This jaunty little potter through the more gruesome elements of Shakespeare’s works really ‘gets’ the tone needed for this strange 2020 hybrid of live theatre / film / desperation to be involved with the Fringe at all costs.
This is a joyous little nugget that rolls with the punches
The sprightly central character is joined by a host of other thesps as they splash about in some favourite bloodbaths for our delectation. In its wide-eyed and somewhat frantic perkiness to get through as many of the grotty bits as they can, the team do lose something in terms of clarity and flow: if you’re not au fait with the basics of the Bard, then much of this may go over your head. That said, it’s hardly one for the purists: making, for example, some deliciously confident capital out of the sort of eclectic props and makeshift costumes that epitomise any self-respecting Fringe revue. The most successful elements are the set-piece parodies (Come Banquet With Me particularly) which work really well in a Horrible Histories kind of a way and showcase the Loons own particular blend of intellectual understanding and sense of fun.
In a truly rotten year for the Arts, when well-intentioned ad hoc arrangements often necessarily fall short, this is a joyous little nugget that rolls with the punches and comes up smelling like a rose by any other name.
