Stage spotlight: 'Sylvia'

Ten years ago actor Kirsten Frantzich put a memorably frisky stamp on the title role of "Sylvia," A.R. Gurney's comedy about a stray pooch that comes between a midlife couple. Now Workhouse Theatre, a young, Ivey Award-winning company, is hoping to strike comic gold with the show. Artistic director Cristopher Tibbetts stages the show that features Erin Duffy, Julie Ann Nevill, David Denninger and Jonathan Peterson.

Tiny, Twin Cities-based Classical Actors Ensemble is hoping to put a unique spin on "All's Well That Ends Well," the convoluted Shakespearean tragicomedy. The relatively new company tackles a narrative that revolves around Helena, the orphan of a deceased doctor, who wants to marry high-born Bertram. After she helps the King of France heal, she is rewarded with her choice of a husband. Bertram, whom she chooses, does not want to be married to her. But she cleverly meets the seemingly impossible conditions he has set for her. Joseph Papke directs a production that includes Danielle Siver as Helena and David Darrow as Bertram.