'Cage in the Park' to stage Shakepearean version of Nicolas Cage's Face/Off in New York

If there’s one thing we in this divided world can all agree on, it’s that John Woo’s 1999 film Face/Off, in which John Travolta and Nicolas Cage swap faces and fight each other as…each other, is a dramatic classic on par with the works of William Shakespeare.

Okay, maybe not. But thanks to two ingenious Daily Show staffers, some lucky New Yorkers will get to experience that film as if it were a work of Shakespeare. On July 14, the inaugural edition of “Cage in the Park” will present a rendition of Face/Off set in Ancient Rome, complete with dialogue in iambic pentameter. Two free performances, one at 2 p.m. and one at 5 p.m., will be staged in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park.

This twist on New York’s tradition of Shakespeare in the Park is the brainchild of Sebastian DiNatale and Zachary DiLanzo, a producer and writer, respectively, on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. The performances will feature a live band providing musical accompaniment, and, as the event’s Facebook and Twitter pages declare, “Nic Cage might be there.” But even if he isn’t, attendees will get to find out how immortal lines like “I can eat a peach for hours” translate into Shakespearean dialogue. (Below, see a sample of the script featuring “Travoltus” and “Cageo” trading barbs.)

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