Elizabethan drama meets 1940s thrillers in Minneapolis play

Through Sept. 22: Nobody knows for sure who wrote this Elizabethan drama. William Shakespeare? Thomas Kidd? Building on that mystery, and the fact that the play is about a woman who kills her husband with the help of her lover, Classical Actors Ensemble has spotted similarities with black-and-white film noir of the 1940s and '50s. They'll bring a midcentury flavor to "Arden," which CAE performs in repertory with "Much Ado About Nothing." (7:30 Fri., 2 p.m. Sat., Lab Theater, 700 N. 1st St., Mpls., $25-$42, classicalactorsensemble.org)

Chris Hewitt