With celebrations of good old William Shakespeare’s ‘birthday’ everywhere this week, I got to thinking about some of the great Shakespeare productions I’ve seen over the years... let’s face it, there’s not much else to do these days but take various strolls down memory lane! There have been many productions, but only five to top... Continue Reading →
As an outdoor theatre company priding themselves on a party atmosphere and accessible entertainment for all, Oddsocks have been delighting audiences as an independent theatre company for just over 30 years. Their wonderful work bringing Shakespeare’s plays to life in brave and whacky ways places them firmly in my top five theatre companies line-up, so... Continue Reading →
Tuesday 13th August 2019 at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Having seen various adaptations of the most popular of the bard’s catalogue in a cycle over the years, I decided to broaden my Shakespeare horizons with a trip to see As You Like It. Now, having enjoyed a diet of Shakespeare’s greatest delights up until this... Continue Reading →
Wednesday 24th July 2019 at the Bridge Theatre, London. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If ever there was a perfect production to introduce a person to the wonders of Shakespeare, it’s this one. It’s rare for a production to really bring fresh new dimensions to Shakespeare’s work but with this take on A Midsummer Night’s Dream, there’s budget and... Continue Reading →
Monday 23rd July 2019 at the Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre Pop Up, York. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Wrongsemble are introducing youngsters to the bard and in their production the great William Shakespeare is imagined as his younger self (going by the name of Billy Shakes, naturally). Their take on young Billy is a thoroughly entertaining whirling bundle of energy... Continue Reading →
Wednesday 10th July 2019 at RHS Harlow Carr, Harrogate. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ It’s always a fun few hours when Oddsocks are on stage entertaining happy pic-nic-ers. This summer season sees the company bring one of the bard’s very best works to the masses with a lively and jovially updated production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This production... Continue Reading →
Wednesday 22nd May 2019 at Harrogate Theatre. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Two sets of lovers tricked and tussled into emotional contortions somewhere between euphoria and agony? Welcome to one of Shakespeare’s more disturbing comedies! Conrad Nelson directs and under the wing of Liz Evans’ designs, the play is set circa the end of WW2, channeling the best music... Continue Reading →
Saturday 11th May 2019 at the Vaudeville Theatre, London. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Morgan Lloyd Malcolm’s Emilia has made an indelible mark on many a woman if the tears, enthused buzz and unanimous roar of the audience I sat with is anything to go by. Emilia is an imagining of a life silenced by men. She is the... Continue Reading →
Tuesday 5th March 2019 at Leeds Playhouse (Pop Up). ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A female Hamlet? A northern tragedy? Multiple gender switches? Leeds Playhouse’s latest Shakespeare offering is a finely tuned combination of exactly that. As Shakespeare’s longest play, Hamlet is in so many cases numbingly over-long and mercilessly dark, but thankfully, Amy Leach’s direction and approach to... Continue Reading →
Tuesday 25th September 2018 at Harrogate Theatre. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ As far as modernising tragic Shakespeare goes, this production is pretty top notch. It feels fresh and authentic, with modernisation taking shape in costume, set and some subtle behaviours as opposed to being shoe-horned into the script in obtuse ways. Many a production falls into that trap,... Continue Reading →
