Then, through the suggestion of someone from the crowd, one of the actors had to pretend to be Sir Ian Mckellen. Suddenly, another crowd-member intervened, and poor Sir Ian lost his legs. I can't remember if by now the setting was Silence of the Lamb still, or if by this point we were in Hogwarts, the Hundred Acre Woods, or the set of Master Chef, but I do remember that we were all having a good laugh.
The improvisation part takes over the plotted Shakespeare very early, and, honestly, the plot gets a bit convoluted when Harry, who was Hannibal, becomes Winnie– but it’s all worth it, because it’s on the service of comedy. You’re Bard's gimmick operates under and beyond the premise that all actors know all the parts of (at least) four Shakespearean plays, and have mastered them all so thoroughly that they can pretend they are underwater while reciting some of Shakespeare most memorable verses, or twist their lines in favour of suiting the suggestions of the audience.
My wife and I are not of the «please pick me» disposition, and while we were both afraid on being called on, the reality is that if you don’t want to participate, you don’t have to– I’m putting this out there for all the other shy souls that might be on the fence of this experience.
The show lasted for two hours on the dot, including a twenty-minute break, and was a success for the lucky few of us in attendance: the Atkinson, with a capacity of over four hundred, was barely at less than a quarter capacity yesterday. It’s impossible to know if the price of about £20 or the weak advertisement the show was given are what impacted attendance, but it’s a shame this jolly time was missed by many, specially since there’s nothing more conductive to a good laugh than a full theatre, for, while tragedy is best enjoyed alone, comedies work best in company.