O/T ShakespeaRe-told

LesMisForever · O/T ShakespeaRe-told

Hello

I know there is a miscellaneous forum, but I am not too fond of it. Besides, apart from 4, or 5 people everyone I care about is here.

The BBC started screening last Monday a new series called �ShakespeaRe-told� (http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/shakespeare/). It took four of Shakespeare�s plays and put them in new settings (Macbeth being in a kitchen) and updated them to our days.

Although I am not against the idea, I don�t really think that what we will get is Shakespeare. I mean, Shakespeare never was about the stories, or plots. Most of his plays have rather weak, improbable, or even impossible plots. Many of them were based on already existing stories.

What made him great are the language, poetry, and the depth of his characters. While you can still salvage the characterisation when you update to modern days, you will always loose probably the most important thing, and that is the beauty of the language.

Updating might have its merit in making people interested in him, and maybe some will pick up the original and read it, but I don�t know why I have some feeling that sooner, or later I will encounter someone, who will be convinced that Macbeth was a cook!.

nicnikniki

Well I agree that if they 'modernise' the language then they will obviously be losing the strongest part of Shakespeare's plays - however, maybe they are trying to get younger people interested in it? I know the way it's taught in schools can be repetitive and boring, so maybe they are trying to get people interested in the PLOT and the general idea of Shakespeare (and the characterisation and all that) before putting all that difficult language on them!
Although I guess they can modernise without language changing - look at Baz Luhrmann's "Romeo + Juliet", I may be biased because I'm an Australian but I thought it was absolutely brilliant.

Aimee

The younger people was my first thought too but then I thought 'What time are the being aired?' If its on late it can't be that.

I do think its a good idea though. I'm ceratinly interested in seeing them. I totally agree that straight Shakespeare is very much about the language but this is a one off, an adaptation and should be seen at that.

Jordan

It gets done all the time, there was O (Othello) on TV the other day over here. I can't remember them all but there are lots and lots of contemporary versions of Shakespeare plays on TV/Film.

Moci

I had a debate about this with someone today and we did mostly agree with your points LMF. It seemed to be an inventive way of presenting Shakespeare and whilst making effective drama, it wasn't really Shakespeare in the sense that I would say. However, it was felt that it did capture the atmosphere of the original, as well as proving that Shakespeare can be suitable for a modern audience and that it wasn't only for the period it was written for.

However, it did seem a bit like 'The BBC tries to justify the License Fee', but as you said, if it can help people to understand that Shakespeare plays aren't just the boring project that every British schoolchild is forced to do.

digitalxdoll

Are they showing Hamlet?

Moci

LesMisForever

Hello

I chose to skip the first one (Much Ado about nothing), because i haven't read it, or seen it in theatre, and i prefer to read it first.
I will however watch the rest since i have read all of them. I am mainly interested in Macbeth, because that is one of my favourite plays.

I think all these types of programmes are basically "banking" on the big names. Again, i am not saying the product is bad. Actually, i am almost certain that it is good with so much talent involved.

One other thing, which slightly buggs me is that these type of dramas give a false sense of knowledge to many people. lots of people now think they know Shakespeare.

I know i am little bit picky, but i just can't help it Smile

.

Jordan

Just as an aside, I truly dislike Shakespeare anyway. I can watch the Baz Luhrman R&J because I get it. Traditionally done or even non-traditionally done, I dislike it.

I posted a review somewhere about a production of Hamlet I saw where at various points, people came on dressed in two pairs of tights, one on their legs, one over the top half of their body with one arm in a leg and their head in the other leg. They then thrashed about to some horrid thrashing 'metal' music and then ran off stage again. I have no idea what that was about, nor do I care, thankfully it happened fairly frequently and woke me enough to carry me through the next few scenes. Confused

LesMisForever

Hello

Gayboy....i read about this production. I even think it was discussed on "Newsnight Review". I strongly dislike this type of "adaptations".

