Shakespeare for Breakfast |
Published on Thursday, 27 June 2013 | |||||
We confess. This is one preview we trot out every year... but that's because we always look forward to this tongue-in-cheek homage to the Bard. Amazingly, it's the 22nd annual instalment of C Venues' Stratford-themed knockabout, served – as always – with coffee and croissants at the very start of the Festival day. And if previous years are a guide, Shakespeare buffs and lay-people alike will find plenty to tickle their humour, in what usually proves a cheerful, great-value show. The details of the 2013 script are yet to emerge, but by now we've a fair idea what to expect: previous years have included such silliness as Shakespeare – The Panto, and a wife-swap between Romeo and the Macbeths. It's always a fast and funny romp through Bardic highlights, melded with a folio-full of contemporary references and played out by a young but enthusiastic crew. Sets and costumes are invariably sparse, and some years' scripts are better than others, but ticket prices reflect its informality and true disappointments are rare. You don't need to be a Shakespeare expert to enjoy it either... though the real aficionados will spot plenty of intellectual in-jokes to secretly enjoy. If you're living the Fringe to the full, its 10am slot may mean an early alarm. But still, whether you're a professor of literature or haven't read Shakespeare since school, it makes sense to pencil breakfast with the Bard into the least crowded part of your Festival day. |
<< The Showstoppers' Improvi... | The Trials and Tribulatio... >> |
---|
We're blogging this month about the ethics and practice of arts reviewing at the Fringe. Come and join the discussion.