As a slightly weary Twelfth Night veteran, personally I enjoyed this more sombre adaptation of the play, which remains accessible to newcomers while offering a fresh perspective to those who’ve seen it before.
Ought To Be Clowns’ 10 favourite shows of 2019
Ought To Be Clowns barely saw 250 shows this year, quiet by his standards. And as is the way of these things, here’s a rundown of some of the productions that moved me most…
10 of Ought To Be Clowns’ top moments of the decade
Ever behind the curve, I present 10 of my top moments in a theatre over the last ten years (plus a few bonus extra ones because whittling down this list was hard, and it will probably be different tomorrow anyway!).
10 plays from the past 10 years that stand out
Here is a snapshot of my favourite theatre from the past 10 years, the plays that stand out most in my memory, the ones I talk about if people ask.
New post-show Q&A: Join Terri for Lazarus Theatre’s new reinvention of Macbeth
As part of her ongoing post-show Q&A series, Mates co-founder Terri Paddock gets bloody with Lazarus Theatre company care of Shakespeare’s Macbeth at Greenwich Theatre. Got any questions?
‘Smartly self-aware, free adaptation’: TEENAGE DICK – Donmar Warehouse
Teenage Dick at the Donmar Warehouse does extremely well in dealing with disability but I think we’re kidding ourselves if we’re yet in a place where this would happen organically.
‘Funny, sad & meaningful’: TEENAGE DICK – Donmar Warehouse
In Teenage Dick Mike Lew has created a version of Richard III that suits the high school context extremely well, asking the audience to consider attitudes to disability, power and social structures that perpetuate all kinds of inequality.
‘Going to be a winner’: & JULIET – West End
Late 90s pop is always my jam so a musical that features it is always going to be a winner. The brilliant & Juliet is so much more besides as well though.
‘Best appreciated by students & Shakespeare enthusiasts’: MEASURE FOR MEASURE – Barbican Theatre ★★★
Greg Doran has translated the play’s Viennese setting to the 1900s, but while there has clearly been an imaginative attempt at a credible interpretation of the yarn, this production is hamstrung by too much mediocrity.
‘It’s a gorgeous way of presenting one of the Bard’s most quoted plays’: AS YOU LIKE IT – Barbican Theatre ★★★★
Director Kimberley Sykes embraces the playful text of As You Like It with a diverse and tuneful cast so at ease with the text that off-the-cuff moments and audience interaction are plentiful.
FIRST LOOK: Take a look at the modern setting for The Merchant of Venice with newly released production shots
Gold lame curtains, hoodies and hi-vis – we wouldn’t naturally associate them with Shakespeare, but this is the world of the new production of The Merchant of Venice, currently playing at Drayton Arms Theatre. Take a look at the production images, then book your tickets.
‘Never less than compelling’: MACBETH – Chichester
It has been a long time since the West End saw a truly great Macbeth so perhaps this is a chance for Simm and Kirwan to buck the trend with impressive performances that offer a different perspective on their characters while creating a potency in their exchanges that is never less than compelling.
BEHIND THE SCENES: Sneak into rehearsals for the bold new production of The Merchant of Venice
Have a peek at what a modern take on Shakespeare’s drama of vengeance, commodities, appearance and reality with rehearsal images from the new production of The Merchant of Venice directed by Alex Pearson. Book your tickets now!
NEWS: Lazarus Theatre announces Macbeth, Hedda Gabler & Peter Pan for 2020
Award-winning ensemble company Lazarus Theatre has announced their third annual residency at Greenwich Theatre with a 2020 line-up of three re-imagined classics – Macbeth, Hedda Gabler and Peter Pan – all with post-show Q&As chaired by MyTheatreMates co-founder Terri Paddock.
NEWS: Bold take on The Merchant of Venice comes to Drayton Arms
Shakespeare’s great drama of mercy and manipulation, The Merchant of Venice, is to receive a striking new revival by theatre companies Poetic Justice Productions and Wolf Sister Productions when it is staged at the Drayton Arms Theatre this autumn.
‘A show not to be missed’: MACBETH – Temple Church ★★★★
Performed on a vast traverse stage running directly through the middle of the stunning church venue, Antic Disposition’s new production of Shakespeare’s classic tragedy Macbeth transforms itself into a psychological thriller.
Text of the Day: Sam Wanamaker arrives on site
One from the archives: In 1988, excavations began on the site of Shakespeare’s Globe and the occasion called for a symbolic moment.
‘Completely beguiling & emotionally true’: AS YOU LIKE IT – Hornchurch
The Public Acts programme produces another winner in As You Like It at Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch, community theatre at its absolute best.
‘Never think community-based theatre is just socially useful’: ROMEO & JULIET – Wherstead Suffolk ★★★★★
Deep under the trees, beyond Jimmy’s meerkat and camel enclosures lies a 1960’s beach: shelter, deckchairs and lounging teens, Mods and Rockers, Montague and Capulet.
Q&A video: Why Creation’s The Tempest is worth travelling for & immersing yourself in
After chairing events for London transfers of Creation Theatre’s The Pit and The Pendulum and Dracula, I was chuffed to be invited to see them on their ‘home turf’ in Oxford and host a post-show Q&A for their new gaming take on Shakespeare’s The Tempest.