BBC ShakespeaRe-Told

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The BBC has revisited four Shakespeare plays and set them in modern times.

Much Ado About Nothing is set in a TV studio. Beatrice (Sarah Parish) and Benedick (Damian Lewis) are hosting a local news show. The two of them are fighting, hating and teasing each other non-stop. Meanwhile the pretty weather girl Hero (Billie Piper) is preparing for her wedding to Claude. It all goes wrong at first, only to turn out just right in the end.

The setting works really well in this story. Beatrice and Benedick are great leading characters, the story of Hero and Claude doesn’t really work though.

Macbeth doesn’t translate well into this setting. Joe Macbeth (James McAvoy) is the head chef of a kitchen and is working hard to make Duncan Docherty’s restaurant a success. Ella Macbeth (Keeley Hawes) is persuading Joe to kill Duncan to take over the restaurant.  Although James McAvoy is absolutely great, this episode did not impress me. I didn’t like the performance of the actress who played Ella Macbeth and lost interest somewhere in the middle of the episode even though the original Macbeth is one of my favourite Shakespeare plays. What I really liked about it was that the three witches were three garbage men. Great idea!

The Taming of the Shrew is absolutely wonderful. The extremely bad-tempered politician Katherine Minola (Shirley Henderson) marries the quirky Petruchio (Rufus Sewell) for his title a very short time after meeting him. At their wedding he turns up dressed in woman’s clothes. Minola fears that her reputation will be ruined. On the honeymoon Petruchio has set out to tame the overly aggressive Minola and treats her like dirt. When his best friend comes to join them, he manages to bring peace to the couple and make them realize that they are both in love.

This is by far my favourite episode. The actors are great. Especially the tiny Shirley Henderson is marvellous.

The setting of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is great. It is at a holiday resort (similar to Center Parks) where Hermia’s engagement to James is celebrated with her parents and close friends. On the first evening Hermia’s true love Zander shows up to take her away. I am not a big fan of the original play, as it is somehow too much like a soap opera for my taste. But they do it here fairly well. Puck is a fun character, the King and Queen of the Fairies are great, but the lead actors are quite boring.

The Forsyte Saga (Series Two)

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The story continues (See: The Forsyte Saga (Series One), May 26). Irene is now married to Jolyon Forsyte and they have a son, Jon. Soames Forsyte married a French woman with whom he has a daughter, Fleur.

After a brief meeting as children, Fleur and Jon meet again, by chance, as young adults. It is love at first sight (well, second, really). The gorgeous Fleur turns out to be very much like her father, head-strong and possessive. She decides they should keep their relationship a secret and that they should elope to Scotland.

When Irene and Soames find out about the love between their children, they do everything to prevent a relationship. Jolyon dies and everything changes. Jon sides with his mother, whereas Fleur wants to stick to the original plan.

It is really great to watch the second series, because you already know the characters and the story of their lives so well. Four heartbreaking episodes. If it is possible, the second series is even more beautiful than the first.

The Forsyte Saga (Series One)

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The story of the Forsyte family is entwined in six episodes. Marriages, break-ups (even divorce!), love, hate, despair, all the good stuff! As my dear friend says, hours and hours of Victorian fun. Based on the book by John Galsworthy.

Soames Forsyte (Damian Lewis) falls in love with Irene Herron (Gina McKee). Here the drama starts. Irene is not in love with Soames, but marries him against her better judgement (for he is rich and she is poor).

After a few years she falls in love with someone else (a rather handsome fellow by the name of Phillip Bosinney). Obviously she has to steal him away from an engagement with her best friend (and cousin via marriage) June. Unfortunately their life together is ended by a rather inconvenient accident before it can even begin. This leaves Irene homeless (for she has already left her husband) and Soames son-less. As luck will have it there is the other side of the family, where several generations of Jolyon Forsyte’s (one of them played by the great Rupert Graves), can look after the beautiful Irene, although Soames’ obsession with her does not make her life easy.

This series is a must for those who like to lose themselves in a costume drama with intrigues, betrayal and love affairs (such as me!).