Award-winning show heading to Fargo Village this summer
HE is perhaps the best-known author of all time, but the work of Warwickshire’s own William Shakespeare will be shown slightly differently in Coventry this summer, when an awardwinning Impromptu show will be performed at The Box at Fargo Village on August 5.
The travelling show has been a smash hit at the Edinburgh Fringe, appeared on BBC Shakespeare Live and was the winner of Best Comedy Event at last year’s Buxton Fringe.
Now the comedy troupe hope to win over comedy fans here in Cov with improvised takes on the Bard. Each show is different but unmistakably Shakespearean, echoing his themes, characters and language.
Packed with wit, lyrical smarts, romance and some double-crossing, the ensemble cast performances are very much grounded in the most read fiction back-catalogue ever, but inspired also by audience suggestions. Think Whose Line Is it Anyway but with ye olde English and doublets, ruffs and trunk hose.
It’s perfect for families with children over the age of 10 with a combination of accessible irreverence while striving to be as true as possible to
Shakespeare. The cast are not only leading theatrical and comedic improvisers but have a broad array of education and experience in classical text: dissertations on Shakespeare’s works, classical acting training and a multitude of acclaimed Shakespeare credits, including with Shakespeare’s Globe.
Company-member Ailis Duff says: “We are all so excited about the return of live theatre.
“The pandemic has really shown that there’s something truly special about watching a live show with an audience around you - it’s an experience that just can’t be recreated, and one that we’ve all missed. Improv is the perfect way back into this; it’s a unique, one-off performance that’s created between the actors and the audience, and it will never happen again.”
The company’s website reads: “Bursting with love, poetry, comedy, tragedy, soliloquies, power struggles, mistaken identity and the supernatural, Impromptu Shakespeare buckle on the Bard’s britches to bring you an entirely new and improvised Shakespeare play, based on audience suggestions.”
Tickets are on sale now and cost £10.