" 'tis true that a good play needs no epilogue" William Shakespeare.

I mentioned how excited I was to see this poster advertising Coriolanus during the election. I mentioned in this post that I love this play because it was the first Shakespeare play I saw where I did not know what happened, and watched it unfold on stage, gripped in the events.

This production focuses more on the political aspect, and it seems as true now as it was then. I went with a friend who I'd seen the John Howard production with. We were discussing it in interval when we realised that was 32 years ago! (Which explains why I was hazy on which was the Berkoff production and which was the Howard production). We both exclaimed 'How did I get so old!' in unison. Where does the time go?

This production has a really fun interactive aspect, you are either a Patrician scrambling to hold on to power or a Plebeian rising up, sick of poverty at the hands of the profiteering nobles. I will leave that as a surprise but it's rowdy and raucous in parts, very funny and spirited. The staging is unusual and I really enjoyed that part, watching the moving parts come together.

In the course of our conversation, I said to my friend 'I know this will sound odd to you, but I don't really like Shakespeare that much'. The irony was, I'd just seen Sport for Jove's magnificent 'Timon of Athens' last week. It was a brilliant production and if you get a chance to see it, go. The warning in the foyer was enough to pique my interest. 

Wonderful acting, hilarious at times, devastatingly tragic at others. One of the most interesting parts was the use of nudity. The first time was for laughs but the second time if was heart wrenchingly sad, a broken man left with nothing. It was so clever. (And if anyone from Sport for Jove sees this, I'm still wondering about the stunt fall from the top of the scaffolding. I was the loud horrified gasp on the last night).

I did of course also go to the magnificent Player Kings which I really adored. 

So I guess I like Shakespeare if it's done well. And I've been lucky that the 15 hours I've spent with the bard in the last 2 months has been thoroughly enjoyable. 400 years later and still relevant. Says something about him and a lot more about us. 

"Is there no play,
To ease the anguish of a torturing hour?" William Shakespeare

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Would also like to say a bit thanks to the Bell Shakespeare theatre for having Negroni on your bar list. And the Serendipity ice creams. It really makes for a more enjoyable night!

(To clarify, you can't go wrong with Macbeth or Richard III, they are kick ass plays.) 

Lastly, this cracked me up as it made me think of the Dr Seuss Wacky Wednesday book.

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