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<\/a>\u201cWe don\u2019t ever want to lose any of the words, any of the poetry, but we know that we have to reduce it down to one hour to make it this punchy hour of fun and frivolity; it\u2019s a lot of work,\u201d says Radford.<\/p>\n
Shakespeare often repeated the main themes in his plays because in Elizabethan times, says Radford, audience members were often drinking, talking to their friends, and yelling at the actors on stage. Radford says the repetition in plots can be edited out in his adaptions because audiences are more attentive now.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can actually find those and edit those down first so you only have to say the plot of that particular scene once, and then from there it\u2019s really trying to find the essence of the story,\u201d says Radford. \u201cWhat\u2019s the quickest route through the story? And hopefully you haven\u2019t sabotaged the beautiful poetry that is Shakespeare.\u201d<\/p>\n
The original play is over 400 years old. Radford and Patterson adapted this play specifically for Craigdarroch Castle, says Radford, adding that people with a large manor like Craigdarroch often invited friends over to watch performers, have cocktails, socialize with the actors, and then see a performance; Radford hopes to emulate that experience with this show.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe gentlemen are all in tuxedos and the ladies are all in gowns and we have a champagne service for about half an hour,\u201d says Radford. \u201cYou can talk to all the actors\u2014they\u2019re all right there mingling with you\u2014and then half an hour goes by and everybody makes their way up to the ballroom and then we do this one-hour version of Shakespeare\u2019s comedy.\u201d<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a younger demographic of small groups of women coming out to these kinds of events now, says Radford, because people crave this sense of special occasion.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt really works because the castle is such a beautiful backdrop. It\u2019s the most expensive set we don\u2019t ever have to pay for,\u201d says Radford, with a laugh. \u201cIt\u2019s a gorgeous place to go. We call the whole thing \u2018a kingdom for a stage\u2019; I don\u2019t think there\u2019s a lot [of events] where people can dress up anymore, and I think there\u2019s kind of a magic in that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Radford says working with Patterson\u2014whom he met while working on Shakespeare\u2019s Much Ado About Nothing<\/i>\u2014has added a lot of passion and energy to their marriage.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe take classic work and then we reduce it down,\u201d says Radford. \u201cWe work very hard together. We\u2019re both of one mind.\u201d<\/p>\n