Merced gets ‘Lost’ in the park

Four men take an oath to focus strictly on their studies and to sacrifice all else – most importantly women.

That’s the premise of “Love’s Labour’s Lost,” the ongoing edition of Shakespeare in the Park in Merced and Mariposa. As you might imagine, four women step into the story and – you guessed it – the celibacy part gets a whole lot harder.

“It’s actually a rather modern love story,” producer Heike Hambley said.

The performances kicked off during the weekend, and two more weekends of shows are set. The play features 17 actors, which is “smallish” for a William Shakespeare play, she said.

Now in its 15th season, Merced Shakespearefest offers the 90-minute show. First written by William Shakespeare and performed in front of Queen Elizabeth I in the mid-1590s, Merced’s version of the play is “inspired” by the1920s and 1930s, according to director Colton Dennis.

“It’s something we hadn’t done before,” he said.

The Roaring ’20s and the Great Depression that followed it seemed a nice fit for the comedy romp that (spoiler alert) ends with the death of the French king, Dennis said.

The decades serve to give the story some “flavor,” he said, but the music in the play comes from other sources, including Taylor Swift and Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.

The free performances from Merced Shakespearefest of “Love’s Labour’s Lost” continue in Applegate Park’s Merced Open Air Theater at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Saturday and 5 p.m. Sunday.

Organizers said the troupe will take its performances up to Mariposa at the same times Sept. 24 and 25 in the amphitheater at Mariposa County Park, 4889 County Park Road.

This story was originally published September 12, 2016 at 2:31 PM with the headline "Merced gets ‘Lost’ in the park."