FROM THE CROYDON GUARDIAN 

THE BARD DONE FOR CHILDREN

Theatre: Shakespeare 4 Kidz at Fairfield Halls, Croydon

The notorious Scottish play Macbeth will be getting the Shakespeare 4 Kidz treatment at Fairfield Halls next week.

The new version has kept the most famous lines from the original text and weaved them into modern language, adding songs and dances so even the youngest primary kids can understand.

The plot is retained and all the major characters are there too to tell the blood-soaked story of the murderous Scottish warrior, played by Jason Lee Scott, who, egged on by the prophecies of three weird witches and the ambitions of his evil wife, removes every obstacle in his path until he can seize the throne for himself.

S4K's version of Macbeth has been toured five times since its premiere in 2000 and creator Julian Chenery is confident the play will be a winner, despite the jinx that supposedly surrounds it.

“The famous curse is something we’ve had our share of in the past,” he says.

“In 2000 we had incessant rain for three months which affected all of our get-ins and get-outs; the actor playing Banquo hit his head on the windscreen of the cast coach; King Duncan went down with Bell’s Palsy making half his face freeze and one of the stage crew walked into a door and fractured her skull.

"Apart from that the show was a huge hit and has remained popular ever since.”

Shakespeare 4 Kidz: Macbeth, Fairfield Halls, Park Lane, October 19, 1.30pm and 7.30pm, October 20, 10am and 1.30pm, .£16, children £9.50. Call 020 8688 9291 or visit fairfield.co.uk.

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