Shakespeare – Cultivated

Space Hamlet

James Goffin — Tue, 05 Aug 2025 22:30:53 +0000

Welcome to a glam rock musical of infinite jest: Hamlet in space, with a green alien Polonius, airlock accidents, and a chorus line of floating puppets.

King of infinite space: Hamlet heads for the stars

Cultivated — Sun, 20 Jul 2025 20:31:17 +0000

A new musical premiering in Norwich is putting Shakespeare in space, with a ‘space-Viking-rock-opera’ take on Hamlet.

Richard II

James Goffin — Sat, 18 Jan 2025 00:12:13 +0000

Shakespeare’s tale of the roots of the War of The Roses gets zhuzhed up in this creative new production.

Local Oscar-winner opens Norwich film fest

Cultivated — Thu, 24 Oct 2024 20:32:46 +0000

Norwich Film Festival has announced a special screening of the Oscar-winning film Shakespeare in Love for its opening night, bringing a touch of cinematic history and local heritage to the big screen.

Bury theatre to co-produce Phillipa Gregory’s debut play

Cultivated — Mon, 14 Aug 2023 13:32:18 +0000

Best-selling historical author Philippa Gregory will make her playwrighting debut in a play co-produced by Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds.

Julius Caesar

James Goffin — Tue, 06 Jun 2023 23:03:10 +0000

Political despatches are no longer quite as bloody as that which befell Caesar in Shakespeare’s Roman tragedy, but we have certainly seen several ego-inflated leaders in recent times.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

James Goffin — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 22:04:01 +0000

There is always a temptation with Shakespeare to try to do something different: this version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream nominally sets the action around the Suffragette movement of the early 20th century.

Romeo and Juliet

James Goffin — Tue, 22 Mar 2022 23:54:49 +0000

A rose by any other name may smell as sweet, but does calling something a rose make it beautiful? This production claims to play with the Shakespeare favourite’s setting and genders – so does it still work?

Macbeth

James Goffin — Mon, 12 Jul 2021 19:40:05 +0000

The Lord Chamberlain’s Men returned to Norwich Cathedral with a pacey and entertaining – but unprovoking – rendition of Shakespeare’s Macbeth.

National Theatre adds to online season

Cultivated — Thu, 04 Jun 2020 14:52:32 +0000

The National Theatre has announced the next production to feature in its NT At Home season of free streamed plays.

Shakespeare’s Globe joins online theatre fest

Cultivated — Wed, 01 Apr 2020 11:15:00 +0000

London’s Shakespeare Globe has become the latest theatre to offer free performances online.

Othello

James Goffin — Mon, 04 Nov 2019 11:02:10 +0000

If you’re going to mess with Shakespeare, you need to be sure of your footing.

As You Like It

James Goffin — Fri, 01 Nov 2019 11:13:36 +0000

Shakespeare can sometimes feel a little distant and predictable – they all get married, or they all die, and in between we have some tricky language – but Lucy Phelps’ stunningly energetic performance means this time we see it all anew.

The Tempest

James Goffin — Mon, 21 Oct 2019 14:08:32 +0000

In what is a heavily-contested field, The Tempest is one of Shakespeare’s craziest plays.

Much Ado About Nothing

James Goffin — Mon, 23 Sep 2019 13:27:17 +0000

Despite a mafia-themed opening this production of Shakespeare’s comedy owes more stylistically to a Hitchcock thriller than the Godfather.

Romeo and Juliet

James Goffin — Sat, 07 Sep 2019 00:02:55 +0000

Verona is anything but fair in this dark and challenging reimagining of the tale of two young lovers.

Macbeth

James Goffin — Wed, 13 Mar 2019 22:04:09 +0000

With Storm Gareth raging outside, there wasn’t much need for simulated wind and rain to open this oppressive and claustrophobic version of Macbeth, but still it came.

Macbeth

James Goffin — Wed, 31 Oct 2018 20:51:52 +0000

Macbeth was one of the first plays I saw as a child, and apparently so enticed me that I nearly climbed inside the witches’ cauldron.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

James Goffin — Fri, 08 Dec 2017 20:48:35 +0000

Staging one of Shakespeare’s most well-known plays is always a dilemma: play it straight or attempt to reinvent? This youth theatre production mostly keeps it simple, allowing some great performances to take centre stage.

Romeo and Juliet

James Goffin — Thu, 08 Jun 2017 19:45:02 +0000

Part of a double run with Twelfth Night, this Watermill Theatre production offers a similarly musical take on the well-known Shakespeare texts, bringing songs and choreographed, physical theatre to the fore.