HAMLET (Bristol Old Vic)*****

 

By Megan

Link: https://bristololdvic.org.uk/whats-on/hamlet-on-demand

Available until: 29^th November 2022 (48 hour rental)

Content warning: Violence, blood, vomit, death, suicide, live gunshots, strobe lighting

Age rating: 14+ (I'm only 12. I've seen Hamlet lots of times so we forgot to check the age rating because it's not a new play. It's not as violent as some of the films I've watched at sleepovers but Hamlet probably isn't a good choice for your first ever Shakespeare play)

 

I haven’t written a review for a very long time. I hope I haven’t forgotten how because this is a really good production which deserves the best possible review I can write. But I am out of practice and I am still only twelve so there might be things I get wrong and things I don’t understand.

CORIOLANUS (Shake-Scene Theatre Company)****

 

By Cal

Link: https://www.patreon.com/shakesceneshakespeare

Available until: Unknown

Before lockdown, all I knew about Coriolanus is that yes, the last two syllables usually are pronounced in the rude way. Now, I’m a bit more educated about Shakespeare (and maybe even a bit more mature) and other parts of this play are far more interesting to me – including how surprisingly enjoyable Coriolanus is.

ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA (Shake-Scene Theatre Company)*****

 

By Louise

Link: https://www.patreon.com/shakesceneshakespeare

Available until: Unknown

Antony and Cleopatra is classed as a tragedy, but there is a lot more to it than that. It is also a sort of history play as it deals with real historical events and there are some very dramatic scenes with physical and verbal battles. Nobody would ever call it a comedy, but there are scenes in it which are very funny.

THE COMEDY OF ERRORS (Shake-Scene Shakespeare Theatre Company)*****

 

By Tasha & Ry (The Twins!)

Link: https://www.patreon.com/shakesceneshakespeare (sign up here to access this and loads more brilliant plays, they’re doing the whole lot!)

Available until: Unknown

We love this because it is about twins! And what is even better than one set of twins? Twin sets of twins!

This is a really funny play. It doesn’t all make sense because I think if you go looking for your twin somewhere and get mistaken for someone else then it’s just like obviously your twin isn’t it? But we don’t think that matters. I think it’s more important for plays to be entertaining than it is for them to make sense. Making sense is like so overrated.

HENRY VIII (Shake-Scene Shakespeare Theatre Company)*****

 

By Louise

Link: https://www.patreon.com/shakesceneshakespeare

Available until: Unknow

Henry VIII is probably Shakespeare’s least-known history play. King John is another one that isn’t performed often, but I think people with an interest in Shakespeare usually know it exists. Before I started watching Shakespeare in lockdown, I didn’t even know there was a Henry VIII, but I’ve been lucky enough to see four productions in lockdown. It’s a very enjoyable play – especially with a cast like this – with interesting characters and so many really powerful moments.

RICHARD III (Shake-Scene Shakespeare Theatre Company)*****

 

By Megan

Link: https://www.patreon.com/shakesceneshakespeare (Shake-Scene recorded another Richard III in 2020. This is the one is from October 2021.)

Available until: Unknown

If you don’t know the normal British way of naming the Kings (which you might not if you don’t live in the UK), you might think Richard III is the third in a trilogy with Richard II being the second and Richard I… well maybe that got lost like Cardenio.

If you do know that Richard III is the third English King called Richard, you might think that Richard III is a standalone history play like King John.

HENRY VI PART III (Shake-Scene Theatre Company)*****

 

By Megan

Link: https://www.patreon.com/shakesceneshakespeare

Available until: Unknown

The acting in Shake-Scene productions is always brilliant. The plots are really clear (though there are probably things I will understand better when I get older) and the actors perform with lots of enthusiasm. They are also the only company who uses cue scripts like Shakespeare did which gives them a real individuality. If you are interested in cue scripts you should definitely watch these plays. It is really interesting and cue scripts really do work.

HENRY VI PART II (Shake-Scene Shakespeare Theatre Company)*****

 

By Megan

Link: https://www.patreon.com/shakesceneshakespeare

Available until: Unknown

Henry VI Part II is believed to be Shakespeare’s first history play. It’s not King John, which is the earliest historically. It’s not Henry VI Part I, which you’d expect to come before Part II. It was Henry VI Part II (though it probably wasn’t called Part II at the time). Well, it was probably the first. It’s difficult to be completely sure with Shakespeare’s plays. Shakespeare might actually have liked it that way. I think he liked to keep people guessing.

HENRY VI PART I (Shake-Scene Shakespeare Theatre Company)*****

 

By Megan

Link: https://www.patreon.com/shakesceneshakespeare

Available until: Unknown

Half-term is traditionally a time when children have fun and that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to watch the three parts of Shakespeare’s Henry VI over five days. It sounds quite a lot because even the shortest one (this one) is nearly four hours long but it’s by Shakespeare and it’s presented by Shake-Scene Shakespeare Theatre Company so I knew it was going to be really good.

THE MERCHANT OF VENICE (Shake-Scene Shakespeare Company)****

 By Cal

 

Link: https://www.patreon.com/shakesceneshakespeare

Available until: Unknown 

The Merchant of Venice is definitely a problem play for me. There’s a lot here to make a modern audience very uncomfortable. 

