ABSOLUTE SHAKESPEARE

To be or not to be, that is the question. William Shakespeare has like no one else through history so precisely put the struggles of humanity into words.

In this theatre concert, dialogue and soliloquies from some of Shakespeare’s most loved plays are intertwined with iconic pop hits from the 1980’s giving each other new perspectives.
Stripped of synthesizers and electronic drums, instead accompanied by a lute (lasciviously pleasing), the songs display themes that we are familiar with from Shakespeare – love, jealousy and the ever haunting question from Hamlet.

Music has a unique way of evoking moods and feelings. To use music in theatre is an old trick, and one that Shakespeare himself was especially keen on. Not only instrumental music to enhance the power of a scene – Ross W. Duffin has showed how The King’s Men exploited popular tunes in many ways to make the audience engage and connect emotionally.

We are sure that those who held their sweetheart for the first time while the DJ played I will always love you at their school disco will get Juliet’s thrill on a deeper level if the song precedes the balcony scene in our show. At the same time Shakespeare’s wit will enlarge the scope of the music. The popular tunes of the 80’s might still be considered shallow. But rubbing shoulders with Shakespeare’s immortal texts, they stand out in a new luster and often with an unexpected twist.

And at last, when our revels are ended, we hope that this star-crossed match will make you marvel at the timelessness of the matters dealt with – love, the courtship and the bickering, the euphoria and heartache. And the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to.
Else the Puck a liar call!