3.5 out of 5 stars

A delicious joke underlies “Polishing Shakespeare,” Brian Dykstra’s broad satire of modern theater production. The play, about a wealthy sponsor retaining a director and writer to “dumb down” Shakespeare’s canon by removing the poetry, is itself written entirely in iambic pentameter. The author’s sly winking at the audience continues: We also hear about the irrelevance of productions in black-box venues under 100 seats – while sitting in exactly such a space. The diatribe sometimes drags, lacking character development to go with it, but Dykstra (as the sponsor) and his two co-stars carry out their mission with aplomb and humor. — Adam Z. Horvath

At 59E59 Theaters through Aug. 10, 2025; 59e59.org. (Review date: July 20, 2025)