Polishing Shakespeare
Theatre (new writing, comedy)
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Venue 20Assembly Rooms - Front Room
- 15:30
- Aug 25
- 1 hour
- Country: United States
- Group: Twilight Theatre Company
- Warnings and additional info: None
- Accessibility: May not apply to all performances. You'll find more information about accessibile performances and how to book tickets in the accessibility tab below.
- Babes in arms policy: Babies do not require a ticket
- Policy applies to: Children under 18 months
Description
A dotcom billionaire pays an esteemed American theatre company to translate Shakespeare into English (Wait. What?). World premiere three-character comedy based on an (unbelievably) true story from the Fringe First award-winning team, Brian Dykstra and Margarett Perry, starring Brian Dykstra, Kate Levy and Kate Siahaan-Rigg. ‘To sell out or not to sell out – is that the question?’ Playwright, actor and HBO Def Poet, ‘Brian Dykstra wields a monologue like a sword!’ (Variety). ‘Brian Dykstra is a master of language’ (Huffington Post). ‘Lenny Bruce would have saluted – maybe even toked a joint with Brian Dykstra.’ (Curtain Up).Please note that while all media gallery content is provided by verified members of the event, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society does not review or approve this content before it is posted. Reports of inappropriate content or copyright infringement can be directed to [email protected].
General venue access
- Accessible entry: Venue is built on astroturf. Access via side entrance. Front of house will guide to separate entry.
- Stairs: Information not supplied
Wheelchair access type: Level Access
Each venue can contain several space with different accessibly information. Visit the venue page for full venue accessibility info
How and when to make an access booking
- Phone: +44 (0)131 226 0002
- Email: [email protected]
- Textphone: +44 (0)7860 018 299
- Find out more about access at the Fringe.
Our access tickets service is available to anyone who:
- Would like to book specific accessibility services, e.g. a hearing loop, audio description headsets, captioning units, seating in relation to the location of the BSL interpreter
- Requires extra assistance when at a venue
- Has specific seating requirements
- Is a wheelchair user
- Requires a complimentary personal assistant ticket to attend a performance
Phil B 12 days ago
Brilliantly written and performed modern Shakespeare. A "must see".
Eddie Reynolds; www,theatreeddys.com 14 days ago
“Polishing Shakespeare”
For 400 years, theatre directors have done a myriad of supposed innovative approaches to add new light into the works of Shakespeare. But in Brian Dykstra and Margarett Perry’s “Polishing Shakespeare,” the latest idea by a billionaire patron is to update the Elizabethan landscape into modern, call it “dumbed-down” wordage in order to reach the masses. (In fact, the venerable Oregon Shakespeare Festival has announced the launch of a 39-play, three-year long commissioning project, Play on! 36 playwrights to translate Shakespeare into modern parlance.)
As they speak in an often hilarious iambic pentameter full of elongated alliterations, forced rhymes, and obligatory soliloquies, theatre artistic director Ms. Branch (Kate Levy) and dot-com billionaire Grant (Brian Dykstra), approach playwright Janet (Kate Siahaan-Rigg) with an offer to fund all her outstanding student loans if she will rewrite one Shakespeare classic into the common person’s jargon. What ensues is a very real dilemma facing many nonprofit theatres today: How much to alter their art and values in order to obtain the funds they so desperately need in order to survive. Kate Levy, Brian Dykstra and Kate Siahaan-Rigg are incredibly amazing as they banter, bargain, and bully each other for their own needs and wishes; with both comedy and reality of today’s harsh theatre atmosphere taking center stage. This is a play every theater executive, funder, and board member as well as the playwrights themselves should see.
Rating: 5 E
Fringe Bingers 18 days ago
A gem of a piece, beautifully and wittily crafted in verse and excellently acted, that deserves a wide audience.
Sean Davis 18 days ago
Polishing Shakespeare (*****)
Based on a true story, an American billionaire offers a theater’s artistic director and a playwright a grant to “translate” Shakespeare’s plays into “American” English. The show uses finely wrought prose to explore the unavoidable battle between a donor’s power of the purse, and art’s criticism of such power. I appreciated that the playwright character provides a legitimate, albeit short, example of a proposed adaptation of “Henry VIII”, which was Shakespeare’s own homage to his benefactor’s family.
This is the 8th most enjoyable of the 136 shows I have seen so far at the Fringe this year. I hope to see more than 150 this year. You may see my other three-sentence reviews, in order from most enjoyable to worst, at my non-commercial website: https://fringefan.com/
Richard Nelson 27 days ago
Brilliant! Fast-paced and clever, with plenty of inside nods for those who see and know too much Shakespeare, but still fun and relatable for more casual audience members. Really well-crafted script, nicely executed in the intimate space. Definitely top-notch work!
Kirsty R 30 days ago
This was great. Fast-paced, clever script. Excellent cast. ****
Julie Phillips 31 days ago
What a brilliant show. We throughly enjoyed it and both of us it was such a pity that they were in a small space. This deserves a much bigger audience. Well done.
Steven Wood 34 days ago
A well acted play with a strong story. Shows the balance between corporate selling out and morals. You don’t need to know Shakespeare but knowing his style will help. A well spent hour
EW 37 days ago
A wonderful play capturing the struggle between accepting corporate dollars and artistic freedom. Outstanding performance by the cast, especially Kate Siahaan-Rigg! 4/5.
Participants - for further details on our audience and published review policies, including how to add or opt out of reviews, please click here.
The Edinburgh Reporter 26 days ago
British Theatre Guide 27 days ago
Theatre Weekly 29 days ago
Participants - for further details on our audience and published review policies, including how to add or opt out of reviews, please click here.
Participants - for further details on our audience and published review policies, including how to add or opt out of reviews, please click here.