Free Theater This Weekend: Insane Shakespeare Musical at Yerba Buena Gardens

The theatrical event of the season is playing outdoors for free this weekend at the Yerba Buena Gardens. Taketh thine broke ass to see “Timon: The Musical – An Alfresco Musical Adventure”, a madcap, modern-day, big-budget musical production of “Timon of Athens” — roundly considered to be one of Shakespeare’s worst plays ever. “Timon: The Musical” is the brain-child of Bay Area theater legend John Fisher, whose previous works include “Medea: The Musical”, “Titus!: The Musical” and, well, you get the idea.

We would offer up free tickets, but it’s already free. You win! These free Theatre Rhinoceros  productions in the Yerba Buena Gardens are always epic, with hilarious cast and props, clever use of the Yerba Buena scenery and musical numbers crammed into plays that were not supposed to have music.

The cast of ‘Timon: The Musical rehearses a kick line (Image: Lorenz Angelo)

“It’s an absurdist experience,” writer and director John Fisher told BrokeAssStuart.com. “The story references all the environments we go to in the park. The play ‘Timon’ has been updated to be a musical about SF during the techie boom so it’s perfect we’re performing at the center of SOMA.”

“The audience is entertained all along the way by small scenes that repeat like on a cheesy ride at Disneyland,” he said. “Then there are scenes where the audience actually sits and gets a big production number a la Les Miz. It starts in daylight and finishes in darkness. So the natural lighting mirrors the journey of the story from light to darkness. And there’s a huge bloodbath at the end, as there should should be in all Shakespeare.”

“Timon: The Musical” plays this weekend only: Friday, June 5 at 7 p.m., Saturday, June 6 at 7 p.m., and Sunday, June 7 at 1 p.m. in the Yerba Buena Gardens, that dope little park between the Metreon and the Yerba Buena Center. Layers and blankets are encouraged, though be aware that the audience gets up and moves around the park during certain scenes.

Maketh thine motherfuckin’ plans to see “Timon: The Musical” this weekend, with more information at the Theatre Rhinoceros website or on the website of the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, whom Fisher tells the Bay Area Reporter is “the only arts organization we don’t make fun of in the show.”