Four other productions also open this week: Somerset Maugham's comedy The Circle; Brian Friel's timeless drama A Month in the Country, after Turgenev; Bernard Shaw's comedy of love and marriage, The Philanderer; and Jerry Herman and Michael Stewart's musical about silent-movie makers, Mack and Mabel.

The Shaw Festival's artistic director Jackie Maxwell, stated, "Getting five productions of such exquisite quality up and running so early in the spring has been a monumental task for our company. Our success is a testament to the talent and spirit of The Shaw's artists, both on and off the stage. I'm very proud of the work we're about to present – this company has much to celebrate."

The festival produces works by Shaw, works by authors who lived during his long lifetime or works that are related to the period in which he lived.

Festival productions play in rep through the fall on three stages, including the Court House Theatre and the Royal George. New productions join the lineup throughout the summer in the picturesque town on the lip of Lake Ontario, 20 minutes downstream from Niagara Falls.

For more information, visit www.shawfest.com.