One of the most memorable characters in American literature is stupid in the oldest and truest sense of the word. Although he appears to be warm, human, and inhabits the body of a man, his mind and personality never progressed past childhood.

If the crassness of the current social, political, and economic climate has you down in the dumps, I can't recommend a lovelier, more charming, experience.

Two Bay area theatre companies are currently staging literary classics. One has put a daring new spin on a 400-year-old Shakespearean play; the other is staging a British adaptation of a beloved novel that is celebrating the 200th anniversary of its publication.

Three new dramedies put the search for true love under a curious lens with appealing and often poignant results. Although each takes place in a different country, each is locked into a specific period in its local culture.

For most people, the holiday season is over and done with. Christmas decorations have been put back into storage and the tree has been disposed of. But for arts entrepreneurs the situation is quite different.