Magic and Intrigue-- Prospero, a wizard, is the rightful Duke of Milan, but his brother, in league with the King, had deposed him and set him adrift with his 3-year-old daughter Miranda 12 years earlier.
Loyalty and Heredity-- King Henry VIII covers the period of Henry's reign from shortly after he becomes king to the birth of Elizabeth, who would one day become queen and for whom the play was written.
In an effort to maintain his family's estate, Sir George Vernon attempts to broker a marriage between his daughter and his cousin--despite her reservations.
To prolong the inevitable, a king attempts to preserve a painter's life when he discovers, through his astrological chart, that their fates are suddenly intertwined.
Bunthorne is an aesthetic poet struggling with the legitimacy of his work and the female adoration it brings, when one woman suddenly rejects his advances.
When a reverend disapproves of his daughter's suitor, he manipulates the church in an effort to discourage their union and find a more favorable partner.
The marriage between a duke and Amazon queen sparks a massive celebration, which leads to a congregation of woodland residents, Fairyland creatures and surprising lovers.
In a race against the clock, identical twin brothers unexpectedly trade places, which threatens one brother's marriage, the other's sanity and both of their freedom.
"e;Shaw will not allow complacency; he hates second-hand opinions; he attacks fashion; he continually challenges and unsettles, questioning and provoking us even when he is making us laugh.
