Best place to see old plays learn new tricks

The American Repertory Theatre's artistic director, Robert Woodruff, claims that every play the troupe does is a world premiere -- even when they do Oedipus Rex. And although there's a bit of hubris in the statement, you know what he means. ART's Uncle Vanya was set in a leaking flophouse with a full chrome bar complete with bartender. Its The Children of Herakles featured local refugee kids and Christopher Lydon. And the reinvention didn't start with Woodruff, who's in his second season as successor to founding director Robert Brustein, famous for a 1967 manifesto called "No More Masterpieces." So, if you're a traditionalist with high blood pressure, this is not a good place to buy a subscription. For the more adventurous among lovers of the classics, Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream and Molière's The Miser are scheduled for ART makeovers this season. And, oh yes, Woodruff's got his hands on Oedipus; the world premiere's scheduled for next May.

American Repertory Theatre, 64 Brattle Street, Cambridge, (617) 547-8300.