The Australian Shakespeare Company
17 January 2014
Royal Botanic Gardens
to 15 March 2014
shakespeareaustralia.com.au
Director Glenn Elston and the Australian Shakespeare Company have been performing in gardens all over the country since 1987. Their first production of A Midsummer Night's Dream was in 1988 and they are celebrating 25 years of Shakespeare Under the Stars with a new production in Melbourne's Royal Botanic Gardens.
These outdoor shows are all about being in a garden and indulging in a midsummer night's picnic with friends and strangers as bats fly overhead and a story is told. A story with cute-as-a-button fairies, an abundance of entendre and pun, and easy audience participation. It's not capital S Shakespeare; it's sharing one of Bill's favourite yarns with a few cuts and a few extras for extra fun.
With a design that uses the garden's trees, gorgeous costumes and a delightful (mostly) young cast, it's a perfect first Shakespeare for kids or friends who think that Shakespeare is dull or too hard to understand.
From a family outing you'll want to make a tradition to a first date that'll guarantee a starlight kiss, a night in the park doesn't get much better than this. Just remember to bring a picnic rug (although chairs are available to hire), an umbrella (because it is Melbourne), enough fizz to last two and a half hours and some extra money to buy an ice cream.
This was on AussieTheatre.com.
