Much Ado About a Prince, Anybody?

Shakespeare for the Masses hits the boards this weekend. But don’t expect your usual Billy Shakes kind of fare. The cocreators, Chelsea McCarthy and Nicole Galland, have been known to take some liberties with the master wordsmith. Pericles, Prince of Tyre promises to be no exception.

Pericles is described as a fairytale for grownups. It features assassins, pirates, shipwrecks, damsels in distress and, of course, true love. But there’s also a dose of incest and enforced prostitution thrown in; hence the emphasis on a grownup fairytale.

The shows come together quickly. Although the script adaptation is worked on for over a month, there is only one rehearsal. These are brave actors indeed. Pericles features Rob Myers in the title role, as well as Bill Cookson, Nicole Galland, Liz Hartford, Alexandra London-Thompson, Jill Macy, Chelsea McCarthy, Billy Meleady, Pete Stray, Emma Urban and Anna Yukevich.

But the emphasis is on the tongue-in-cheek and making Shakespeare more accessible to everyone. The great unwashed masses, if you will. The show clocks in at under an hour, plus it’s free. Yes, free. Not that the actors will mind if you toss in a donation or two.

The show will be performed at 7 p.m. on Nov. 26 and 27 at the Vineyard Playhouse at 24 Church street in Vineyard Haven.

Don’t be that person who misses it and then, on Monday, has to stand mutely by while everyone else soils themselves reminiscing.