I’ll keep this short – this show is not for me. I’m simply not clever, witty or cultured enough.
I did not understand a single word of it & didn’t laugh once. From my position it appeared to be pretentious nonsense.
Having said that, those around me had regular knowing titters. Let’s be clear – this show has a lot of presumed knowledge and rammed with ‘in gags’. You have to understand the work of Shakespeare to get it…. and it helps if you’ve seen the film (so I’m told).
Head microphones are not used so the hard of hearing may struggle at times. The hard of thinking, like me, will struggle regardless.
In the shows defence, regardless of the content, the actors are polished, the staging is slick and it’s well lit. The Live music is cute and the production will do very well I’m sure.
This show simply confirmed my belief that Shakespeare is not for me….no matter how ‘current’ and ‘re-packaged’ it may be. Roll on Panto!
The press release:
There’s a new tour of Shakespeare In Love which see a young Will Shakespeare with writer’s block. The deadline for his new play – a comedy called Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate’s Daughter – is fast approaching, he’s struggling to finish the first line of a sonnet and he’s in dire need of inspiration.
Then he meets the beguiling Viola de Lesseps, the beautiful daughter of a wealthy merchant. Viola is prepared to do anything – including risking the frosty disapproval of Queen Elizabeth I – to fulfil her illicit dream of performing on the London stage and pursuing a passionate affair with the greatest playwright of the age.
Enjoy our exclusive HD Video review via YouTube:
Pierro Niel-Mee will star as Will Shakespeare and he does a magnificent roll making this character relevant in 2018. He plays along side the adorable Imogen Daines as Viola, Rob Edwards as Fennyman, Geraldine Alexander as the Queen, Edmund Kingsley as Kit Marlowe and Bill Ward as Wessex.
This Oscar-winning film was written by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard and starred Judi Dench, Joseph Fiennes and Gwyneth Paltrow went on to win seven Academy Awards in 1998.
The Shakespeare In Love UK Tour is directed by Phillip Breen with design by Max Jones, lighting by Tina MacHugh, sound by Dyfan Jones, movement by Ayse Tashkiran, music by Paddy Cunneen. The soundtrack throughout is great and immersive.
Some you win some you lose. This is my website offering my opinion.
Review by Alex Belfield for Celebrity Radio 13th October 2018.
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