I always liked Shakespeare eventhough English is not my first language. My early memory of him was my father telling me the story (well, the short version of it) of "The merchant of Venice" when i was around 9, 10. I started reading him around 16, and really loved him.

For me Shakespeare masterpieces are the tragedies. He wrote some good comedies, but maybe apart from one, or two they are not exceptional in my opinion.

However, his tragedies are something else. I find them fantastic. Hamlet, Macbeth, Julius Caesar, and Othello are my favourites in no particular order. When i first came to live in Britain and tried reading him in English, i found it quite hard. But, once my English improved, i re-read the majority of his work, and i discovered some new heights and beauty.

Having said all that i fully appreciate that some people don't like him. I for one don't like Dostojevsky (apart from Crime & Punishment). I started almost all his major works, but couldn't finish them.

Jordan

LesMisForever

Hello

Gayboy....I think i might be wrong, but it sounded similar to what i read about. I believe it was in one of those fringe festivals. But now that you said it was in Kent, i think i am wrong.

Well, i read your post quite late at night. I guess i was asleep Very Happy

LesMisForever

Hello

I watched today's episode "Macbeth", and thought it was OK. I don't think it was great, but it was watchable. Of course my opinion is little bit prejudged, but if anything it was confirmed. Without the language, it just felt ordinary. I would love to hear though from someone who never seen that before. I actually even asked one of my collagues (one of those, who has got only a vague awarness of Shakespeare) to watch it. I will see tomorrow.

To finish on a positive note though. The actor who played Banquo (Joseph Millson) was absolutely FANTASTIC when i saw him early this year in theatre in two plays.

Aimee

I watched it too and thought it was quite good. I liked the bin men witches best I think. I thought the scale was small, a restaurant rather than a kingdom but within that, I thought the acting was pretty good and the casting was well done.

I will try to catch the others too if I can.

Frank_Rind

As someone who knows and loves Shakespeare, it always intrigues me seeing different interpretations of his work. At my school we have done two Shakespearean plays in the last two years - Romeo and Juliet this year, and A Midsummer Night's Dream (in which I played Puck) last year.

Both directors had different agendas...the latter was interested in keeping Shakespeare as traditional as possible, whereas the former believed that Shakespeare is not enjoyable for the masses unless put into a contemporary setting. I think these two opinions make up the opposing schools of thought on Shakespeare that most actors and directors seem to support (one or the other).

I think there's nothing wrong with contemporizing Shakespeare, as a fan. However, it is the idea of contemporizing 'for the masses' that I disagree with...I think that these 'updated' renditions should use as much of the original source as possible so as not to give new audiences a false impression of the play.

So...as a Shakespeare fan interested in seeing new interpretations of his plays, I agree with the premise of ShakespeaRe-told. However, I disagree in these new renditions being produced as a way to get the general public involved with the work of the Bard, as I believe it is too much a false impression of his work.

LesMisForever

Hello

Aimee...I also loved the bin men. I was very intriguied to see how they will solve the moving forest. They changed it to flying pigs, and i thought how on earth they will do that? At the end they opted for making Macbeth imagining those flying pigs.

Frank...always nice to meet a fellow Shakespeare's lover Very Happy

. ore, or less i agree with your final conclusion. I think the aim should be to raise the people's taste (I know this sound very patronising Very Happy

), not to water down the good stuff.

This is of course a very debatable issue, but i never get tired of discussing it Very Happy

javertsw

I thought the Macbeth one was good.
However, would you really muder someone over a restaurant?

I felt you had to forget the Shakespeare to enjoy it.

Aimee

I thought there would end up being a pig in the restaurant fridge that would fall and 'fly' somehow in a comic slap-stick type way. Laughing

After all we had the vile cutting up of the pig head at the start. Confused

In the end I missed that bit due to looking after my sick cat. What actually happened?

Megan the Phantom Girlie

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O/T ShakespeaRe-told