To see, or not to see: Some of the shows you might want to add to your list for ShakespeareFest

Winnipeg's annual Master Playwright Festival may have saved the best for last.

This year marks the 20th edition of the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre-sponsored festival, which sees local companies perform work by — and inspired by — one playwright.

And in what RMTC says will be the festival's last year, that writer is William Shakespeare.

The man behind 38 plays is frequently regarded as the greatest dramatist who ever lived, and his plays are still widely performed and studied.

That means there's lots of familiar material at ShakespeareFest — with a twist. You can see the Black Hole Theatre Company's 1980s-set production of Macbeth, for example, or Providence Productions' take on King Lear set in Bronze Age Britain.

There's a production of Hamlet directed by local stage vet Arne MacPherson that promises a "hot DJ" along with all the murder and tragedy, a trimmed-down "hot-take" adaptation of Romeo & Juliet, and a version of Othello that aims to explore racism and toxic masculinity, while also pushing the tragic figure of Desdemona to the forefront.

There's even a series of Shakespeare-inspired pub nights at Little Brown Jug, where you can enjoy abridged adaptations like King Beer and Henry He Poureth.

In addition to the usual staged readings and free movie screenings over the course of the festival, which officially begins Monday and runs until Feb. 15, there are also a couple of returning Fringe hits. (See our past reviews of Kevin Klassen's Hamlet (The Rest is Silence) and John Huston in Shylock, both highly recommended.)

And then there are shows that use Shakespeare's work as just the starting point.

Here are a few of those shows to watch for at the festival.

Awaken (Shakespeare in the Ruins/zone41 theatre): Like RMTC, SIR and zone41 got an early jump on the festival with this original show by local actor/writer Tracy Penner. It explores a mystery in The Winter's Tale, one of Shakespeare's so-called "problem plays," as it asks: what was Hermione, one of the play's main characters, doing during the 16-year gap between the play's third and fourth acts? (Jan. 15-26)

Queen Lear is Dead (The Fox Den Collective): Former Winnipeg playwright Jessy Ardern has won rave reviews (and a Rintoul Award) for her Fringe festival work. In this black comedy, she follows Lear's three daughters in a prequel to one of Shakespeare's most famous tragedies. (Jan. 21-Feb. 2)

Shakespeare's Villains (Krakt Theatre): The Bard's bad guys get their due in this solo show, featuring Shaw Festival veteran Ric Reid and directed by his wife, former University of Wininpeg theatre instructor Kelly Daniels. (She also directs III, a new play inspired by the witches of Macbeth.) (Jan. 21-Feb. 1)

12th Night — A Musical (Village Conservatory for Music Theatre/The Keep Theatre): Local musical theatre veterans Simon Miron and Paul De Gurse offer up this tuneful take on Shakespeare's comedy, which boasts the talents of local pros Sharon Bajer and Toby Hughes, and promises original music that's "a mix of Hamilton and Meatloaf." (Jan. 24-Feb. 7)

I, Malvolio (Impel Theatre): This solo show, starring former Winnipegger Justin Otto, had an acclaimed run at last summer's Toronto Fringe. Following the pompous character from the comedy Twelfth Night, this monologue explores the intersection of entertainment and cruelty. (Jan. 24-Feb. 7)

Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) (Theatre Projects Manitoba): A superb local cast presents Ann-Marie MacDonald's Governor General's Award-winning play, which puts a feminist spin on Othello and Romeo and Juliet. (Jan. 30-Feb. 15)

Shakespeare's Will (Who Knows): Another solo show, this one stars Debbie Patterson as Shakespeare's wife, Anne Hathaway, in a play by former Winnipegger Vern Thiessen (another GG Award winner). (Jan. 30-Feb. 9)

ShakespeareFest begins on Monday, Jan. 20, with the Introducing Shakespeare lecture at the West End Cultural Centre. Festival productions continue at venues around the city until Feb. 15.