Shakespeare

April 26th is the birthday of one William Shakespeare, so for the next couple weeks, I will cover a couple musicals that involve the bard. But before I dive into those, I wanted to talk about him and my experience with his work. Though there are many writers of his time, his work is still the most celebrated still getting many stage productions, films and is still relevant to be in pop culture. His work is a cornerstone of theater that sees performances all these years later, so lets find out what is to be or not to be, and talk Shakespeare.

Like many, I first encountered his work in school, from "Romeo & Juliet" to "Hamlet" and I always enjoyed the units covering his work. As a theater fan who was only discovering his love of the arts, these sections always felt less like work and more fun. From his tragedies, romances, and comedies, I was always welcome to learning more. I was familiar to references made in pop culture or parodied in shows and movies. These plays are still timeless, and are being performed to this day. 

One aspect that stood out to me as that the settings are so vague that you can be as historically accurate or set the show in a different time period without diverting. Such as a take of "Much Ado About Nothing" but set in the 1980's or "A Midsummer Nights Dream" set in the future. The writing is the same yet it can be told anywhere, showing the versatility of these works. 

From musicals that take inspiration from his works such as "West Side Story" or "The Lion King", the work of William Shakespear appears in more places then some expect. Many modern films even adapt a love story of his in a modern setting, as with thirty seven plays to pick from, there are plenty of options. Many works also whether it's a television show, or documentary like to dive into what it was like being Shakespeare as well. Some movies have done this as well, whether it is exploring who he was, or if he was a stage name for a large group of people.

As for me, I personally believe that Shakespeare was one person who wrote all of his plays, with some of them being collaborations, and he also penned a fair number of sonnets. But the stage is no stranger to exploring him as a person either or an aspect of his life whether it is his marriage in the pop, rock recent hit of the West End "&Juliet". Or perhaps the comedic take done in "Something Rotten", the two musicals I will be exploring to celebrate his Birthday.

Shakespeare is a pillar of theater, his work still relevant and is still continued to be performed to this day, whether as it was or in a different style. He is a part of theaters history and a staple that is mentioned in pop culture even to this day. So next time, we will dive into a couple musicals starring the bard, until then I hope your day is a showstopper.