Another problem is whose side you’re on. Nobody behaves all that well – and while this is a charge that could be levelled at a number of Shakespeare’s characters, the characters in The Merchant of Venice aren’t as easy to invest in as such incredible creations as Iago and the Macbeths.

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (Shake-Scene Theatre Company)****

 

By Megan

Link: https://www.patreon.com/shakesceneshakespeare

Available until: Unknown

Lots of theatres are reopening all over the country but there is still lots of online theatre to be enjoyed and one company who has said they will keep going because they are enjoying it so much is Shake-Scene Theatre Company. They have already started their King Henry VI cycle with the final part coming next month. We will be reviewing all three close together like we did with Henry IV.

LEAR ALONE (And Tomorrow Theatre Company/Elysium Theatre Company/Scenesaver)*****

  

By Cal

Link to Episode 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWyfBfRxhmk

Episode 1 with subtitles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rey2Zp7KAwk

Other episodes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRc2lmDAjXa1_wLCuL-PKFw/videos

Available until: Unknown

There have been many adaptations of Shakespeare plays which have been made digitally available in lockdown, but all of them can teach you something new about the plays that inspired them and Lear Alone is definitely not the exception. On the contrary.

AS YOU LIKE IT (Guildford Shakespeare Company)*****

 

By Louise

Link: https://booking.guildford-shakespeare-company.co.uk/booking-start

Available until: 15^th August 2021. The recording becomes available at 7.30pm (and 2.30pm on Sundays) on the day you book.

Guildford Shakespeare Company have been very generous with their digital productions since the pandemic and their many enjoyable productions include A Christmas Carol and Henry V. They have recently returned to live performances, but they have still very kindly chosen to share She Stoops to Conquer and now As You Like It with us. The productions aren’t free to watch online (and there is no reason why they should be), but the company went to the trouble of recording the shows and making them available to us and the standard is always very high so it is well worth the money. Guildford is quite a long way away from where I live so it would be difficult to visit especially now but I am really glad we have had the opportunity to get to know this company’s work, even though the reason is sad.

KING LEAR (UK Actors Support Network)*****

 

By Louise 

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1hzjxF88nA

Available until: Unknown

King Lear is the latest play in a long series of Zoom plays which have been presented by UK Actors Support Network throughout lockdown. Other highlights have included well-known plays like The Winter’s Tale and The Importance of Being Earnest, as well as plays I hadn’t heard of like Hindle Wakes.

AS YOU LIKE IT (Worldwide Shakespeare)*****

 

By Megan

Link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/william-shakespeares-as-you-like-it-recording-tickets-163768011531

Available until: 26^th July 2021

The first production I ever reviewed was a production of As You Like It and that was nearly a whole year ago! I hope I’m better at reviewing than I was then. I write a lot more on my own now. I was only nine when I wrote my first review and I will be eleven in seven weeks.

Worldwide Shakespeare’s production of As You Like It was originally livestreamed just once but now it has been made available for another week. It is not free but it is Pay What You Can and whatever you pay, it will be worth it because it is a great production.

JULIUS CAESAR (International Actors Ensemble/Circle in the Sand/Alex Theatre)*****

 

By Louise

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6R1S8pRoOwY

Available until: Unknown

Some people are a bit disappointed with Julius Caesar because there isn’t very much for the female characters to do. Shakespeare has written a lot of brilliant female characters, but there are only two females in Julius Caesar and they’re not always presented in a very positive way.

HENRY V (Guildford Shakespeare Company)****

 

By Louise

Link: https://www.guildford-shakespeare-company.co.uk/henry-5-online

Available until: Final performance on 25^th April at 7pm

There is only half an hour until the final performance of Guildford Shakespeare’s Henry V, but I really hope that everyone who is interested in seeing a short, brilliant production of Henry V will be able to watch this one.

HENRY IV PART II (Shake-Scene Shakespeare)****

 

By Louise

Link: https://www.patreon.com/shakesceneshakespeare

Available until: Unknown

At the end of this play, book holder Lizzie Hughes said Henry IV Part II wasn’t like one big play, it was like lots of little plays, one after another. I was so glad to hear her say that because I was thinking exactly the same thing, but I wasn’t sure if I was brave enough to write it in my review.

HENRY IV PART I (Shake-Scene Theatre Company)*****

  

By Louise

Link: https://www.patreon.com/shakesceneshakespeare

Available until: Unknown

I find the history plays quite difficult so even though I knew Shake-Scene would do a brilliant performance of this play, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to appreciate it as much as it deserved. But this really is a great production with so many fun moments and it’s very easy to follow.

RICHARD II (Shake-Scene Theatre Company)*****

 

By Cal

Link: https://www.patreon.com/shakesceneshakespeare

Available until: Unknown

Richard II marks the beginning of a long history cycle which has sadly skipped King John, but he did reign quite a long time before Richard II. The other history plays more or less move from one King to the next. Judging from Shake-Scene’s performance of Richard II, it’s going to be a very exciting cycle. Richard III will not officially be part of this cycle as Shake-Scene have done this play already, but as we haven’t watched it yet, we will be sticking it on the end after Henry VI Part III.