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Tag Archives: William Shakespeare

Romeo and Juliet, Upstairs at the Gatehouse

William Shakespeare Directed by Zoé Ford ★★★★ Pros: Some excellent performances and great direction. This well known script is engaging throughout the two hour and forty five minute performance. Add the sixties soundtrack and this modern take will appeal to a wide audience. Cons: At times the sound and lighting are a bit clunky and I am not convinced by the interpretation of Juliet as a weeping frailty. A few performances pale against the more dynamic ones. Our Verdict: Hiraeth Artistic Productions ...

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Macbeth, Camden People’s Theatre

William Shakespeare Directed by Amber Elliott ★★★★ Pros: Intelligent all-round theatre making. Cons: If you sit in the wrong place, you miss a lot of the best action. Our Verdict: A traditional interpretation which uses every element theatre has to offer in perfect harmony to a high standard. Courtesy of Titian Rep Theatre Company Shakespeare is a popular choice – it has familiar style, quality, and narrative. One of the reasons Macbeth is considered the cursed play is because it ...

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Othello, The CLF Art Café

William Shakespeare Directed by Anthony Green ★★★ Pros: The modernization of this production of Othello makes the verse and story clearer and more comprehensible in its relevancy to current affairs. Cons: The theatre was freezing to the point of distraction. Our Verdict: This is a sharp and sleek production which lends thought to those serving in present day wars. While the performances are, for the most part, impressively robust, the production lacked a certain insight. Courtesy of Othello Peckham A black ...

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Twelfth Night, Lion and Unicorn Theatre

William ShakespeareDirected by Rae Mcken★★★ Pros: The spoken text is crystal clear while the modern day setting, with mobile phones and such, makes the Bard’s renaissance comedy relevant and accessible to present day audiences. Cons: The small space could barely contain the heightened action of the story and an occasionally overcrowded stage distracted from an otherwise polished production.Our Verdict: This is an entertaining production, successfully showcasing a talented young cast and proving, once again, the relevance and accessibility of classics in ...

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Win tickets to see Romeo and Juliet! – Closed

Good news theatre fans: we’re giving away some free theatre tickets again! This time, we’ve teamed up with Hiraeth Artistic Productions to give you a chance to win two tickets to see their production of Romeo and Juliet at The Gatehouse in Highgate, London. The tickets are valid for any performance between 6-10 February 2013.  As always with our competitions, there are absolutely no catches. We’re not going to sell your data to any third parties and we’re not going to ...

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The Tempest, Watford Palace Theatre

William Shakespeare Directed by James Williams ★★★ Pros: A high-energy, creative take on Shakespeare for the whole family. Cons: Drastic script cuts sometimes lead to confusion. Our Verdict: A family-friendly, mostly accessible version of Shakespeare with a multi-talented cast and a clever design. Courtesy of Watford Palace Theatre It’s no secret that Shakespeare can be difficult and inaccessible to modern audiences – and not just for young people who are still mastering language and poetry, but for the rest of ...

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A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Lion and Unicorn Theatre

William Shakespeare Presented by the Grassroots Shakespeare Company London ★★★★ Pros: Tremendously funny, great use of language and an engaging, vibrant cast. Cons: Despite cuts, it’s still a bit long. Our Verdict: An incredibly approachable, tasteful, and uproarious Shakespeare production. Courtesy of Grassroots Shakespeare My main complaint about productions of Shakespeare’s plays is always that they either tend to be tired, unoriginal and stale, or that they try too hard to be original and lose all the sense and beauty ...

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The Tempest, Lion and Unicorn Theatre

William Shakespeare Presented by the Grassroots Shakespeare Company London★★★★ Pros: A wonderfully modern, high energy production filled with great jokes, lovely acting and lots of amusing pop culture references. Cons: If you’re a serious Shakespearean scholar you might find this production a bit silly and it felt a teensy bit too long overall. Our Verdict: A fun and unpretentious production from a great theatre company. This show is perfect for anyone seeking a fun night out and it is also ...

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Julius Caesar, Donmar Warehouse

William ShakespeareDirected by Phyllida Lloyd★★★★★ Pros: The fantastic stage setting, ingenious direction, innovative lighting, creative sound, intelligent interpretation of a classic tragedy…. They are all just an amazing backdrop for this first class all-female cast. Cons: None whatsoever. It’s a great script, an amazing cast and a sensational set. Our Verdict: There are so many reasons to see this production: the extraordinary dynamic of the all-female, top drawer cast; the representation of power, loyalty and conspiracy; the fantastic detail in ...

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A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Blue Elephant Theatre

William ShakespeareDirected by Ricky Dukes★★★ Pros: A nice, wintery feel to a traditional summer tale (who doesn’t love a good snow machine?). Smooth and creative scene changes, a terrific performance from Bottom and quite a few very funny moments (though mostly thanks to Bottom). Cons: Some of the performances require toning down and sadly the show never quite comes together fully. Our Verdict: A promising production which still requires a lot of improvements to make it work really well. The ...

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