WILLIAM Shakespeare is regarded as one of the greatest playwrights of all time, but could an unassuming boy from Warwickshire have written some of the most memorable lines known to theatre?
Professor Oliver Nother argues no; Shakespeare himself begs to differ. Both are played by Nicholas Collett, whose play Your Bard is a labour of love which translates his fascination with the Bard of Avon on to the stage.
Collett's play takes the structure of a lecture presented by Nother, but later discards this premise when the ghost of a disgruntled Shakespeare crashes the venue.
Taking a leaf from the playwright's books, this ghost device is a nice nod to Hamlet and Macbeth while also presenting a narrative to solve the nine "unknown" years of Shakespeare's life.
Nother is a pleasantly bumbling academic, but it's Collett's Shakespeare who carries the charisma. While it's a shame we can't have the two characters interacting together (not without some nifty technical tricks, at least), we see a good contrast between Collett's characters that showcases his acting range. His audience interaction runs the risk of looking a little forced- after all, these segments are only as fulfilling as the audience are willing to participate. Nonetheless, Collett knows how to pack an emotional punch when discussing the dark moments in the Bard's life.
Your Bard is an entertaining show that is influenced by academic research but isn't alienating to audiences unfamiliar with studying Shakespeare. It's an informative and enjoyable evening with some great punchlines in store for the Shakespeare buff.
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