The Universal Pictures's Youtube channel, 'The Shows Must Go On' are branching out somewhat at the moment from the well-known Musicals that they showed during lockdown number 1, and here they offered us a filmed performance of Simon Callow's one-man tour-de-force of Jonathan Bates's 'Being Shakespeare', directed by Tom Cairns.
Revered and classically trained actor Simon Callow was the perfect choice for this I thought... a one man show called 'Being Shakespeare'.. if anyone can embody the Bard in our contemporaneous supply of Shakespearean actors, then he can. However, I was somewhat surprised, and yes, actually disappointed to find that at no point in this 90-minute production does he ever 'be' Shakespeare. Instead, what we were presented with was nothing more than a glorifed lecture. A very well-written and superbly researched lecture, but a lecture nonetheless.
Using the famous 'all the world's a stage / seven ages of man' speech from 'As You Like It', Callow takes us through the life - both real and supposed - of our country's most famous playwright. As well as a history of his personal circumstances and rationales for writing the plays he did; we also get fascinating glimpses into life in general in Elizabethan England, using Shakespeare's works as a base, a pallet, from which to start each chapter in this journey, returning to his writings throughout.
Callow presents an authoritative and engaging narrator, putting his acting skills to good use as he 'performs' exceprts of the plays to ameliorate the point he is making. My personal highlight in this regard was his 'Bottom' from A Midsummer Night's Dream. You don't need to know anything about Shakespeare nor do you really need to know his plays, but it certainly helps. I wouldn't have got half as much from this performance as I did, had I not been familiar with the Bard and his works beforehand.
Callow presents an authoritative and engaging narrator, putting his acting skills to good use as he 'performs' exceprts of the plays to ameliorate the point he is making. My personal highlight in this regard was his 'Bottom' from A Midsummer Night's Dream. You don't need to know anything about Shakespeare nor do you really need to know his plays, but it certainly helps. I wouldn't have got half as much from this performance as I did, had I not been familiar with the Bard and his works beforehand.
With the use of some subtle but effective lighting, effects and props to help the story along, we marvel at the talent and listen to the compelling and sonorous voice of Callow. My disappointment at it not being a play and him not playing Shakespeare was, by the time the curtain fell, almost but not completely quashed.
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 7/11/20
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