Director Andy Millard has assembled a dynamite cast for Shakespeare & Friends’ upcoming production of George Bernard Shaw's Arms and the Man, to be performed in Rogers Park one weekend only, March 20-23.

Written in 1885 by the renowned Irish playwright, Arms and the Man is a brilliant classic comic play set in the fancy but shabby home of the Petkoff family in 1885 Bulgaria. 

The story follows Raina Petkoff (Kelly Casteel) as she chooses between her fiancé, the handsome but rather stupid war hero Sergius (Mackenzie Raub), and a cynical mercenary from the opposing army, Captain Bluntschli (Josh Luria), whose surprise arrival in Act 1 sets the action in motion and whose radically pragmatic views toward just about everything drive the plot through to the end. 

Raina’s fiery maid Louka (Kaitlyn Essel) chafes against her servitude. She knows that she’s every bit as worthy as her supposed betters, and it shows in her behavior — so much so that she might just steal Sergius away from Raina. Nicola (Jess Holderbaum), the Petkoffs’ head servant, is the model of discretion and responsibility, but being engaged to the sassy Louka might be more than he can handle. 

Raina’s parents Major Paul Petkoff (Mark Sawyer) and Catherine Petkoff (Christine O’Connor) are lovable and responsible, but they’re so enmeshed in their traditions and social paradigms that the changes surrounding the family throw them for a loop.

Shaw’s script is written with a light touch in language accessible to modern audiences. Using satire and irony, he lays bare the absurdities of war, social expectations and self-importance. When the audience laughs, it's not at jokes but at the ridiculous world we humans take so seriously. Every character provides juicy opportunities for for our excellent ensemble. So much fun!