Stratford Shakespeare Festival, Ontario
It's worth a hop across the border to sample the productions of the venerable Stratford Shakespeare Festival, located in the small, quaintly Victorian city of Stratford. Ranging from the classics to contemporary Canadian works, the repertoire — 14 shows spread across four theaters — offers a virtual history of Western theater. Although the Bard is well represented, as always, much of the buzz this year is centering on West Side Story — a revival that some critics claim rivals the current Broadway production in New York City. The staging of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest is also getting accolades; Stratford veteran Brian Bedford directed the ever-relevant 19th-century comedy of manners, and does a drag turn in it as Lady Bracknell. Those wild about Wilde might also try to catch Bedford's performance in Ever Yours, Oscar, a reading of the playwright's letters. Tickets & info: 800-567-1600