Red Shift Theatre Co. |
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| Much Ado About Nothing | |
| William Shakespeare | |
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Wed 12th March to Sat 15th March at 7:30pm |
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Italy is divided into warring factions, brother against brother. At the end of a brief but bloody conflict that has left a palpable atmosphere of suspicion and latent violence hanging in the air. Stalked by danger, two loving relationships splutter into life – one mature, cynical and guarded, the other youthful and impetuous – the courses of which are perverted and brought to the brink of disaster by the machinations of two ruthless, manipulative brothers. Expect an evening of inventive and challenging theatre, unexpected shocks and laughter, respect for the text and outrageous liberties in equal measure. “As devoted audiences and rave reviews testify there is nothing namby-pamby about Red Shift’s spectacular stagings of literary classics.” - The Sunday Times. |
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| Tickets: £9, Concs£7 | Drama |
Much Ado About Nothing is one of the best loved ‘comedies’ of the classic repertoire. Teeming with glamorous young things, hilarious clowns and serious men of state, Red Shift’s absorbing ensemble production also emphasises the real meat of the text with its threatening atmosphere of humiliation, revenge and the startling brutality that lives behind the smiling mask of Shakespeare’s Sicily.
Italy is divided into warring factions, brother against brother. At the end of a brief but bloody conflict that has left a palpable atmosphere of suspicion and latent violence hanging in the air. Stalked by danger, two loving relationships splutter into life – one mature, cynical and guarded, the other youthful and impetuous – the courses of which are perverted and brought to the brink of disaster by the machinations of two ruthless, manipulative brothers.
Red Shift stay faithful to Shakespeare’s craftsmanship while reinterpreting characters, scenes and passages of dialogue in an unfamiliar way that renders an old friend into a driving contemporary narrative. Expect an evening of inventive and challenging theatre, unexpected shocks and laughter, respect for the text and outrageous liberties in equal measure.
Running at just 90 mins, this is both an entertainment and a thought-provoking re-imagining; a highly theatrical ensemble entertainment with intellectual weight. Nominally set in the excoriating moral vacuum of Yugoslavia in 1991, this production promises to earn the same respect and acclaim that previously met Red Shift’s ‘without witches’ Macbeth, which toured the world winning awards, and a First Quarto Hamlet based on what academics call the ‘bastard’ text, that was a huge success and played in over 50 theatres.
“unsettlingly different... taut and wonderfully atmospheric” - THE GUARDIAN (On Vertigo 2006)
“a splendid coup de théâtre... an engrossing piece of storytelling” - TIME OUT Critics Choice (On Vertigo 2006)
“a gripping, heartstopping and superb piece of theatre” - EDINBURGHGUIDE.COM (On Get Carter 2005)
“Stunning... thrilling urgent. Makes yo0u want to shut your eyes and hide.” - THE GUARDIAN (On Hamlet first cut 2000)
The Rondo Theatre is supported by Bath and North East Somerset Council.
