I saw Love and War on its opening night (and I usually prefer to avoid opening nights, for all the usual reasons) and found it completely ready for the stage, without any of the “undercooked” quality that does turn up in Fringe events from time to time.

I – and, judging from their response – the rest of the audience, found Love and War to be a unique and compelling experience of intimate theatre. I found myself wishing that this piece – or even SOME of this piece – could be performed in high school or even junior high school English classes. It’d certainly give students a much clearer sense of why the literary world still pays sooooo much attention to this long-dead poet and playwright.

I guess it’s possible that Trey or “Glenn” or whomever may have stumbled upon an “off night.” But from what we were given on opening night, this production was anything but “undercooked.” It was detailed, nuanced, and ready to go.

You may see shows as good this year – but you won’t see shows that are fundamentally better, or that more fully engage you in the theatre experience, or more easily and joyously open you to the possibilities of movement, spoken word and sheer human depth that are present in Shakespeare.

This is one I hope to see again, maybe somewhere nearer the center; it’s paid its dues on the Fringe.