Nicole Javier as Diana in All’s Well That Ends Well. Photo credit Daniel Reichert.
A Noise Within (ANW) announces the fourth production of its 30th anniversary season, William Shakespeare’s All’s Well That Ends Well, directed by Nike Doukas (she/her). The play will run from Feb. 6 through Mar. 6, 2022 with press performances on Saturday, Feb. 12 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 13 at 2 p.m.
All’s Well That Ends Well focuses on a young healer, Helena, as she ropes in a fantastic cast of fools, romantics, and cynics to pursue Bertram, her runaway groom, in a clash of wit and deception. Capturing both a fairytale essence and human complexity, Shakespeare’s bittersweet comedy goes on a journey of forgiveness, hope, and love where you least expect it.
Marjorie Garber, author of Shakespeare and Modern Culture, said: “It contains not one but two roles that would make an actress’s career (and have). Both Helena and the Countess are brilliant, complicated, strong women who, finding themselves in impossible situations, emerge not only whole but triumphant.” Helena and the Countess will be played by two of ANW’s stalwart residence artists, Erika Soto (Alice in Wonderland, The Glass Menagerie) and Deborah Strang (An Iliad, The Glass Menagerie), respectively.
This triumph of the female characters doesn’t come without struggle and complication. In fact, there is complexity to all the characters, each of whom has their own imperfections and in turn learns to forgive the imperfections of others.
“I find it refreshing that the characters are so forgiving,” said Doukas. “Even characters who were angry at each other forgive each other in all kinds of ways: parent, friend, child, lover. With time and patience and big hearts, we can learn to forgive each other.”
A Noise Within’s Shakespeare consultant, Dr. Miranda Johnson-Haddad, said “The central themes of All’s Well—women who defy patriarchal norms, what constitutes acceptable feminine behavior, class inequality—continue to speak to us forcefully today. Whether we’re theatre makers or audience members, embracing this play in all its complexity can offer a way forward to a better understanding of ourselves and of each other.”
Single ticket prices for All’s Well That Ends Well start at $25 and are available at anoisewithin.org, by phone at (626) 356-3121, and at the box office located at 3352 East Foothill Blvd in Pasadena, Calif.
