Shakespeare as you have not seen it before comes to Debenham with The Pantaloons version of Macbeth.
The Pantaloons will be performing Macbeth on Saturday June 26 in the grounds of Sir Robert Hitcham Primary School at 5.30pm. It is a free show (thanks to support from Mid Suffolk District Council) -- Bring a blanket to sit on and a picnic.
The young group has a fun-filled twist on Shakespeare's classic tale of madness and murder with live music, audience interaction, puppetry and plenty of fast-paced fun for the whole family. The company appreared all over the country including the Dell outdoor venue next to the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon.
The Sunday Times said of them:
Mark Hayward and his girlfriend Caitlin Storey have a fired-up vision that theatre should be free, good, engage the audience in an immediate and enthusiastic way, appeal to adults but be kid-friendly, should not be dumbed down, should have moments of improv and ad-lib. They’ve identified Shakespeare as the best vehicle for these idealistic goals. Hayward, Storey and three friends make up a travelling troupe of five players, called the Pantaloons. Part alternative-rock band, part thespian, part performance art, the result is wholly charming.
People are flocking to see their travelling Shakespeare-in-the-park, on tour for the past three years with a different play each year. Since the company’s inception at school they’ve performed The Winter’s Tale, Taming of the Shrew, Twelfth Night, As You Like It, Cymbeline, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and now Romeo and Juliet. They’re on to something: entertainment that elevates one’s mood, impresses with the skills on display and is as exuberantly pop and literate as a performance by Arctic Monkeys. They’re out to steal hearts, capture the imagination and fire the rusty old hope cylinders. And who can argue with free?