Art Hounds: The peril of choice, and Shakespeare meets 'Bernie'

This week on Art Hounds: A Shakespearean take on "Weekend at Bernie's," and a comedic look at capitalist America.

Actress Jennifer Maren recommends seeing The Recovery Party's new sketch comedy show "Why We Can't Have Nice Things." The brainchild of writer and actor Josh Will, the show explores the peril of choice (how many different types of toothpaste do people need, really?) and juxtaposes it against the remarkable lack of choice people have when it comes to, say, presidential candidates. Performances run Oct. 14 through Nov. 6 at Bryant-Lake Bowl in Minneapolis.

Theater-maker and podcast producer Levi Weinhagen has a strange obsession with the '80s cult film "Weekend at Bernie's." He says he sincerely enjoys the movie, even though the plot — which involves two guys pretending to party with a corpse — is actually kind of horrifying. So Weinhagen says he's particularly excited to see "Masquerade at Bernard's," a Shakespearean riff on the story, pairing beautiful flowery language to the absurd storyline. Weinhagen points out it's a device Shakespeare himself used rather often. Performances run Oct. 14-30 at the Phoenix Theater in Minneapolis.