Bay Area Limelight

After 36 years, Central Works presents its final production - and it is terrific! Gary Graves, playwright and Central Works Co-Director, has been inspired to interpret the life of Niccolo Machiavelli since 2009, in at least four different iterations. Now in The Prince Parts 1 & 2 , he reveals Machiavelli’s whole career in one long, six-act play, broken into two parts. Machiavelli needs to find out if it is best to be fair or ruthless when dealing with people like fanatically pious Brother Jerome Savonarola and ruthless Duke Cesare Borgia – with the aim of furthering his own career. When we meet him, Machiavelli is like a competent administrator with his check lists, taking in the actions and reactions of those around him. He is never the center of attention. As a young diplomat for the Republic of Florence, Machiavelli, played with naive innocence by excellent Kevin Singer, attempts to reason with “mad monk” Savonarola, played by Mark Farrel, who appeals to the religious faith of t...