It took them almost two centuries to be venerated on the stage, but 19th century poets Lord Byron and Percy Shelley were the focus of Howard Brenton's Bloody Poetry when it premiered in London in 1984. Three years later, the play made its way to the States. Now, the drama about the conpetitive contemporaries is revived at the Connelly Theatre Oct. 6-28.

David Travis directs Synapse Theatre Company production about the neurotic Shelley and rebellious Byron. Both poets spent the summer of 1816 in a rented villa on the shores of Lake Geneva with their lovers, Mary and Claire, and forged a friendship that would inspire them to produce some of their greatest works.

Featured in the cast are Adrienne Dreiss, Michelle Federer, Adrian LaTourelle (as Lord Byron), Lael Logan, Omar Metwally, and Erik Steele. The creative team includes Thomas Dunn (lighting), Adrian W. Jones (sets), Jane Shaw and Michael Friedman (sound), Katherine Hampton (costumes) and Maria Matasar-Padilla (dramaturgy).

For tickets to Bloody Poetry at the Connelly, 220 East Fourth Street, call (212) 206-1515 or online at www.smarttix.com. For more information on the production, visit the show's website at http://www.synapseproductions.org.

— by Ernio Hernandez