William Shakespeare Archives - North West End UK

20Sep

By Angela KellyNo Comments

North West

Macbeth – The Grange Theatre

On a damp and dark evening in September, rather suitably, Macbeth is gracing the stage at The Grange Theatre in Hartford. Directed by Thomas Frith and assisted by Ben Simon, the performance of one of Shakespeare’s finest tragedy’s is always a brave undertaking by any company.With a simple setting consisting of the points of a very large, upturned crown as a backdrop, that at times also formed part of the woods and even the castle, the stage as a visual was extremely effective. Sound on entering the theatre enticed the audience with consistent sounds of a drum beating at regular intervals, setting the scene perfectly and heightened the anticipation of what was to follow. Emily Stone as Sound designer must be congratulated for this.Matt Concannon performed the part of Macbeth and did so to a...

A Pound of Flesh – Space 2 at the Space on the Mile

25Aug

By Michelle KnightNo Comments

Scotland

A Pound of Flesh – Space 2 at the Space on the Mile

“In the Merchant of Venice, only Portia’s appearance in court and her implacable logic saves Antonio from Shylocks Knife” What if she never came to Venice? Bassanio’s played by Ollie Hiemann need for money to woo Portia Ruby Rutherston sets in motion the events that lead to the trial. So many unanswered questions play tricks with our mind as to why there is hatred between Shylock Danielle Farrow and Antonio Gabriel Bird the merchant. This plot sets the scene for A Pound of Flesh and in true Shakespearean style navigates through the layers of truth and tragedy. The loan has a treacherous clause that comes to bare. The staging is simplistic, with two benches, subdued lighting and music filling the void with drama and intrigue. Narration commences with Michael- Robert Brown who plays t...

The Merchant of Venice – Royal Lyceum Theatre

23Jan

By Oliver GigginsNo Comments

Scotland

The Merchant of Venice – Royal Lyceum Theatre

The Theatre for a New Audience production of William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice is, of course, not set in Venice. Instead, we are in an American city in the near future, though the play's fidelity to Shakespeare's script largely confines this setting to its physical set, designed by Riccardo Hernandez (a brutalist concrete set of steps before two rectangular doors and a circular window), the presence of costume designer Emily Rebholz' suits and mobile phones and, of course, the Jewish characters being portrayed by Black actors (the link between two different intolerances aided by the fact the play has racist as well as antisemitic portions). This limits what the play can do to what Shakespeare did with it and, unfortunately, Shakespeare by today's standards is an antisemite. I...

The Merry Wives of Windsor – Shakespeare North Playhouse

2Aug

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

The Merry Wives of Windsor – Shakespeare North Playhouse

If Shakespeare chose a modern company to perform his work then it would undoubtedly be The Pantaloons; I’m equally sure he would be thrilled with director Steve Purcell’s adaptation of a play that had The Pantaloons stamped all over it when it was first written. Roguish knight Falstaff (Alex Rivers) is down on his luck and reliant on the good will of the Host (William Ross-Fawcett) of his local tavern to keep him in good spirits of any kind! When he informs servants Nym (Jodie Micciche) and Pistol (Andrew Armfield) that he intends to seduce Mistress Ford (Micciche) and Mistress Page (Armfield) they refuse to deliver his letters, so he throws them out. When the letters eventually arrive via Mistress Quigley (Micciche) the two ladies laugh over their similarity and decide to get their rev...

Much Ado About Nothing – St Luke’s Bombed Out Church, Liverpool

2Aug

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Much Ado About Nothing – St Luke’s Bombed Out Church, Liverpool

It’s almost thirty years since Dan Meigh got Off The Ground Theatre, well, up and running, and there is much to be excited about with this production of one of Shakespeare’s funniest pieces, full of delightful word play and it is often wondered whether it is the missing Love’s Labour’s Won, the latter half of a comic double bill with Love’s Labour Lost. In post-war Messina, the home of Leonato (Ben Currie) with daughter Hero (Sarah Elise France) and cousin Beatrice (Kathy McGurk) ever present, Prince Don Pedro (Phil Rayner) leads the returning soldiers which include his illegitimate brother Don John (Chloe Hughes), Claudio (Tyler Clark), and Benedick (Connor Wray), and it is with some inevitability that Claudio is drawn to Hero as much as Benedick and Beatrice are apparently not. But th...

