Today we turn our attention to Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night, which legend has it was written specifically for a performance at the court of Queen Elizabeth I. Whilst there a several versions of the play on film, I have been able to identify three that merely use the premise for their storyline. Just One of […]
Ikkokukan Cover Band
I first came across Ikkokukan by accident on YouTube. It proved to be a very serendipidous accident because I feel that I have uncovered a hidden gem. At the moment they only have 27 people following them but I feel that they deserve far more and so I am adding this extra post to my […]
Bard Movies 4
Our final reflection on movies based around the story of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, takes a slightly different tack. Here, scenes from the play are being rehearsed as part of the drama surrounding the meeting of the Bard and Viola De Lesseps. Shakespeare in Love is a 1998 romantic period comedy drama film directed by […]
Bard Movies 3
In our third visit to movies inspired by the plays of Shakespeare we continue to look at adaptions of Romeo and Juliet. The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride is a 1998 American animated direct-to-video musical movie. It is the sequel to Disney’s 1994 animated feature film The Lion King, with its plot influenced by Romeo […]
Bard Movies 2
Continuing our new series on movies based on the plays of Shakespeare, we return to the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. Whilst West Side Story is the most renown, there have been several other adaptions of the play. Today we feature two very different retellings of the story. Romeo Must Die is a 2000 American […]
Bard Movies 1
Today, we begin a new series which follows on from the recent ‘Bard Words’ collection. ‘Bard Movies’ will not be looking at screen adaptions of Shakespeare plays, rather the intention is to highlight movies which can trace their storylines (however indirectly) back to the Bard. For our first offering we turn to the ever popular […]
Bard Words – Honourable Mentions 5
Our final honourable mention is a collection of sketches based on Shakespeare and his plays. The bard has provided a rich vein of comedy for those who wish to create parody or use his play plays for their inspiriation. After this series concludes we shall be embarking on a sequal entitled ‘Bard Movies’ which will […]
Bard Words – Honourable Mentions 4
Slings & Arrows is a Canadian television series set at the fictional New Burbage Festival, a Shakespearean festival similar to the real-world Stratford Festival. It stars Paul Gross, Stephen Ouimette and Martha Burns. Rachel McAdams appeared in the first season. The darkly comic series first aired on Canada’s Movie Central channels in 2003, and received […]
Bard Words – Honourable Mentions 3
“Upstart Crow” is a sitcom based on the life of William Shakespeare. Written by Ben Elton, it premiered in May 2016 on BBC 2 as part of the commemorations of the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. Its title quotes “an upstart Crow, beautified with our feathers”, a critique of Shakespeare by his rival Robert Greene […]
Bard Words – Honourable Mentions 2
The Reduced Shakespeare Company (RSC) is an American touring acting troupe that performs fast-paced, seemingly improvisational condensations of different topics. The company’s style has been described as “New Vaudeville,” combining both physical and verbal humour, as well as highbrow and lowbrow. The company was founded in 1981 by Daniel Singer, who wrote a 25-minute, four-actor […]