Belonging to Shakespeare’s “lyrical” period, which also included Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the play tells the story of the Princess of France and her ladies who arrive on a diplomatic mission to Navarre only to be met by a young king and his lords who have taken a vow not to see women. Affairs of state give way to affairs of the heart as Shakespeare reveals with great humor and compassion the way our culture sometimes doesn’t fully prepare us for the realities of love and intimacy. A feast of language and theatrical virtuosity, Love’s Labors Lost shimmers with all the passion and promise of a first kiss.