Bite-sized Bard

This year’s dose of intellectually stimulating theatre comes to Dubai’s shores as Hamlet in a shape and form you wish existed when you were taking your O levels. Freyja Tasci finds out more.

So it’s back-to-school time for the kids, with the prospect of some hard study to finish off the school year. To help sharpen them up, why not pack your offspring off to a good old fashioned dose of Shakespeare. It should nicely stimulate some grey matter, and – wait for it – they might just have a whole lot of fun while they’re at it. That is according to the brains behind a new production of Hamlet, Julian Chenery.

Julian describes the way his theatre company has approached Shakespeare and made it digestible for children (and their parents). ‘This is an authentic retelling of the original play using a blend of easy-to-understand dialogue and original Shakespearean text, with music and original songs in a musical theatre genre,’ he says. ‘The audience can easily follow the twists and turns of the plot, understand the main characters, and hopefully begin to appreciate the depth and subtleties of Shakespeare’s original masterpiece.’

At four and a half hours of loaded soliloquies and complex plot turns, Hamlet is a challenge for the most avid dilettante, yet Julian shows us that bringing it down to basics makes the play easy for anyone to understand. ‘Hamlet can be regarded as a ‘heavy’ play because it is written on so many levels,’ he admits. ‘But on the surface we are looking at a man who wants revenge but doesn’t know what to do; and children and young people can easily relate to that. The most important thing is to understand the chronology of the play, who is who, and how they relate to each other. Only then can you investigate the deeper subtleties of the themes, enigmas and hidden allegories.’

It’s a fair point, but purists might argue that messing with the dialogue means we’re not really watching the ‘true’ Hamlet. ‘We always get reactions from the “defenders of the faith” who think that nothing should ever be changed,’ says Julian, refuting the notion. ‘Sadly there are some people who feel that Shakespeare should be as elite as opera and ballet. Our work is designed as a stepping-stone for millions of people who are daunted by the prospect of Elizabethan English language and an archaic “proclaiming-style” of acting. This should not be thought of as high-brow theatre. It’s a simply great show!’

It’s a tactic that has gone down well with children in recent years. ‘It has been a long-held ambition of mine, not just to bring more children and young people into live theatre, but also to create an accessible link to our theatrical cultural heritage,’ notes Julian. ‘The challenge was to create a spark of interest in Shakespeare’s stories with children who were too young to understand the vocabulary and verse of his original work, yet to maintain an authenticity with the plot, themes, characters and relationships. Alongside that we also wanted to leave untouched as many of the most famous quotes, speeches and moments of the original work, leaving them completely wrapped within the original context of the story.’

Julian’s adaptation has certainly brought out the fun, or at least dark comedy, inherent in much of Shakespeare’s work. Some reviewers have even accused him of turning Shakespeare’s epic tragedy into a comedy. ‘Some see Hamlet as a revenge tragedy, others as a quest or journey of redemption,’ muses Julian. ‘In that it’s not too dissimilar to Harry Potter or Lord Of The Rings I suppose. The main tragedy – as in all Shakespeare tragedies – is that the hero (or heroes) dies in the end. It’s a journey that remains not only gripping but often very funny as well. Why can’t Romeo and Juliet be teenagers in love with all the funny and stupid behaviour that goes with young love? Why can’t Hamlet’s pretend “madness” be comical for the audience? Why can’t some of the guards on the castle ramparts be cowardly in their fright about the appearance of a ghost? All of this gives plenty of opportunity for the humour and lighter moments that so perfectly frame the tragic elements of the story.’

OK, we’re sold on the fact that Shakespeare can be funny. But how old do children need to be to follow it? ‘Seven or eight if English is your first language,’ replies Julian. ‘Ten or 11 perhaps if it is your second.’

For a Shakespeare scholar like Julian, what does he love most about the Bard’s work? ‘The fact that it shows human nature doesn’t change,’ he replies. ‘Shakespeare holds a mirror up to our own selves: envy, betrayal, deception, jealousy, love, hate, romance, murder, greed, corruption, violence, exploitation, power, treachery … All the things we hold so near and dear to our hearts!’

Shakespeare 4 Kidz Hamlet will be playing twice daily at the Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Centre (DUCTAC), Mall of the Emirates (04 341 4777 ), April 21- 24, 9.00am and 12.00 midday each day. Tickets Dhs85, DUCTAC Box Office. Sharjah Cultural Palace Theatre April 26, 11:00am and 4:00pm, Dhs50 (06-5225839). Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation Theatre April 29, 9:00am and 6:00pm. Tickets to all shows available at www.timeouttickets.com and from Spinneys outlets in Abu Dhabi , Dubai, and Sharjah.

