Richard III & A Comedy of Errors: Showing @ King’s Theatre Edinburgh, 22-26 Feb

Since 1997 Propeller Theatre, the all male company specialising in the works of Shakespeare, have been impressing audiences around the world with their spellbinding and highly physical performances of the bard’s work. In previous years they’ve brought their extraordinary versions of Twelfth Night, The Merchant of Venice and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, amongst others, to both popular and critical acclaim and now they are offering  Richard III and A Comedy of Errors.

Artistic Director Edward Hall is passionate about the work of Shakespeare and believes that anyone can understand the plays but by choosing to present them in a clear, colourful, physical way where the words are sometimes literally acted out helps illuminate the meaning of the text in a way more traditional playing sometimes fails to do. Some may consider the idea of an all male company to be a curiosity, a throwback perhaps to the play’s Elizabethan origins, but a distraction from the content, however previous audiences and critics alike have made it clear that this isn’t the case and that Propeller produce some of the most exciting engrossing productions around.

Almost all of us have had different experiences with Shakespeare, some undoubtedly bad, and they’ve coloured how we feel about his plays and this is a chance to re-engage with the stories in a vibrant and exciting new way. So if you’re brave and feel like like taking the chance these productions might well prove the perfect way to cure your bardophobia.