> by ANTHONY CHASE

Saul Elkin, founder of Shakespeare in Delaware Park is currently appearing as Friar Lawrence in Romeo and Juliet. The production marks the start of the 40th season of the popular festival. Now in his 80s, as Friar Lawrence, Elkin proves that he can still command the stage with a deftly nuanced performance. His other roles on the Shakespeare stage run the gamut from Lear to Falstaff to Prospero. The festival has just announced a $1.3 million campaign to replace its stage, now 20 years old, with a structure that will be easier to assemble and disassemble and more flexible to use. You can see Elkin in Romeo and Juliet through July 12th.