Shakespeare's Mothers: Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe in August 2010.
Here's what the critics had to say:
- Three Weeks 'Entertaining ...fast ...clear and confident.' ****
- Fringe Biscuit 'More fun than it has any right to be' ****
- Fringe Guru 'An interesting production from this small but highly professional cast... the technical skill is truly admirable... and this show is a timely reminder of just what professional actors and actresses can do. It’s a credit to the strength of acting – and the choice of scenes – that I, not the world’s most committed Shakespeare fan, left the theatre hoping I’d soon see these powerful women in their unabridged form. ' ****/2
- The Scotsman 'Acted with power and precision' ***
- Edinburgh Spotlight 'Humour and verve keeps the audience entertained, and the characters are clearly delivered, with some fine performances' ***
- Fringe Review 'A charming, pacy narrator... quickly establishes a rapport with the audience... simple, clear delivery of Shakespeare's lines... excellent verse-speaking... witty banter. Will satisfy Shakespeare fans.' ***
Media Release
Shakespeare’s Mothers: Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know
by Kath Perry after William Shakespeare
Meet wicked women: Tamora, Lady Macbeth, Queen Margaret, Dioniza and more. Why on earth did Shakespeare give us such a bad bunch of mums?
Shakespeare created some lovely, kind and caring mother characters but this play isn’t about them. It’s about those mothers whose rampant protectiveness, lusty appetites and vaunting ambition set them against powerful enemies and drove them to treachery, adultery, war, murder and madness.
Shakespeare’s Mothers is set in our risk-averse present day. Shakespeare is accused by the media of inciting female violence through his formidable maternal role models. Summoning these uneasy, warring mothers about him; he defends himself as they re-live their most exciting experiences.
In the words of director, Greg de Polnay: ‘It is quite thrilling to see how cleverly Shakespeare uses fiercely protective and ambitious mothers to drive some of his strongest plots. Our aim is to share our delight in these vital women through tantalising glimpses of their dangerous lives. Having all these marvelous women on stage in one show is very exciting.’
Shakespeare’s Mothers premiers at the Edinburgh Fringe. The script was written by Straylight Australia’s actor/manager, Kath Perry, who joins fellow Australian actors Cat Martin and Alexander Jonas in the cast.
Straylight Australia’s actors specialise in rapid changes of character. The company won critical acclaim, including four stars from The Scotsman, for it’s 2009 Ed Fringe debut Light Bites and Tasty Treats – twelve short plays, in which a cast of five played over thirty roles, including detectives, sky divers, whales, goldfish and praying mantises.
Praise for Straylight Australia's 2009 productions: 'Light Bites' and 'Tasty Treats'
‘Kudos to the five-strong cast for bringing such a varied cast of characters so vividly to life.’
✭✭✭✭ Scotsman. ‘The acting was excellent’ Groggy Squirrel. ‘Accomplished actors and enjoyable scripts’ RubyTV.net. More information is available at www.shakespearesmothers.blogspot.com
Listings information
Venue C central, venue 54, Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Dates 5-21 Aug (not 16 Aug)
Time 1:15pm (0h50)
Ticket prices £7.5-£9.50 / concessions £6.50-£8.50
C venues box office 0845 260 1234 / www.Cthefestival.com
Fringe box office 0131 226 0000 / www.edfringe.com
For more information, images and interview availablility please contact Kath Perry at Straylight Australia on (UK) 07935 231013 / kathryn_perry@hotmail.com or the Cvenues press office on 0845 260 1060 / press@cvenues.com
