Arguably one of Shakespeare’s most beloved comedies, Much Ado About Nothing has always left me with complicated feelings. While, like many, I consider the repartee between Beatrice and Benedick to be some of the best in classic literature, the disgusting mistreatment of Hero is something I have become increasingly uncomfortable with. Falsely accused of infidelity…
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The University of Adelaide Theatre Guild have tackled quite a challenge in presenting one of Shakespeare’s last plays, King Lear. Imagining the play set in the future, it challenges the notions of modern civilisation. In fact, Shakespeare’s commentary on power, lust and betrayal is as relevant today as when the play was scribed in the…
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Heralded as one of his most beloved plays, Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is no stranger to adaptation. The delightful tale of love, fairy’s and mischief, despite its troublesome undertones around consent, continues to mesmerise audiences. Performed at Sydney’s Centennial Park, the Australian Shakespeare Company have created a beautiful and incredibly humorous depiction of the…
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What if Romeo’s ending, was Juliet’s beginning? The Emmy-winning writer of TV’s Schitt’s Creek flips the script on Shakespeare in this hilarious and poignant story of self-discovery and second chances. Legendary songwriter Max Martin delivers one of the most addictive and joyous soundtracks to ever hit the stage, in this inspiring new musical that proves…
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Romeo & Juliet is a classic love story. It has inspired many different adaptations over the years including Baz Luhrmann’s famous film and the stage musical & Juliet, which ponders what could have happened if Juliet didn’t die. Unfair Verona is another new interpretation, in a style largely cut from the same cloth as The…
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Fascinated by the stories we don’t tell, and why we don’t tell them, Philippa Langley has a passion to tell distinctive and original narratives that challenge our perception of established truths. In 2012 she led the successful search to locate the grave of King Richard III through her Looking For Richard Project. Philippa conceived, facilitated…
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Behind every true story there’s always a slew of accusations as to what is exactly fact and what’s fiction. In the case of The Lost King, a charming dramedy surrounding everywoman Philippa Langley and her search to find the grave of Richard III, there’s the historians who believes it absolves the king of the supposed…
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Just because a story has been done before, doesn’t mean it can’t be told in a manner that offers something new. In the case of Die In A Gunfight, a supposedly romantic thriller influenced by Shakespeare’s classic tale Romeo & Juliet, its intent on bringing flare to proceedings is so chaotic and desperate that it…
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Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is one of the most iconic tragedies of all time. If you’re unfamiliar with this tale of woe – plot spoiler – they die in the end. But Giles Gartrell-Mills, the writer behind Mercutio and The Prince of Cats, isn’t interested in the star-crossed lover’s plight. Instead the play focuses on…
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It’s fair to say that most people know Shakespeare and his plays. But, very little is known about the old Bard himself. All Is True is a bio-pic about ye olde William i.e. the writer in his twilight years. The result is a story that relies on some speculation and doesn’t always live up to…
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Oscar nominated actress Margot Robbie will serve as an executive producer on a new, innovative Australian 10-part series retelling Shakespeare’s famous works in female perspectives. Led by a female creative team of writers and directors, it’s the first project to be announced from the partnership between ABC TV with LuckyChap Entertainment, Hoodlum and ABC Studios…
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Bell Shakespeare Company’s latest production of The Merchant of Venice has a few high points. But overall Director Anne-Louise Sarks has played it pretty safe and as a result there’s nothing about this show that really stands out. Listed among Shakespeare’s comedies, The Merchant of Venice contains some of Shakespeare’s most well-known characters. First, there’s…
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Get yourself ready for an evening of belly laughs and deep concentration because absurdism is back, and it is better than ever! Tom Stoppard‘s groundbreaking 20th century absurdist play Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and thanks to the National Theatre Live, you are able to see it fresh from its…
