Love, Trust A Few, Do Wrong To None...

It's strange to consider that there is a rarely performed Shakespeare play, but All's Well That Ends Well is definitely one of those. A coming-of-age tale that explores the pitfalls of unrequited love, courtly life, and the true cost of getting what you want, this year sees the play come to the outdoor stage at The Old Globe in San Diego, directed by Peter Francis James.

What is the story?

Considered one The Bard's problem plays in that its ending is reached with more moral quandary than say, A Midsummer Night's Dream, or Twelfth Night, All's Well That End's Well begins with our heroine, the resourceful young Helena, chasing the uninterested man of her dreams, Bertram, to the French court where he is tending to the dying French King. Offering her services as a daughter of a Doctor, Helena makes a deal, if she cures the King, she can marry who she wants. Unsurprisingly, her plan works, but Bertram's affections can't be won by a deal. Unperturbed, Helena sets out to truly win over Bertram, at any cost. Some of Shakespeare's most inventive language gives life to not just his single-minded heroine and her churlish lover, but a fantastic cast of frauds, cynics, sentimentalists, and buffoons.