Hamlet's a hit

By Kelly Crane, Staff Reporter
Published: March 11, 2008, 23:42

Meet the men who put the shake into Shakespeare. Julian Chenery's fun versions of the bard's plays are a massive hit around the world

Following eight successful months on tour in the UK, Shakespeare 4 Kidz — or S4K as it's becoming better known — brings Hamlet to the UAE.

The five-star hit, starring Paul Parris as Hamlet, with Jason Lee Scott as Claudius, Pippa Jeronimo as Gertrude and Antony Stuart-Hicks as Polonius, hits the stage in Dubai as part of a Gulf tour which also includes shows in Bahrain, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi.

Always a huge hit with parents and children alike, S4K made history in UAE when the cast performed A Midsummer Night's Dream to 12 sell-out crowds in Dubai and Sharjah on the debut tour in 2007.

S4K founder and chief executive, Julian Chenery, says S4K evolved over the years. But as the next few paragraphs will reveal — he ironically has his children to thank.

He said: "Shakespeare 4 Kidz began life in 1996, but the original inspiration goes back to the early 1980s. Matt Gimblett, my composer and writing partner, and I, both had children at the same primary school, in Woldingham, Surrey where Matt's wife was the speech and drama teacher."

"She asked us to write short musical plays for the junior children to perform, as she felt there was a lack of good material. And that's where it all began."

The result was short musical plays such as Robin Hood and A Christmas Carol. In 1995, the dynamic duo produced a full-length show called What Did You Do in the War, Grandad? which contained material relevant to the education curriculum.

The unprecedented success of the show encouraged the school to commission the Chenery and Warnock team to write a second show the following year.

Chenery added: "I had wanted to ensure that our endeavours had an element of ‘educational kickback' so the children's efforts would result in some embedded learning that was somehow linked to the curriculum."

And then came the Shakespeare.

Adaptations

After much consideration about the direction the shows should take, the pair eventually suggested an Evening of Shakespeare consisting three short 30-minute musical adaptations — a comedy, a history and a tragedy — especially adapted from the original Shakespearean verse so the children could understand the story.

"However, when we started work on the first piece — A Midsummer Night's Dream — we realised we shouldn't cut it down to 30 minutes but leave it as a full-length show. That show, performed in the summer of 1996, became Shakespeare 4 Kidz: A Midsummer Night's Dream."

Where does the inspiration for S4K come from?
In a small way, Shakespeare 4 Kidz owes its inspiration to a night of Mozart in South London. In a small fringe theatre in Croydon, I was totally inspired after an opera was broken down and performed in colloquial English by just six actors. Here was an artform, opera, that I had never had any interest in before and yet I had been shown it in a way that opened by eyes and ears to the genius of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

What is your most memorable moment with S4K?
Bringing the company to Dubai for the very first time in 2007 and seeing the reactions of the audiences to our work. It is exciting to see our work, which is so popular in the UK, proving to be even more so for international audiences in the UAE.

Can you recall your funniest piece of feedback from a child?
Someone wrote in about Hamlet the other day saying: "I thought it was quite sad when everyone died but otherwise it was a very good tragedy."

Do you have to like children in order to write for them?
I suppose it helps. I think it's important to love writing for audiences of all ages.

How does the response from children differ in Dubai than in the UK?
I'm delighted to say that we enjoy hugely positive reactions wherever we play. However, here in Dubai we have had such a great reaction to our shows and such positive feedback that it reassures you to know that our work can play anywhere in the world and be equally enjoyed.

Is it harder to bring Shakespeare to the Middle East as it is not as widely studied here?
In the UK, every school child has to study Shakespeare. Fortunately, because he is such a famous writer most people in the world have heard of him.

The great thing about working in countries where the study of Shakespeare is not compulsory is that the audiences are more ready to be entertained rather than having to see the play because they have to sit an exam on it.

Click here to read the original article in the TABLOID section of Gulf News  

Musical Hamlet brings the Bard to life for young and old.

Shakespeare 4 Kidz - the award-winning theatre company whose easy-to-understand fun-filled musical adaptations of the Bard's classics have delighted audiences for over ten years - are coming back to the UAE with their five-star hit show, "Shakespeare 4 Kidz HAMLET". The event is hosted by HSBC Bank Middle East Limited in association with Aldar and Aldar Academics.

