After a summer of traveling New York City's borough parks, the Shakespeare Project's puppet retelling of Venus & Adonis will end at Sakura Park at 122 Street and Riverside Drive in Manhattan. Performances there ran Aug. 10-13.

In the 1593 epic satirization of romantic poetry, the love goddess Venus falls for the handsome Adonis, but finds all her seductive wiles thwarted by the young man. The poem, by the playwright of Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet and Macbeth, would be his most popular work during his lifetime. In the Victorian era, however, the poem was deemed unacceptable entertainment, too scandalous for production. It never enjoyed popularity on the stage again.

Venus & Adonis' puppets were designed and constructed by Suzanne Savoy under the guidance of puppet master Ralph Lee. Manipulating her creations are Bret Csencsitz, Nanette Dewester, Carrie Heitman, David Logan Rankin, Christopher Roberts and Christi Spain-Savage.

Dawn Buckholz, who performed and composed with Philip Glass, John Cage and Sting, performs her own original score.

All performances are free. For up-to-date information on locations and other Shakespeare Project news, call (212) 387-2051. -- By Christine Ehren