Charioteer Theatre's Shakespeare vs Shakespeare (© Charioteer Theatre 2010)

Charioteer Theatre Company, Red Shoes Theatre, Elgin, 19 January 2010

THE WORK of Shakespeare is as relevant today as it’s ever been. The Charioteer Theatre Company firmly reminded me of that by giving centre stage to some of his most powerful, insightful and beautiful language in Tuesday night’s preview of their latest production.

Set in a radio station, some of Shakespeare’s most stirring lines were used to drive a quirky plot covering life’s key themes – life and death; love and jealousy; fear and hope; not to mention cataclysmic world destruction.

Laura Pasetti, Lynn Dalgetty and Alan Alpenfelt put in superbly controlled performances to fully portray their characters and circumstances without ever distracting from the dialogue.

An eerie soundscape and the confines of the Red Shoes’ performance space helped to give an edgy and appropriately claustrophobic feel to the piece.

Because of the company’s Italian connections the production will shortly head off to Milan for a series of performances there. But fear not, Charioteer return for a Scottish tour at the end of March.

© Steve Coomber, 2010

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