GOWANUS — Call it Shakespeare in the spa.
A steamy production is making a splash at a boutique bathhouse where the audience will be able to soak up Shakespearean scenes and sonnets while literally soaking in a hot tub.
The show, "A Midsummer Night's Steam" performing at CityWell on Saturday, is a compilation of sonnets and scenes from four plays including "The Tempest," "Twelfth Night", "As You Like It" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream" for a theatrical cleanse of mind and body, said the show's curator.
"Those plays offer a lot of good material for an evening focusing on rejuvenation," said actress Melody Bates, who put the show together. "In those plays Shakespeare is really investigating what it meant to be in nature and he spent a lot of philosophical time on what you can discover about nature, yourself and diving into the natural world."
Five thespians will act out scenes and play live music on an assortment of string instruments to help locals "connect to their true selves," explained Bates, who dreamed up the idea after visiting the Gowanus retreat.
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"It’s a curated evening of scenes that flow from one to the next all around the theme of nature and relaxation," she said. "It will help people tap into themselves."
The two-hour performance is set in CityWell's outdoor space equipped with a cedar sauna, hydrotherapy tub and hammock among other things. Unlike other more traditional settings, this is an immersive show: audience members are invited to move about with the performers and take advantage of the bathhouse's amenities.
"As a nontraditional kind of performance it's not something that requires you to be stiff and not make noise," said Bates. "The vibe makes it totally possible for you to get out of the hot tub and grab a cocktail. It’s definitely a moveable feast with people moving throughout the space."
Gowanus bar Dirty Precious will serve up summer themed cocktails designed to pair with the show's whimsy.
CityWell's owner Liz Tortolani hopes this is the first in a series of performances that draw inspiration from the space.
"I love that it’s sort of a platform or a background to peoples' creative process," Tortolani said. "I’m hoping that this is just the beginning."
The spa-Shakespeare deal will run folks $40 in advance or $50 at the door. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the show gets going at 6:30 p.m.
Those interested in partnering with CityWell for a production should email info@citywellbrooklyn.com.
