Ethan McSweeney directs The Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare's compelling look at human nature and the insidious nature of power, justice and revenge. The Shakespeare Theatre Company stages it for the first time in more than a decade. To July 24. Sidney Harman Hall, Harman Center for the Arts, 610 F St. NW. Tickets are $20 to $98. Call 202-547-1122 or ... [Read]

The Shakespeare Theatre Company's first musical theater performance at Sidney Harman Hall comes with this magnificent comic operetta, boasting music by Leonard Bernstein (West Side Story) and lyrics by Richard Wilbur, with additional contributions from Stephen Sondheim and Dorothy Parker. Songs include "Make Our Garden Grow" and "Glitter and Be Gay." Hugh Wheeler adapted the book from the original Voltaire ... [Read]