In a full scale Shakespeare production you get the full, more to the point, overflowing experience. You get a large number of characters. They speak as Shakespeare originally wrote it, magnificent but often difficult.
The characters are dressed in colourful, ornate Elizabethan period costumes. The language, the sets, the lighting, the music are often extraordinary.
Force Entertainment, a UK theatre company, is currently presenting at the Sydney Opera House its work TABLE TOP SHAKESPEARE, which is a much smaller, or more to the point tiny, scale production of the Bard’s work.
With their show, they present a number of Shakespeare’s plays, two on any given night.Centre-stage, there is a long table. There is a cardboard sign at the front with the title of the play we are about to see.
Once everyone is seated, the presenter takes their seat, (with some shows there is more than one presenter), and the show begins. On the night we went we saw The Merchant Of Venice and A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream. The presenter narrated, in modern English, a condensed version of the two plays.
On either side, they access trays which contain various household objects. Each of these objects play a designated character within the play, picked up and returned to the tray after each appearance. At the end of each play, they take their bow, as they receive warm applause. We slowly made our way out of the Studio Theatre.
The show generated plenty of healthy after show discussion between us. Theatre companies regularly play with the Bard’s work. A popular iteration has been the Complete Works Of Shakespeare in 90 minutes.
In the end we agreed that the show had plenty of merit. With its radical, very pared back approach, young students and indeed older people who have always avoided Shakespeare because of its difficult language, its large casts and complicated plots, can get to understand and enjoy some of this most famous plays.
And then, just perhaps, they may buy themselves tickets to a full scale, professional production of a Shakespeare, and take in the majestic nature of the experience.
Over the short run, the production company, Forced Entertainment, will present twenty of Shakespeare’s play. No frills Shakespeare but one can imagine the hard work that has been put in to getting these shows together. Quite the achievement!
TABLE TOP SHAKESPEARE is playing the Studio Theatre, Sydney Opera House until the 27th September 2026. Running times of the shows is 140 minutes with one twenty minute interval.
Production photography by Cassandra Hannagan
http://www.sydneyoperahouse.com.au
