Rainbow Shakespeare perform Shakespeare for all the family at the Old Royal Naval College
Hilary Long
15 May 2009
This summer Rainbow Shakespeare are performing exciting, understandable Shakespeare for all the family on the Pepys Lawn at the Old Royal Naval College.
The productions are:
Henry V, Wednesday 29th July - Sunday 2nd August
(Henry V will be played by Andrew Long, who regulars will recognise from previous years as: Orlando - As You Like it (2005); Benedick - Much Ado About Nothing (2006); Puck - A Midsummer Night's Dream (2007))
Love's Labour's Lost, Wednesday 5th August - Sunday 9th August
7.30pm each evening, 2.30pm matinees on Saturday and Sunday. The evening gates open at 6.30pm for picnics. Please note seating is not provided, and the audience should bring their own chairs and rugs. Disabled parking is available on request via the box office.
Ticket price is £15.50 (adult) and £7.50 (under 16s). There is a £1 discount for booking both shows.
Family Tickets (2 adults and 2 Under 16s) - £40 (£70 when booking for both shows).
Tickets can be booked through Greenwich Theatre box office on 020 8858 7755. Or through the Greenwich Theatre website: www.greenwichtheatre.org.uk
Running Time: (approx) 2 hours 30 minutes including an interval.
…. Henry the Fifth is the most positive and optimistic of Shakespeare’s histories, with energy, excitement and swagger, and including England’s most charismatic young monarch leading a ragged English army against insuperable French odds. But far more than a jingoistic play, it is a play about people – and what a kaleidoscope Shakespeare of characters gives us: apart from Harry himself, there’s the outrageous braggart Pistol and his unsavoury companions; the narcissistic Dauphin of France and his over-confident French court, Llewellyn the canny Welsh soldier with his penchant for leeks, the delightful French princess whom Henry tries to woo, and many more. It is a play with something for everyone – easy to understand and enjoy.
Our second offering this summer is the romantic comedy Love’s Labours Lost. Four young men, including the young King of Navarre, decide to lock themselves away to study, undistracted by females…when who should turn up but the French Princess and her three attractive companions…..well guess what happens? Misunderstandings, broken promises and mistaken identities galore Apart from the four love-struck couples, Shakespeare creates a host of other delightful characters: the over-the-top Spaniard, Don Armado, in love with Jaquenetta, a ‘forward’ country maid, who’s also been pursued by the clownish Costard. The action is fast and furious, and there is even a ‘play within a play’ performed for the court by some over exuberant amateurs! Perfect entertainment for a summer’s evening.
