Christopher Hunter to Make Edinburgh Fringe Debut with VENUS AND ADONIS

With an impressive body of work including Sherlock, 51st State, Mr Selfridge, Silent Witness, The Bill and Dracula, leading theatre, television and film actor Christopher Hunter makes his Edinburgh Fringe debut this year, in his new solo interpretation of Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis at C Venues Hill Street.

In this extraordinary dramatisation, Christopher Hunter brings a young William Shakespeare's little-known but highly successful first published poem, Venus and Adonis, to life.

Hunter reimagines Shakespeare's powerful narrative of the complex two-sided nature of illicit attraction, desire, love, rejection, death, and the consequent disappearance of beauty from the world.

Audiences will quickly discover that this comic, tragic and at times erotic work, written in 1593, could have been written for today's audiences. When examined through the 21st century prism, Venus and Adonis becomes the story of an innocent young boy who walks out of his front door one morning, is sexually assaulted by an older woman, and never returns home.

Christopher Hunter became intrigued by the psychology of the characters in Shakespeare's poem, and the possibility of turning it into a play. "During this process, something darker and more disturbing began to emerge from the soft-focus of Elizabethan erotica," says Hunter. "The beauty of Venus and Adonis lies not only in the gripping story but also in the youthful vibrancy of its language which makes it incredibly easy for a modern audience to access and appreciate."

IF YOU GO:

Venus and Adonis

Venue: C venues - C primo (Venue 41) ?

Add: 19 Hill Street, Edinburgh, EH2 3JP

Date: 2-28 August except 14 August

Time: 15:15 - 16:15 (1 hr)

Tickets: £11.50 £10.50 £9.50, Concession £9.50 £8.50 £7.50

Box office: Tel 0845 260 1234

www.Cvenues.com

ABOUT Christopher Hunter

Christopher Hunter is a well-known and respected actor with an extensive body of work in theatre, television and film. He has performed leading roles on the West End Stage and with the RSC, the NT and in regional theatre both in the classics and new and experimental work.

His TV and film work includes films by Merchant Ivory, John Glenn, Nic Roeg, Ronnie Yu, Harry Chapman and his TV work includes Sherlock, Mr Selfridge, Silent Witness, Eastenders, Casualty, Between the Lines.

Alongside his acting portfolio, Christopher has developed a career as a director and writer - working at the Chicago Auditorium Theatre, in Berlin and the Young Vic Studio. He also works with acting students at drama schools around the UK.

Christopher Hunter's innovative adaptation has been workshopped by the RSC. He is presenting his solo version of the poem at the Edinburgh Fringe.