Bad news for fans of the Bard: The Woodward Shakespeare Festival performance of "The Taming of the Shrew" is cancelled for Friday night. It's the second night in a row the show hasn't been able to go on.

The show will go dark because the city, which is converting the road through the park from one-way to two-way, isn't finished with the project. The asphalt is still wet.

Director Daniel Moore told me just a few minutes ago that the show is still scheduled for Saturday, but he's keeping his fingers crossed.

My question: Could the city parks department look any more incompetent?

The Woodward Shakespeare Festival isn't an incidental. Now in its third season, it's an important cultural force in a city that is trying to build an awareness and appreciation of the arts. Hundreds of people turn out for each performance -- and I was expecting that number to grow as word of mouth grew about the lively new production of "Shrew," now in its second weekend. I know that festival organizers were angry enough at having to cancel Thursday night's performance, and they were assured that the work would be done in time for Friday's show.

Does the city parks department have any idea how much time, effort and energy is being wasted because someone couldn't figure out how long it takes asphalt to dry? Sure, there's no admission charge for Woodward Shakes, but that doesn't mean the shows come free. Sponsors pay good money to support the cause, dozens of volunteers give their time and actors donate hundreds of hours toward a show's run.

Can you imagine if Shakespeare in the Park in New York had to go dark because the folks who run Central Park couldn't get their act together? Or if the Ashland Shakespeare Festival had to cancel because of road construction? Perhaps it's time we send our park bureaucrats back to school for a mandatory Shakespeare appreciation course.