Sir William Bollinggreen is driven to transport Mr. William Shakespeare's finest works to the gun-shooting saloons of the grand old American West. He realizes adaptation is a necessity for plays to be digestible for cowpokes, gunslingers, and saloon women. For good measure, mix in a bit of Charles Dickens' classics. Who in those savage lands would ever notice? After all, there is very little difference between Roman senators and Zuni warriors.
Some older thespians in the weary acting troupe object, but the show must go on. As tempers flare, Mr. Shakespeare's plots serve as templates for troupe members to love, hate, manipulate, envy, plot, and poison. "To be .... or to have been." - Not much can rival Old West saloon show business.