Shakespeare For Breakfast has been serving up croissants, tea and coffee since 1992. That is probably before any of the current participants were born. And it is one of the constant and reliable Fringe icebreakers.
You never know what you are going to get from year to year; mostly it depends on any of the other productions that this group is doing. In years past, the straight shot at a Shakespeare play done in an afternoon or evening performance was the one that would be sent-up at breakfast, just proving that they come with guns blazing and coffee hot.
“The Tempest meets 10 Things I Hate About You (The Taming of the Shrew) and High School Musical in a teen rom-com-romp.” This fairly accurately describes the circus that is created on stage. The actors seem to be having more fun than the audience.
This year, our young student, Ferdinand, is interested in drama studies and hopes to get into Wittenberg University. “Isn’t that where Hamlet goes?” But his academic history seems only to support his acceptance to the University of a Remote Island Drama School (URIDS), and so there he will go.
Not only does this university support his interest in drama, but there are people he knows there. Prospero, Ariel and Miranda, for example. He fits in very well. There will be campus activities, love friendships and, we hope, a little studying. It’s important that you pay attention as the campus drama moves quickly from The Tempest to Taming of the Shrew and added modern interaction. One of the funniest bits is when Ferdinand answers the phone, “Ferdinand, Prince of Naples”. This kind of silliness is what carries the production.
It’s whirlwind, so you may miss a few bits. But the audience is assured that it will all be tied in a neat bow at the end.
Thirty-three years of Shakespeare For Breakfast has probably cover most of Shakespeare’s plays, some more than once. You don’t have to like Shakespeare or know the featured play to enjoy this Breakfast. It should be your first meal of the Fringe.