Ben Steinfeld

Jessie Austrian, Ben Steinfeld, & Noah Brody on “Merrily We Roll Along.”

A re-invention of the classic Sondheim show is stripped-down and unplugged, with just ten actors performing all the songs with one piano.

Noah Brody and Ben Steinfeld talk about co-directing and also starring in the Fiasco Theater Company’s production of “Cymbeline.” The Shakespeare drama tells the story of a beautiful princess separated from her beloved, the cruel step-mother who tries to kill her, a husband duped by an adversary, an exiled nobleman who kidnaps a king's sons, and a Roman invasion of Britain. “Cymbeline” is playing at the Barrow Street Theatre.

Over the decades, Shakespeare’s words have been interpreted in many styles, from torch songs to hymns. Now, a new production of Shakepeare’s "Cymbeline," by the Fiasco Theater Company, is turning heads with innovative re-sets of the Bard – plus a few originals of their own. The music ranges from Renaissance madrigals to Appalachian folk tunes, and is performed entirely by the small cast. Joining us to discuss the history of Shakespeare in song are Jeffrey Horowitz, artistic director of Theatre for a New Audience, and Ben Steinfeld, co-director of the new "Cymbeline" setting.