Monday 21 November 2005

Cultural Pygmy?

I will undoubtedly go down as a cultural pygmy for this comment, but I am sitting here watching Shakespeare Re-told and really loving it. I have loved them all so far and have every confidence that I will love the rest.

They capture all the humour, passion, farce and beguilment that the originals do, but in a modern and different setting. The scene in the first one where the lead man (can't remember names) is crawling around the studio floor under the cameras listening to the gossip and being watched from the editor's suite, is pure modern farce and no different to having two characters on stage and having to believe that neither know the other is there.

I have read some cultural snobs taking the view that it is rubbish and a violation of the great Bard's work. On the contrary. Shakespeare is said to have written timeless pieces, stories so fundamentally basic in their appreciation of human life that they will last forever.

If that is the case, then he should stand the test of a thousand interpretations and if some of them see some of our finest young actors bringing him to life in a new and relevant way with a twist fit for 2005 then so be it.

In this one (Taming of the Shrew) Cruella De Ville is just married to Kurgan (from Highlander) and they are trying to "tame" each other!

Get over it Will. If you're here forever, we've got to have our fun too!

1 comment:

Tom Greeves said...

In fairness to Will, I don't think he'd complain about his work being updated for TV.