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If having Jai Courtney in the title role wasn’t enough to draw theatregoers in, let it be known that this modern-day reimagining of Shakespeare‘s Macbeth is like watching a Hollywood blockbuster come to life on stage. Right from the get-go, it’s as if we are immersed into the world of Mad Max with its rough guts…
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It’s one of Shakepeare‘s most famous tragedies and the Melbourne Theatre Company (MTC) is bringing Macbeth to audiences with a modern day touch. Starring none other than Aussie actor Jai Courtney in the title role and Geraldine Hakewill as Lady Macbeth, this is sure to be an outstanding season of Australian theatre. Macbeth opens next week and the cast…
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Melbourne Theatre Company have pulled together a powerhouse cast for their new production of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The production, directed by Simon Phillips, is the third and final instalment in a trilogy of Shakespearian reinterpretations directed by Phillips for Melbourne Theatre Company, following on from acclaimed productions of Hamlet and Richard III. Taking on the iconic…
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Set among the beautiful surrounds of Robertson Park in Watsons Bay, Sydney, Shakespeare By The Bay presents The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. In partnership with Bard on the Beach, Watsons Bay Hotel and the Woollahra Council, Romeo and Juliet plays out against an ocean backdrop, with the water lapping gently against the dock as…
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I officially have a new hobby – seeing any National Theatre Live film that comes to Australia. This is a genius concept that has been going on for a number of years but this particular viewing was my first time. Imagine being able to see the best of British theatre at the cinemas?! Genius I tell…
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The physical and comedic talents of a dynamic cast smash through the language barrier in this Russian adaptation of Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure. Combined with powerful design and masterful direction, Cheek by Jowl’s production is a treat for theatre fans and a highlight of the 2017 Sydney Festival lineup. Measure for Measure is a Shakespearean…
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Excellent direction and inspired design make Secret House’s production of Cymbeline a surprisingly entertaining night out. One of Shakespeare’s least-known works, Cymbeline reads like a bingo card of the Bard’s favourite devices: gruesome murder, adventures in the woods, cross-dressing, a confused King, banishment, star-crossed lovers and war. Tick, tick, tick, Bingo! At nearly 4,000 lines,…
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The most recent production of A Midsummer Nights Dream I had seen was The Australian Ballet’s interpretation last year, “The Dream”. The ballet was full of whimsical fairies and enchanted forests, the dancing light and airy as it retold Shakespeare’s fanciful story of love and folly. Here again in the Sydney Theatre Company’s latest adaption…
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Sydney Theatre Company’s dark new interpretation of the beloved Shakespeare A Midsummer Night’s Dream opened at the Sydney Opera House this week. An interpretation that is anything but a fairytale. We caught up with Matt Backer during tech week to chat about this thrilling new production and about his character Puck, or who I shall henceforth refer…
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In 2011, Oliver Burton undertook the ambitious task of building an improvised show in which the actors speak only in Shakespearean-style language. Five years on, the idea remains as fresh as ever, and the Post-Haste Players are now entertaining Sydney audiences with their take on Shakespeare’s History plays. I asked Burton about taking on the…
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Doth thou speakest true? Not a script betwixt these players yet drama and merriment dost ensue! It’s hard not to get carried away with the language used by the Post-Haste Players in their latest production, The Post-Haste Histories, especially because the Shakespearean-inspired script is developed entirely before your eyes. This is improv theatre at it’s…
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2016 marks the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare, arguably the most famous name in English literature. Ready to usher in this literary milestone, the University of Queensland has put together an impressive line-up of events. These include public lectures, symposiums, film screenings, and of course, theatrical performances, all aimed at celebrating the incredible oeuvre…
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A Midsummer Night’s Dream is up there as one of Shakespeare’s most oft performed plays. There have been countless as adaptations and reinterpretations over the years, but I’d imagine there are few as wonderfully strange and eclectic as Russian director Dmitry Krymov’s interpretation A Midsummer Night’s Dream (As You Like It). As clichéd as it…
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