Shakespeare for the modern age
Often when Shakespeare is mentioned, he brings forth thoughts of love sonnets, plays, thees, thous, thuses, and of course, Romeo and Juliet. Admittedly, not the most exciting thoughts. And that is just not right. I believe many people are robbed of the opportunity to truly appreciate Shakespeare and his works.
Maybe due to school requiring you to learn Sonnet 5678 or Hamlet’s soliloquy by heart, or perhaps you’ve sat through many a bad adaptation, or maybe, just maybe you can’t wrap your head around the language — I suspect this to be the main cause. Which is such a shame because when you get Shakespeare’s plays, you find a lot of sass, sarcasm, and innuendo.
Much Ado About Nothing is full of sarcasm and bickering between two of the four main characters, Beatrice and Benedick, as they spend the first half of the play swearing to be single forever, only to be easily tricked into falling in love.
Then we get the likes of Twelfth Night, with multiple cases of mistaken identities, cross-dressing, servants playing pranks, and if you’re lucky enough to watch a traditional all-male cast perform this, there are some jokes that only a man in drag can pull off regardless of the language barrier. And then you have Titus Andronicus — my favourite of Shakespeare’s plays.
Some have tried to argue it does not belong to Shakespeare due to its gruesome nature. So horror lovers, this one is for you; multiple beheadings, three hands are lost, and even a tongue! Titus Andronicus also has one of the earliest uses of a “Your Mum” joke:
“Thou hast undone our mother.” “Villain I have done thy Mother.” Titus Andronicus, Act 4, Scene 2 Then there’s Arya’s — spoiler alert! — revenge on the Freys in Game of Thrones, you can see where the directors took inspiration from Titus Andronicus, as she cooks Walder Frey’s sons into pies and then feeds them to him; like I said, gleefully gruesome.
If you’re still unsure about sitting down and reading or watching a faithful adaptation, might I suggest watching an Ugly Shakespeare Company adaptation? The Ugly Shakespeare Company is a fantastic group who adapt Shakespeare’s classic plays and breathe new life into them using modern slang, current event tie-ins, and pop culture.
Their aim is to bring Shakespeare to school students and give them the opportunity to be able to digest and engage in these classic works because, as mentioned in my first paragraph, classic Shakespeare can come off as daunting and boring. By adapting these plays for modern youth, it gives them access to the world of Shakespeare and can foster an interest for some to delve into the classic texts/plays.
It’s also a way to showcase New Zealand talent and contemporary theatre. Which means I am very excited to announce Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-po¯ will be hosting the Ugly Shakespeare Company on the April 2-3 as they perform The Scottish Play. We have reserved their Wednesday performance for the colleges, but will be opening the doors at 6pm on Tuesday, April 2 for a general admission showing.
Tickets are absolutely free, but you must reserve them beforehand, so the next time you’re in Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-po¯ , head over to the i-Site desk and put your name down for tickets. I can guarantee it’ll be one of the best shows you will watch this year.