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Shakespeare Live! From The RSC

Ching Pei Khoo
StarStarStarStar

"An immersive and enjoyable tribute for Shakespeare fans and lovers of British variety shows alike."

How do you remember a famous English bard on the 400th anniversary of his death? Throw him a Royal Variety Performance of the highest order, feature a roll call of luminaries from across the performance arts, and of course, invite a member of the royal family as a guest.

Helmed by Royal Shakespeare Company's (RSC) artistic director Gregory Doran and hosted by David Tennant and Catherine Tate within the intimate auditorium at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre at Stratford-upon-Avon, this live-recorded tribute showcases the enduring power of the playwright's legacy in musical theatre, dance, opera, comedy and music.

The segueing of key acts across the genres illustrates this, as in the opening prologue of Leonard Bernstein's musical West Side Story, followed by the spellbinding balcony scene from Romeo And Juliet, and dovetailed by the dreamily romantic pas de deux from Kenneth McMillan's Romeo And Juliet ballet. 

A standout sketch has Tim Minchin, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ian McKellen, Judi Dench, and Prince Charles himself all advising Paapa Essiedu on how to deliver the infamous "To be or not to be" soliloquy. Dench's regal line — "It is I, Hamlet the Dame!" — is matchless.

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The non-celebrity minted performers hold their own admirably well against the top billing stars, and Doran shrewdly strikes a fine balance between the two. The result is an immersive and enjoyable tribute for Shakespeare fans and lovers of British variety shows alike.