Much has been written by, about and based on William Shakespeare. Known as the Bard of Stratford on Avon, Shakespeare is undoubtedly one of the most prolific writers of all time - with a total of 37 plays and 132 sonnets. However, little is really known (although often hotly debated) about his life and the thinking behind some of his works.
Brush Up Your Shakespeare will give you the opportunity to find out more about the life and works of Shakespeare and their continued relevance even in today's modern world.
Your room will be themed like a traditional Tudor/ Elizabethan theatre with magnificent drapes, tapestries and heraldry. The sound of lyres and harpsichords will gently fill the room, as servants, courtiers, minstrels and roaming poets mingle with guests, as they excitedly prepare for the latest work from the great Shakespeare. Indeed, guests may even catch a glimpse of the man himself as he frantically organises the finishing touches to the masterpiece he is about to unveil, in his role as host and MC for the evening.
Between starter and main course, guests will first be entertained by Judge - The People's Poet, who will perform Shakespeare's Sonnets with great style and aplomb (including the inspired Sonnet 73 - hailed to be one of the best poems ever written in English). Then to demonstrate that poetry is still valid in today's hectic world, Judge will then challenge the audience to choose a series of topics - a place, person, word etc - all of which he must use to produce fully rhyming pieces of poetry.
After the main course, a spotlight will appear on a single Shakespearean actor who begins to recite a famous monologue "Once more unto the breach, dear friends". He will then be rudely interrupted by a very frustrated William Shakespeare who storms onto stage claiming that the actor just hasn't grasped the point that he was trying to make.
This section will enable us to understand a little about the life and times of Shakespeare and give some insight into the topic debated by millions of students over the centuries - what was the underlying meaning of some of Shakespeare's great speeches? The tone of this section will be kept very light and humorous and if required can even involve a little audience participation. Shakespeare could ask for volunteers to help him recreate, say the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet - but in true Shakespearean tradition, all parts must be played by men.
The main performance would begin after dessert, kicking off with a rousing performance of 'Brush Up Your Shakespeare' (from the musical Kiss Me Kate) which extols the virtues of quoting Shakespeare to improve your love life. Shakespeare would then return to explain that his plays are split into comedies, histories and tragedies and to give a few examples of each.
To help demonstrate, the actors will suggest to Shakespeare that they could better show these differences by attempting to combine each of the styles into one potted performance - such as 'Henry V gives a Kingly Lear to Juliet on a Midsummer Night'. The four actors would then attempt to interweave the classic elements of each play by swapping roles (and hats) in the style of the world-famous 'Reduced Shakespeare Company' - which will create much confusion, chaos and hilarity.
The team will also use music and impersonation to explore how Shakespeare has endured through the ages - how his plays and themes have been used time and time again as the basis for films (Shakespeare in Love), musicals (Cole Porter's Kiss Me Kate) and songs (Dire Straits 'Romeo and Juliet'). The troupe will both perform a selection of songs and suggest some humorous pairings of famous movie stars and Shakespeare characters - such as Sylvester Stallone playing Hamlet - "To be " or what? This section can also include a light-hearted 'quiz', in which the audience will be tested on their knowledge of the great man - including what has been said earlier in the evening.
To prove that the magic of Shakespeare is ageless the troupe will perform 'The Shakespeare Rap', bringing in some modern styles, such as R&B and hip hop and will then remind the audience of the importance of 'brushing up their Shakespeare' with a reprise of the opening number. The musical finale will leave the audience exhilarated and ready to dance the night away with the house band.