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Say hello to the Bard
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William Shakespeare is coming to town on February 6 with `The Complete Works of Shakespeare' that packs all the 37 plays and 14 sonnets into 97 minutes of pure undiluted fun.
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ALAS, POOR YORRICK: The melancholy Dane will have reason to smile.
ARE YOU one of those whose eyes glaze over at the mere mention of William Shakespeare? Does Shakespeare conjure up immediate visions of men in tights mouthing tongue twisters with a whole lot of "thou, thine, hark, hark the lark" kind of thing?
If your answer is yes, then make it a point to be at Ravindra Bharati on Wednesday at 7.30 pm for a howlarious take on the venerable Bard with The Complete Works of Shakespeare (abridged) where you get to watch all 37 plays and 14 sonnets in 97 minutes of frenetically paced unashamedly contemporary fun.
Originally written and performed by the Reduced Shakespeare Company, The Complete Works... is the longest running comedy at London's West End -- it has completed seven years.
The play, written by Daniel Singer, Jess Winfield and Adam Long, premiered at the Edinburgh Festival before winning the prestigious Laurence Olivier Audience Award for Most Popular Show.
CLASSICS RECLASSIFIED: A homage and a subversion.
It would, however, be three Australian actors - Ezra Bix, Berynn Schwerdt and Tim Schwerdt - who will entertain us in 34 performances between January 28 and March 3 during their six-city (Mumbai, Delhi, Calcutta, Chennai, Bangalore and amchi Hyderabad) tour.
Ajit Saldanha, of the Bangalore based event management company Encore Live who was responsible for bringing the show to India commented said "it was a calculated risk. But knock on wood, the response in Mumbai has been fantastic."
Saldanha said "Hyderabad is not usually on the route map for cultural events and my market research showed the play will not do well in the city. But I believe in flying in the face of convention. I think Hyderabad with its tradition of patronising the arts will enjoy the show."
FUN UNLIMITED: Berynn Schwerdt, Ezra Bix and Tim Schwerdt
Saldanha said the logistics of taking the show on an intercity tour "is mind-boggling and the most difficult part was convincing Indian Airlines to let us fly with the equipment - half a tonne of it!"
Talking about pricing (Rs 500, Rs 300, Rs 200), Saldhana said, "The tickets are cheaper here when compared to the other cities. It might still be steep but then we have to bear in mind that you are definitely getting value for money."
Saldanha says that all one needs to enjoy the play is "good sense of humour. You do not need to be a `lit' type or a total Shakespeare person. This is both a homage and a subversion." Incidentally, ITC Kakatiya Sheraton is playing host to the cast and crew.
Now is no time to ponder about "to go or not to go," now is the time "to go swifter than an arrow from the tartar's bow."
The play is on for two days (February 5, 6) and tickets (Rs 500, Rs 300, Rs 200) are available at Pharmacy World (55826005), Westside and the venue.
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