Review Round Up of Shake & Bake Love's Labour's Lost, off-Broadway Fall 2018

Trip Advisor: 5 Stars, #87 of Top Live Events in New York City. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d15124473-Reviews-Shake_Bake_Love_s_Labour_s_Lost-New_York_City_New_York.html

Show Score: Scored 83 from 93 critic and audience reviews. https://www.show-score.com/off-off-broadway-shows/shake-and-bake-love-s-labour-s-lost

Front Row Center: “A creative, fun and audience-involved event that satisfies all of the senses...I could see that the multi-generational attendees were truly captivated, as was I, by the adventure, joined in the experience and became completely involved with the creativity of both the show, the drinks and the food. The fun of the evening, sprinkled with delightful music was accompanied by creative dances...Everyone left happy in mind, body and spirit.” https://thefrontrowcenter.com/2018/10/loves-labours-lost-by-shake-bake/

Daily Beast: "A pure and unadulterated delight...It combines an eight course meal, with wine pairings and a compact and breezy Shakespearean comedy...'Shake & Bake' manages to produce a near perfectly turned 'Love’s Labour’s Lost,' one worthy of any of any of New York’s stages...There is scarcely a clunky note over the course of two hours...Rarely have I seen an audience more engaged or enthralled with Shakespeare...As easy and breezy a production of Shakespeare as can be found." http://www.thedailybeast.com/in-this-measure-for-measure-shakespeare-has-never-tasted-so-delicious

Theater Life: "Let it be noted that the actors are not only excellent in their roles but also proficient waiters, something not too surprising when one considers how so many actors at one time in their lives earn their living. They also pour wine and bus the tables. And they’re not working for tips! In fact, what they get at the end of the show is well-deserved applause. This 'Love’s Labour’s Lost' is a feast for the eyes, ears and palate. It’s the kind of innovate theater we’re all hungry for." http://theaterlife.com/shake-bake-loves-labours-lost/

Theatermania: "This unique show puts a delicious spin on one of Shakespeare's most beguiling comedies...Goldman's tasting menu smartly echoes and enhances the story...Swern's nimble staging matches the economy of his well-shorn script: The run time is cut down to two hours, with the whole Kingdom of Navarre effortlessly squeezing into the dining room...The cast welcomes us into what feels like an intimate dinner party amongst a group of particularly nerdy friends." https://www.theatermania.com/off-broadway/reviews/a-decadent-meal-found-in-shake-and-bake-loves-labo_86701.html

This Week In New York: "The two-hour presentation features music, dance, an eight-course menu with drinks, and a fine dose of Shakespeare, all stirred together for an appetizing evening...'Shake & Bake: Love’s Labor’s Lost' is a sweet and savory treat, even for Shakespeare purists...Goodrich and Fredrick are a particularly attractive Berowne and Rosaline among an appealing cast." http://twi-ny.com/blog/2018/11/23/shake-bake-loves-labors-lost/

CurtainUp: “An entirely new take on the cryptic comedy...Eight young actors will amuse you with their comic antics and tickle your taste buds with a delicious eight-course meal...The food is good but the play's is still the thing and the actors speak their Shakespeare trippingly...Swern, supported by an able cast, takes the ‘sweet smoke of rhetoric’ from Shakespeare's original, adds on a well-seasoned meal, and simply allows the audience to sit back and enjoy the great feast of language.” http://www.curtainup.com/shakeandbake18.html

NPR Interview with Dan Swern on MERCHANT OF VENICE

Bill Snyder of WSKG Interviews Dan Swern.  August 2016

The Franklin Stage Company presents Shakespeare’s ‘The Merchant of Venice’ in a version adapted for two actors.  Director Dan Swern has had experience adapting Shakespeare in unusual ways to bring new immediacy to the sometimes disturbing themes of the play, and new playfulness to the comic scenes.

“In this arresting two-hander adaptation, two strangers discover the text of William Shakespeare’s play ‘The Merchant of Venice’. Armed with costumes and books-in-hand, what starts as a game turns into a confrontation of personal prejudice and reconciliation with our past. A stunning and innovative feat from director Dan Swern of New Brunswick, New Jersey’s Smugbug Productions.”