Imagine if Shakespeare's characters were real...

On a wet Thursday in London the Head of the American Fan Club and I, took a big red bus to World's End Place - home of the intimate Chelsea Theatre.

We had opted for a bit of fringe theatre over the West End and were very glad we did...

The Shakespeare Conspiracy was not only witty and thought provoking but brought Shakespeare bang up to date.   The premise of the play is that Shakespeare's characters are real and that the RSC, under the Artistic Direction of Oberon, is a branch of MI6! Shakespeare's villans have been locked up in the RSC 'fiction' world for over 400 years and only the last surviving descendant of William - a mere travel agent called Martin, can determine their fate.   

Faced with the decision between releasing the villans, led by Iago and his 'sister' Lady Macbeth or sealing up the divide between fiction and reality forever, Martin chooses to free the villans, thus potentially causing the end of the world! 

The play asks whether fiction is actually reality, or is our reality fiction and therefore how do we know the difference between the two? In a Matrixesque speech Martin suggests that Iago will end the world by taking away imagination because without imagination there is nothing. He fears that iconic plays such as Waiting for Godot will be ruined because  Godot will turn up 5 minutes in 'and they'll all be down the pub singing Danny Boy', not quite what Beckett was going for! Ironically this speech is purely Martin's imagination! 

The quick wit and comic timing of Benedict and Beatrice (straight out of Much Ado) together with some very well executed sword fights and an eclectic mix of Shakespearian characters and lines made this a fantastic watch. Loved that Capulet and Facebook were in the same line!

When Oberon told Martin about the idea that fiction could be reality, it reminded me of an earlier blog post: 'Feeling Philosophical', where I asked 'if fantasy does become reality what happens then?'  We now have our answer... the villainous characters in our fantasy will attempt to end the world by shutting down our imaginations - if you can't imagine the fantasy and the fantasy is the reality then there will be no reality!  Or will there??

Things to plug:

Panto season has begun at The New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich with Sleeping Beauty - we've got our tickets - have you?

As essay writing kicks off contact the Black Cats and keep an eye on our Facebook and Twitter pages for some fantastic offers this side of Christmas!

P.S I was going to blog about a problematic toilet situations at USC but decided that you, like we deserved a better 'pissing' experience!

Feeling Philosophical

Sadly there are no silly stories this week as we are attempting to be little bit more intellectual! (We can but try) So...

This week saw one half of the Black Cat's (Cara) collaborating with the lovely Emma Kelly on a theatre review. Here are their thoughts on the intriguingly brilliant 'Stories from an Invisible Town' at The New Wolsey Theatre:

Diverse, unconventional and…there are too many adjectives to describe this oddly charming theatre show.  First shown at the Pulse Festival in Ipswich this summer, ‘Stories from an Invisible Town’ last night returned to the New Wolsey Theatre, this time as part of its UK tour.

Hugh Hughes tells us from the very beginning that ‘Stories from an Invisible Town’ is not a ‘real’ theatre show and his baffling yet entertaining mixture of presentations, film and radio go some way to making this show distinctly different.  Produced by Hoipolloi, and in association with The Junction in Cambridge, ‘Stories from an Invisible Town’ allows the audience a privileged look into Hughes’ ‘memory project’.   Joined on stage by his brother and sister, Delyth and Derwyn, as well as Jerry and Tom who provide music and technical support, Hugh takes the audience on a Snowdonian ride into his childhood memories, mixing the very funny with the very poignant.

At various points throughout the performance, the audience were left wondering how much of what they were watching on stage was rehearsed and how much was improvised; a feature of many of Hughes’ performances.  Despite erring on the side of unconventional, Hughes’ play remained relatable and up-to-date throughout.

The laid back mixture of well-timed comedy and compellingly executed poignancy created a totally fascinating and enjoyable watch.

Go here for the tour list:

http://www.hoipolloi.org.uk/our-work/stories-from-an-invisible-town/

There is also a fun interactive website, great for procastination, as if we need an excuse: www.invisibletownstories.co.uk

After reading the review and chatting with Cara and Emma, I had to ask - was it true?  Or, more to the point, did they believe it to be true?  They were undecided, but yes it did seem true.  The review states that 'Hughes tells us from the very beginning that ‘Stories from an Invisible Town’ is not a ‘real’ theatre show'...

This got me thinking - how can we as an audience know if something is true or real- just because we are told it is or it is it? In today’s society we are constantly playing with fantasy (the film, the play, the book) and reality, we want the fantasy to be as real as possible. But if fantasy does become reality - what happens then?

I could bore you with a million waffly answers (ok, not quite a million, but a million sounds impressive), however, I'll leave you to reflect.

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