Hamlet's a hit with the kidz
To be, or not to be that was the question for more than
5,000 Dubai youngsters who put the latest offering from Shakespeare 4
Kidz under the microscope.
Following eight successful months on tour in the UK, Shakespeare 4 Kidz
— or S4K as it’s becoming better known — brought 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, hit the stage in Dubai this week as part of a Gulf tour which
also included shows in Bahrain, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi.
Julian Chenery, co-founder of S4K and director of the show, said the response in Dubai had once again been outstanding.
He said: “We love coming to Dubai. To expand the tour to other venues
in the Middle East is great for us and the future generation of
Shakespeare lovers.
“The cast and crew have met some wonderful people on this trip and we
will keep our fingers crossed that we are invited back to Dubai soon.”
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 its debut tour in 2007.
With bright costumes, clever dialogue, constant easy-to-understand
narrative, not to mention the music, the cast of S4K captured the
attention of the entire auditorium from the moment the curtain went
back.
 Catchy tunes
A perfect mixture of laughs, old English, famous lines and catchy tunes
kept almost every eye on the stage for just under two hours.
Chenery added: “Bringing the company to Dubai for the very first time
in 2007 and seeing the reactions of the audiences to our work was
amazing but seeing it for a second time is even better. 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.”
There was little wriggling or rustling of papers, bags or anything else
a child can pick up to keep them entertained. Instead, all eyes were on
the stage following a well-planned journey through one of Shakespeares
most famous plays.
‘Eternally grateful’
“HSBC, the sponsors of this show are the real ones to thank. Without
them we wouldn’t have the opportunity to change the lives of these
kids. It’s a big multi-national coporation but someone, somewhere in a
small office had the foresight to help out and touch the lives of
children in the UAE in a way which could affect them forever and for
that we are eternally grateful, said Chenery.
“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.”
What the kids thought
Youngsters from Dubai GEMS Private School watched the first performance on Monday and left the theatre satisfied customers.
- Radhika Iyer, 12, said: “I thought the dialogue was very well-written
and it kept you entertained throughout the whole show. There wasn’t a
boring moment that I can remember. It was also very funny which made it
really good.”
- Alisha Aroor, 12, said: “I thought it was great entertainment and I
really enjoyed it. I have read one other Shakespeare play before but it
was much better to see it brought to life on stage. They made the
whole theatre laugh and that must be quite a challenge. I am glad we
were able to come and experience Hamlet.”
- Haiqa Anwar, 12, said: “Entertaining, interesting and humorous. It has definitely made me want to read more Shakespeare.”
- Mariam and Maseerah, both 13, said: “We thought the show was
wonderful and we can’t wait for them to come back with the next one.”
Marium added: “I have never read Shakespeare before but now I plan to read more because I really enjoyed the dialogue.”
To read the original srory in the Gulf News - click here
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