One of the most popular children’s plays ever written, Aesop’s fable,”Androcles and the Lion” has been produced in 20 countries. Refreshingly antic, this irreverent version is written in the style of Italian commedia dell’arte. In commedia tradition, a group of strolling players set up their stage and give a performance. Using authentic staging and stock characters of commedia—the miserly Pantalone, the bragging Captain, the romantic lovers, the trickster Arlequin, plus an endearing lion—this fable becomes a colorful theatrical experience. The play skyrockets with zany comedy. It also glows with the warmth of friendship.
