Reading Time: 3 minutesFrom the get go, I had goosebumps. Opening with Prokofiev's terrific 'Dance of the Knights', the show continued with passion and astounding elegance. Not having adapted Shakespeare before, Matthew Bourne has done so with success in his reinterpretation of Romeo and Juliet, showing at Sadler's Wells now until 2nd September. Bourne reimagines the classic story and turns it into something utterly modern, compelling, and inventive.
Reading Time: 3 minutesViola lands on the shore of Illyria after losing her twin brother in a shipwreck. She dresses as a boy, calls herself Cesario and goes to work for a rich Duke called Orsino. What follows is brilliantly ordered chaos in which we find a love triangle, mistaken identity (of course) and ye olde classic resolution device of marriage to wrap it all up. It’s a story that has entertained audiences for centuries and this showing is no exception.
Reading Time: 2 minutesMuch Ado About Nothing is the first production of National Youth Theatre REP Company’s 10th season. Revised by Grime artist, poet and playwright Debris Steveson (Poet in da Corner, Royal Court), audience members are pulled into the world of Nothing Island for this favourite Shakespeare Comedy.
Reading Time: 2 minutesFrantic Assembly have staged this production before, in 2008 and 2014, but they bring it to the Lyric Hammersmith after a smash-hit national tour at a time when masculinity feels at its most pressured and volatile.
Reading Time: 3 minutesThe Tempest is a play that can be taken either way, but Sean Holmes’s staging leans firmly in to the comedy—and it’s a hoot. Huge yellow crates, plentiful rubber ducks, and Ibiza-stag-do vibes abound in this colourful production which plays to the crowd with the joy and aptitude one expects from a Globe ensemble. The moments of playfulness, silliness, and superb ad-libbing are hilarious and feel as if they were discovered organically in what I can only assume was a delightful rehearsal process.
Reading Time: 2 minutesA joyously silly romp that captures the spirit of the Bard whilst opening it up to new audiences.
Reading Time: 3 minutesShakespeare in the Squares returns after a two year hiatus with a series of enchanting open air performances of The Tempest.
Reading Time: 2 minutesWatch the newest release from Lady M, currently underdevelopment.