Shakespeare’s plays were traditional and raw usually being unrehearsed and performed in a outside space like the globe theatre. These plays would rely on the actors and the costume as set and lighting were next to non existent, this differs from todays productions that almost always have set, props, lighting and technical teams that depend on extensive rehearsal and being in a reliable area, indoors. The casts are almost always mixed gender now with males playing males and females playing females, this allows the audience to be more sucked into the piece which comes across as more believable, being seen as theatre rather than live entertainment.
The Royal Shakespeare companies version of Romeo and Juliet has a slightly more modern twist, the costume is very modern, Romeo wears a hoodie and trousers and Juliet wears a black dress. The lighting is minimal and the set although not elaborate is much more than they would have had in the shakespeare era, the cast is also male and female which differentiates from the original which would've been an all male cast. The language is Shakespearean and sticks to the original text, the ideas are also the same such as the balcony which Juliet stands upon while Romeo admires form below. This modern adaptation matches modern visuals with Shakespearean language and staging, offering a current turn on the classic.
The Old Vic’s take on Richard III directed by Sam Mendes and starring Kevin Spacey has a very elaborate theme, they start of by taking the main character ( Richard III) and making him a visual spectacle, this is done mainly through costume such as a detailed brace on his leg and a disfigurement in his back, the clothing he wears is slightly more modern, he is dressed in a white shirt and trousers and wears his occasional regal cloak or coat. The set is very modern with a projection on the backdrop of clouds accompanied by strong lighting and sound, there is also live drumming. The women are also very modern wearing more casual clothing such as a plain black dress, but evoke strength and power letting their character do the talking rather than their costume, whereas in Shakespearean times the costume would say a lot about the characters class and worth. There is a strong contrast between the original productions and the Old Vic production the language and the status of characters being some of the only similarities as the modern production being based on the high budget allows for a complete visual spectacle from the costume, to the props and set, the play is also performed inside rather than outside giving the Old Vic a lot more of a polished professional look.
The general length of a Shakespearian play would have ranged from around 4 hours, which now a days is hugely rare, we as audience members do not have an attention span of more than around 2 hours resulting in Shakespeare plays being abridged in modern times to filter down the play for the audience to enjoy lengthwise and understand and follow the play/ storyline. Many of shakespeare stories have been taken and changed into world known plays and films such as west side story ( Romeo and Juliet) and 10 things i hate about you ( Taming of the shrew), because of our development and access in technology and budget we are open to performing in new and innovative ways offering new visuals and ideas and showing the same play in hundreds of different ways.
RSC
OLD VIC
RSC
OLD VIC
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