ECU’s Loessin Playhouse to Perform “All’s Well That Ends Well”

by Alex White (junior)

ECU’s Loessin Playhouse, sponsored by the School of Theatre and Dance, will be performing one of Shakespeare’s most beloved comedies, All’s Well That Ends Well. Performances will be held April 2-7, 2009.

Wishing for death to avoid marriage, one woman tricking a man into thinking he's in bed with another woman, and a miraculous cure for the French king are all elements of one of the Bard's most perplexing works. You decide if it's a comedy or a tragedy.

This play concerns a maid, Helena, who cures the King of France of a disease, then asks for Lord Bertram's hand in marriage. Bertram obliges, then quickly flees to Italy to engage in war, hoping for death to avoid marriage. Helena is greatly hurt, and sets out on a pilgrimage, only to wind up in Florence, Italy, where she meets Bertram's new young mistress, Diana. In a perplexing "bed trick," Helena sleeps with Bertram, while Bertram believes he is sleeping with Diana.

Performances are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8:00pm; Sunday at 2:00pm; Monday and Tuesday at 8:00pm in the McGinnis Theatre on the ECU campus. You can purchase tickets online at www.ECUARTS.com or calling 252-328-6829 or 1-800-ECU-ARTS.