girl who raises a baby of noble birth that was abandoned, are likely to make for a striking vision. Finally, the Creative Mechanics company is performing Edward II at the Bank Street Theatre beginning today (photo at right). Like Mother Courage, this play has to do with the effects of war on society, but here it is shown through the never-dull life of the eponymous king of England. The company’s production of Poe’s Fall of the House of Usher got raves last year, so we have high hopes for this one. more ›

You know it’s finally summer when it’s time to spend hours in line for Shakespeare in the Park. Yes, the season is upon us: As You Like It opens Saturday! Mark Lamos, former artistic director of the Hartford Stage Company, is directing a cast that includes Brian Bedford, Lynn Collins, Jennifer Ikeda, Richard Thomas, and James Waterston in the classic tale of family quarrels, love and deception in the Forest of Ardenne. Unless you can pay $100 for a reserved seat, or you have a sucker for a boy/girlfriend who will wait in line for you, you’ll want to get to the Delacorte or the Public bright and early on the day of the show; free tickets are distributed starting at 1pm for 8pm shows and the lines get a little crazy, though with no big celebrities in this production it might be less so. Of course, sometimes standing in line is half the fun anyway because of the interesting people you meet, but you have to be ready for it. A musical adaptation of The Two Gentlemen of Verona begins in mid-August if you’d rather wait; when it was done in the early 70’s it was a big success and muscled its way out to Broadway for the Best Musical Tony. Gothamist is a fan of just about anything free, and this is a tradition you just don’t miss. more ›