Have tickets to see Much Ado About Nothing at Stratford in December. I've never seen Shakespeare live ( as it's in his home town obviously hoping for a guest performance by the man himself...) and I'm not that sure about my capacity to follow it for hours. Slightly concerned that I'll just sit there lost for great stretches. I know nothing at all about Much Ado. Do people read up before they go or just take it as it comes or does everybody else who pays £35 a ticket just know the work well anyway?
Tipton is a small fishing village in the borough of Sandwell.
Comments
well, you know what you are going to get!
I wouldn't wish that on you!
They stop at a place on the way back from war and the local lord throws a party - Claudio falls for the host's daughter Hero, and Benedict resumes a love-hate relationship with Beatrice the host's niece.
Seeing Claudio in love with Hero the princes half-brother seeks to sour it and succeeds - when they're due to be married Claudio denounces Hero who faints and is presumed dead.
Beatrice confides in Benedict who agrees to help restore Hero's name - which works and they all live happily ever after.
I'd only brush up on it if it's one of those modern takes where it's set in a Juice-Bar ir staged entirely on Mopeds. .. and then I'd not go
I studied Hamlet for my English O level. We spent a whole year dissecting it, studying the hidden meanings behind the words, psychoanalysing the principle characters and their motives and responses. By the end of the year I knew loads of stuff but couldn't tell you what actually happened in the story. Then we saw a stage production: talk about a lightbulb moment!
I'm not locked in here with you, you are locked in here with me.
yes, I was thinking Carluccios, posh McDonald's!
Yes, most of them make much more sense onstage in a halfway traditional production. The comedies are sometimes harder to follow, probably because the characters themselves can be a bit confused.
With Shakespeare and Marlowe plays (i.e. Dr Faustus), its best to have a quick look at some simple GCSE analysis on the sparknotes website. It helps to give you a brief outline of the plot and to laugh at the appropriate times without looking like an arts philistine.
Just think music and get into the Iambic pentameter of the blank verse.