The Complete Works of William Shakespeare at Theatre by the Lake Keswick Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Jo Hardy
Presented by Chipping Norton Theatre and Selladoor Worldwide and performed by the Reduced Shakespeare Company.
This show ran in London’s West End for nine years and has been shown in many countries around the world. The production has been updated and is now towards the end of its UK tour.
More information about dates and places can be found here: completeworkstour.co.uk.
The set is very simple. The only thing on it before the show started was The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, spotlit centre stage. It was kept simple throughout the show, brought to life by dramatic lighting when appropriate. The actors’ basic costume is ordinary street clothes, but they add additional pieces for each character they play, sometimes looking as though they had been rummaging in the dressing-up box before coming back on stage. The props are minimal and quite random. In one scene, three toy dinosaurs are used. I couldn’t work out how they fitted into the story, but that didn’t matter; they brought their own joy to the show.
Efe Agwele, Woogie Jung and Kiran Raywilliams all give performances full of energy and wit. They engage well with the audience, creating a very immersive experience for everyone. It seems unfair to have a favourite, as they were all so good, but I fell for Kiran. Billed as the understudy, he is full of energy and mischief and brings the stage to life whenever he appears.
Three actors, thirty-seven plays. I found it hard to believe they would do it. As the show started and introductions were made, I was thinking to myself, “Get on with it, you’ll never fit everything in.” But not only did they do it, they did it with bells on, getting through almost all the plays before the interval and saving Hamlet for the second half, which they performed four times.
As you would expect, it was very fast-paced. There was lots of physical comedy, sometimes a bit chaotic but never out of control. The audience interaction was lots of fun, but avoid the front row if you’re not up for playing your part in the show.
I could see how the show had been updated, with mentions of Taylor Swift, Ozempic and even a couple of characters vaping while having a chat.
I’ve never been a Shakespeare fan; I always found the language too difficult, but this show made it much more relatable and I thoroughly enjoyed it. My companion for the evening is a big Shakespeare fan, and she enjoyed it just as much as I did.
Overall, this show is a lot of fun for Shakespeare lovers and non-Shakespeare lovers alike. If Shakespeare had been presented to me like this in school, I may have understood it more.
At Theatre by the Lake, 16th June–18th June
Suitable for all ages.
1 hour 40 minutes, including interval.
All tickets £26, with some tickets at £12 for under-26s.
Available from theatrebythelake.com
Rating: 4/5