Much Ado About Nothing – Shakespeare North Playhouse

15Jun

By Jan MellorNo Comments

North West

Much Ado About Nothing – Shakespeare North Playhouse

So, for those that do not know what Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing (and many do ask!) the story is a comedic play by William Shakespeare about misunderstandings, love and deception. Benedick, Claudio and Don Pedro arrive at Leonato's house in Messina. Beatrice and Benedick bicker with each other and Claudio, a soldier, falls in love with Leonato's daughter, Hero. Don John, who is Don Pedro's evil half-brother, tricks Claudio into believing that he has seen Hero being unfaithful. Meanwhile, Don Pedro and others plot to bring Benedick and Beatrice together. Claudio accuses Hero of infidelity and refuses to marry her. Leonato is persuaded to pretend that she is dead. Hero's innocence is proven, and Claudio repents. He agrees to accept Antonio's daughter in marriage, and she turns...

A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Hull Truck Theatre

5Jul

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Hull Truck Theatre

The only puck I have ever had dealings with was the one that landed in my lap during my days as an avid follower of the Humberside Seahawks ice hockey team, in Hull. In other words, I’m no fan of anything William Shakespeare wrote. So, reviewing A Midsummer Night’s Dream by the Bard was never going to be on my bucket list. But, not one to shirk my theatre duty, I went along to the Hull Truck Theatre on Monday evening. Well, bloomin’ ‘eck, as Shakespeare wouldn’t say, I really enjoyed watching a talented group from the community bring that very play to life. The opening stage setting was very sparse, consisting of just a metal park bench. However, the most dazzling costumes soon emerged and from then on it was colour all the way. As well as the psychedelic costumes, fairy lig...

All-female version of Shakespeare favourite set for the stage after Covid delay

3Oct

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

All-female version of Shakespeare favourite set for the stage after Covid delay

A hugely anticipated modern version of a William Shakespeare classic is set for a busy run in Manchester – with all the roles played by women. The 21st century interpretation of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ will be staged at the Hope Mill Theatre, from October 6th – 16th, following on from two similar sold-out Shakespeare shows in 2018 and 2019. In a twist on the plot of the original play – which revolves around the marriage of Theseus, Duke of Athens, to Hippolyta, the former queen of the Amazons – this reimagined version is set on Hipppolyta’s hen-do in a Manchester nightclub. Billed as ‘Canal Street’s explosive imagination meets the instability of Love Island and the classiness of the Real Housewives of Cheshire’, the play has been produced by HER Productions in partnership with...

26Apr

By Adam WilliamsNo Comments

REVIEWS

The Winter’s Tale – RSC Online

According to the Washington Post President Trump made 30,573 false or misleading claims during his four years in office. At the time of writing this review the Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been accused of acting dishonestly in a number of different scandals. Shakespeare knew that those in charge are not always honest and truthful. In this play he examines the consequences when an all-powerful man fails to act with honour. The shadow of Henry VIII and his treatment of Elizabeth I’s mother Anne Boleyn hangs over the drama. The play is all about honesty, integrity, honour and trust. It is at base a moral fable where purity is rewarded and sin is punished. King Leontes, a jealous tyrant believes his pregnant wife Hermione is having an affair with his boyhood friend, the king...

19Nov

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

REVIEWS

Macbeth – The Shows Must Go On

Macbeth is a TV film version of the 2007 Chichester Festival Theatre production of William Shakespeare's tragedy directed by Rupert Goold and starring Sir Patrick Stewart and Kate Fleetwood as Lord and Lady Macbeth. The film was shot entirely at Welbeck Abbey and makes full use of its larger halls and dingier corridors, and a much more limited use of its exteriors. These often almost empty but gigantic rooms (and peeling paint in the war scenes) and the almost total lack of exterior scenes in the first half evoke an almost apocalyptic underground world in which sunshine and fresh air may be (but seldom is) reached via the lift some characters disappear into. The costumes, props and stock footage evoke the Soviet Block in the Cold War, specifically Romania in the 1960s, thus establishing...