Here's the concept, Shakespear's more prevalent characters have independently come alive, they're not acted or performed they are real people with all their problems and neurosis intact. And for reasons unexplained they have turned up at a bar (just after last orders much to the chagrin of the barkeeper) and now proceed to drink bottled beer held in pewter tankards. It's an interesting concept but barely ever gets out of first gear. Despite the engaging premiss for the play at the end of the 52 minutes I really didn't find any significant insight into any of the characters portrayed here, nor was it particularly effective as a piece of entertainment.
The video has been converted to black and white, and a scratched film filter applied over the top when it was digitally edited. Unfortunately, the repetitious pattern of the filter quickly started to detract from the onscreen performances and I'm not certain it contributed anything or any aesthetic and artistic value to the show.
Delivery often veers into the stilted and while I can suspend disbelief with the best of them some of the jump cuts and editing were jarring and problematic as they would jolt me out of my engagement of the piece. The characters as portrayed in this piece did not do justice to their roles as written in their respective plays. Indeed, they came across as two dimensional except for Joe Swift's Mercutio which had some power and impact. Within the writing the characters will frequently recite some of their more famous speeches or at the very least snatches from them. This only reduces the portrayals to cliché as they do not shed any more light onto the characters and indeed only seem to have been included because they are the famous speeches.
I thought the concept that was developed for this play was exciting with massive potential, but I did not find it either well executed or delivered.
Delivered Online
Show Time: Anytime
1 -25 Aug
Ticket prices: Pay What You Can
Tickets: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/madman-william-online-on-demand
https://res.cthearts.com/event/34:3467/