Ralph Fiennes (Mark Antony) and Sophie Okonedo (Cleopatra) stand out in a fast-moving adaptation of the iconic tragedy. Slow to start and a little too traditional for my taste, it grows into itself, until tension boils over and the slippery language of politics becomes sharp and intense.
Courtesy of Johan Persson.
Packed full of classical charm and dynamic vocal artistry, Macbeth takes audiences on a journey through Scotland’s civil war, yet adding the rich flavour of Verdi’s operatic genius. The English Touring Opera, conducted in this performance by Gerry Cornelius, incorporates the bloodthirsty and murderous Shakespearean favourite and balances it alongside the bellowing yet crisp tones sang by the vocalists.
Director Amy Leach breathes new life into a classic tale of murder and betrayal with her modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. This gender-swapping, intense and emotional performance shows us just how timeless the piece is; throwing it into the 21stcentury with stunning production elements, atmospheric lighting and adding an ever growing tension through its central relationship between its female Hamlet and her Ophelia.
Another daring and blood thirsty production put on at the Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre, as Richard III takes on a contemporary twist which will have you on the edge of your seats in anticipation. With the Duke of Gloucester killing everyone in sight, there is rarely a dull moment within the play with armies declaring war, devious plots beginning to unfurl and the sweet taste of revenge becoming ever so tempting.
Fake blood and papier-mache decapitated heads at the ready for this pop up theatre exclusive of one of Shakespeare’s most well known and goriest plays, Macbeth. Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre encapsulates the atmospheric openness present within that of The Globe in London, with its groundling style standing seats and tapestry painted stage ceiling, shimmering from the light of the open top roof. Actors voices echo around the space creating real drama, but even further drama when they launch themselves upon innocent audience members, unaware armed soldiers were using them as shelter from the nearby enemy.
Defying and literally crashing through the fourth wall, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, currently at the Cambridge Arts Theatre, is uproariously funny and will rock your Shakespearean world. With the promise of ‘meta-fiction’, celebrity guests and pixiness, you will not be disappointed, apart from the absence of said celebrities.
Rufus Norris‘ Macbeth, his first Shakespeare in 25 years, brings together National Theatre stalwarts Ann Marie Duff and Rory Kinnear as the doomed central couple. Unfortunatly Norris’ audacious interpretation is hobbled by confounding direction and a strangely vague sense of the world it inhabits.
Courtesy of Brinkhoff and Moegenburg.
One of Shakespeare’s most popular and iconic tragedies during his time and the modern day, Hamlet is considered to be the ultimate tale of revenge. Simon Godwin’s adaptation offers a unique take on the narrative, his production drawing on various African influences ranging from the West to South Africa. Taking on the role of Gertrude, Queen of Denmark; Lorna Brown speaks to Theatre Full Stop about how she’s approached taking on the complex role as well as tackling Shakespeare’s rich language.
Gossip, rumour and defamation are all indulgences shared in the cosmos of comedy that is Much Ado About Nothing. ETG welcome you to the Carnival with their modern retelling of Shakespeare’s Comedy, where nobody dies and some marriages take place. In its 60th year The Cambridge University European Theatre Group, an entirely student-run theatrical company, end their two week tour at The ADC Theatre granting us a feast of masquerade, colour and spectacle.
Iqbal Khan mightily takes the reigns of Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra at the Barbican as part of the RSC’s transfer of their Rome season. An explosion of colour and ceremony is aided by Robert Innes Hopkins’s brilliant stage design, allowing the drama of the piece to stir with its uncompromising power dynamics. This tragedy of affairs, corruption, revolt and war translates with ease, Khan and the cast have done well to make the Bard’s work feel approachable yet hold its dynamism.
Courtesy of the Royal Shakespeare Company.