The award-winning company delighted audiences in the Gulf last year when they brought their "triumphant" musical version of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" to Dubai and Sharjah for the first time. Now the company are set to return with their acclaimed musical production of Shakespeare's most famous play, Hamlet.

"We are pleased to support the Shakespeare 4 Kids - Hamlet tour in the UAE. HSBC has established itself as a leading supporter of projects that promote cross cultural understanding. This educational play which is adapted to attract younger audiences without impacting the original work of the renowned writer Shakespeare, will introduce school children who come from diverse backgrounds to the astonishing world of such a great writer. We hope with our support, we will help youngsters enjoy Shakespeare's work in a simple way." Said Kaltham Al Koheji, Chairperson, HSBC in the Community Middle East Foundation.

"Shakespeare 4 Kidz HAMLET", which has been on tour across the UK since September 2007, was voted the "Number One show for Kids" by The Times newspaper in London last November and has received five star reviews in the press and an enthusiastic reception wherever it has played.

Gulf International Promotions is delighted to bring this show on a two- week visit to the region, and would like to thank our Tiltle Sponsor HSBC, and our Associate Sponsors Aldar Academies, Aldar, Ernest & Young , and Kempinski, and all our media Sponsors who made this event possible. The show will open in Bahrain, and then visit Dubai. In addition, it will visit Sharjah with the support of STG (Sharjah Theatre Group) and will end its tour in Abu Dhabi with the support of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage.

Prince Hamlet has returned home to attend his father's funeral ... and his mother's marriage to his Uncle Claudius, who has now become king! So when Hamlet meets the ghost of his dead father, he sets out upon a mysterious story of murder, intrigue and revenge - even pretending to be mad - all the time trying to prove once and for all that his uncle is the murderer.

Hamlet is not just the most famous play ever written, it is filled with famous quotes and sayings that have been absorbed into modern day English language. From "To be or not to be" to "Alas, Poor Yorick" through to "Neither a borrower nor a lender be" and "The play's the thing ...!"

Many of the familiar faces from S4K's 2007 visit are returning this year with Paul Parris leading the company as Hamlet, Jason Lee Scott as Claudius, Pippa Jeronimo as Gertrude and Antony Stuart-Hicks as Polonius. All four were in S4K's A Midsummer Night's Dream last year: Paul was the hilarious Puck, Jason played Oberon, Pippa was Titania and Antony doubled as Egeus and Quince.

This is the chance for everyone to be introduced to Hamlet; so whether you are young or old, new to Shakespeare or an avid Bard-o-phile, have never visited the theatre before or are a regular - S4K has something for everyone and as so often been said "Shakespeare 4 Kidz is the perfect introduction to Shakespeare!"

Shakespeare 4 Kidz Hamlet will be playing twice daily at the Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Centre, from Monday 21st to Thursday 24th April 2008 with performances at 9.00am and 12.00 midday each day.

Schools tickets can be booked via the SCHOOLS BOOKING LINE on 050-8541749; other ticket enquiries to the DUCTAC Box Office on 04-341 4777 or Boxoffice Me on 04-3676699.

Sharjah performances are at the Cultural Palace Theatre are at 11:00am and 4:00pm on Sunday 27th April 2008.
Schools tickets can be booked via the SCHOOLS BOOKING LINE on 050-8541749; other ticket enquiries to the STG office on 06-5225839 or Boxoffice Me on 04-3676699.

Abu Dhabi performances are at the Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation Theatre are at 9:00am and 6:00pm on Tuesday 29th April 2008.

Schools tickets can be booked via the SCHOOLS BOOKING LINE on 050-8541749; other ticket enquiries to the Boxoffice Me on 04-3676699.

Tickets will be available at Spinney's outlets in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah from April 1st, 2008.

Notes and contacts

The 2008 international tour to Bahrain is presented by Jump Media. The tour to Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi is presented by Gulf International Promotions in association with The Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage, Sharjah Theatre Group and Julian Chenery and Shakespeare 4 Kidz (UK) Ltd for The Shakespeare 4 Kidz Theatre Company.

Click here for original article in Arabian Business.com

Who said Shakespeare was boring?

HAMLET IN A NUTSHELL

Tickets

‘Shakespeare 4 Kidz Hamlet’ will be playing twice daily at the Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Centre, from April 21-24 with performances at 9am and 12pm each day. Schools tickets can be booked by calling 050 854 1749, otherwise call the DUCTAC Box office on 04 341 4777. Sharjah performances are at the Cultural Palace Theatre on April 27 at 11am and 4pm. Schools tickets can be booked by calling 050 854 1749, otherwise call 06 522 5839.

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