Marcus Kyd in Taffety Punk Theatre Company's production of Hamlet, The First Quarto.

C. Stanley Photography

Julia Morrissey and Ian Blackwell Rogers in Major Barbara at the Pallas Theatre Collective.

Teresa Castracane

Paul Edward Hope and Tricia McCauley in On Approval at the Washington Stage Guild.

C. Stanley Photography

Servant of Two Masters will be performed as part of Comedy in the Courtyard by the Annapolis Shakespeare Company.

Joshua McKerrow

Sean Haberle and Charlie Kevin in Olney Theatre Center's production of The Price.

Stan Barouh

Romell Witherspoon and Adam Wesley Brown in the Folger Theatre's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.

Jeff Malet

Each week, theatreWashington provides you with a thematic list of things to do for the upcoming weekend. This week's Roundup features six shows that explore the unforgettable classics from William Shakespeare to Arthur Miller and beyond.  These timeless shows delve into the human psyche when it comes to solving a dilemma and resetting your moral compass. They raise the question we all ask at some point in our lives, “Am I making the right decision?” Check out the list below.

Hamlet, The First Quarto | Taffety Punk Theatre Company
The so-called “bad quarto,” or first printing of Hamlet has mystified scholars for hundreds of years. It's half as long and far less poetic than the “normal” Hamlet, with garbled-seeming text and a different plot sequence. It may be a touring script or an early draft that was never meant for printing. One theory maintains that it is a pirated version of Hamlet. The brevity and—admittedly—peculiar language of this version jar both actors and audience from the comfort of the play they know so well, which means it's the perfect opportunity to reconsider what Hamlet is.

Major Barbara | Pallas Theatre Collective
George Bernard Shaw’s great drama of moral ambiguity will place the Undershafts in 1930s Washington, DC, when the Bonus Army camped on the banks of the Anacostia River. As directed by Pallas Artistic Director Ty Hallmark, this Major Barbara grapples with gun culture and class warfare as we continue to live in a world decades deep in wartime economies and racial strife.

On Approval | Washington Stage Guild

A comedy of (bad) manners from the 1920s, in which two wealthy women who want to get married have chosen their prospective husbands, but insist on trying the merchandise on before making the deal. Lonsdale’s biting wit sparkles as his characters match and mismatch in this once-hugely popular play, not seen in DC for decades.

Servant of Two Masters | Annapolis Shakespeare Company
Carlo Goldoni's 18th-century farce follows Truffaldino, a minion who tries to double his earnings by working for two bosses. Things don't go as planned, of course. Mistaken identities and missed connections lead to all manner of tomfoolery.  Annapolis Shakespeare Company presents this world premiere, adapted by playwright Tim Mooney, in the outdoor courtyard at Reynolds Tavern every Tuesday evening from May 19 through September 29, 2015.  Enjoy dinner, drinks and terrific ambiance with ASC this summer!

The Price | Olney Theatre Center
From the author of Death of a Salesman comes an intimate, powerful story about the cost of the choices we make. In an overstuffed New York City attic apartment, two estranged brothers meet to sell off what remains of their deceased father’s furniture and find themselves in an emotional renegotiation of the past. Celebrate the 100th anniversary of Arthur Miller’s birth with this brilliant, powerful, and deeply moving play.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead  | Folger Theatre
In a world where pirates can happen to anyone, this fabulously inventive existentialist tragicomedy is a veritable feast of wordplay and wit. Winner of four Tony Awards, including “Best Play,” Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead thrusts two of Shakespeare’s most incidental characters into the limelight. Courtiers and close compatriots Rosencrantz and Guildenstern find themselves in Elsinore with the dubious task of identifying what afflicts their childhood friend Hamlet. Can this bewildered duo manage to keep their heads as they engage with a ragtag group of bedraggled players, find themselves on the high seas, and are attacked by a band of pirates?

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