Reviewed by Barry Lenny, Sunday 18th February 2018.
Nicholas Collett last brought us
Spitfire Solo, a wonderful tale of a man who, in his youth, flew with 'the few'. He is back in Adelaide this Fringe with a very different show in
Your Bard, where we find him clad in green velvet as
William Shakespeare, who has dropped into the pub, and provides much humour. "All the world's a stage", and that includes pubs perhaps more so. The pub, on this occasion, is the recently refurbished bar, Treasury 1860 which, as we discovered, offers a fine range of superior alcoholic beverages. The production is jointly presented by Joanne Hartstone and Nicholas Collett.
Collett, as Shakespeare, recounts his history, telling how he first became involved in the theatre, initially as an actor and later, as we are all aware, as the best-known playwright in the world. Will is not alone at the pub as his Mum and Dad, and his wife,
Anne Hathaway, are also in attendance and help to tell the story, adding plenty of laughs to the narrative.
Although his tongue is often firmly in his cheek, and his eyes regularly glint with mischievous delight, Collett gathers together threads of Shakespeare's life and times, painting a vibrant picture of the man and of the London in which he lived and worked. There are also a few poignant moments, of course, such as the death of Shakespeare's only son in childhood, but the laughs come thick and fast, in this well-paced performance. If only all of those very dry and dusty history lessons that we once sat through at school had been so much fun, we'd have all learned a lot more than we did. Education should always be this painless, and comical.
Collett is a superb storyteller, bringing the Bard to life, and drawing us in, following both the ups and downs of his career and his personal life. Most of the lines are Collett's but, here and there, he generously allowed
William Shakespeare to collaborate, and add a few lines of his own. Collett created the mood and the persona instantly with a recitation of Sonnet 18, you know, the one that begins, "Shall I compare thee to a Summer's day?', and proceeded to keep the over-capacity audience enthralled throughout.
Seating is limited in this venue, so early booking is essential if you want to catch this very clever, very funny, and superbly performed production. You are going to be sorry if you miss it.
The production was ably directed by Gavin Robertson, who will be performing his own show,
Wordshow, later in the Fringe, so watch for that one. Collett is also directing Hartstone in her own production,
That Daring Australian Girl, about Muriel Matters. Be sure to catch that production, too.
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