OUTDOOR THEATRE
Peter Quince presents Shakespeare’s Best Bits inspired by & based on William Shakespeare
At Southern Lawn, Botanical Gardens until 17 Jan 2026 (finished)
Reviewer: Kate Herbert
Stars: ***1/2
This review is published only on this blog. I’ll
present a radio review on Arts Weekly on 3MBS on Sat7 Feb 2026. KH
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| Peter Houghton and Maddie Somers & others-image Ben Fon |
On a balmy January evening on the Southern Lawn of the Botanic Gardens, Peter Quince presents Shakespeare’s Best Bits shows the Australian Shakespeare Company in buoyant, knockabout form. Glenn Elston’s production is a fast-moving romp through the canon that shows Shakespeare is funniest, and more theatrically potent, when the text is treated as a collaborator rather than a punchline.
The first half is a little hit-and-miss. Some early scenes chase gags without fully landing their concept, and a few ideas feel sketched rather than shaped. Yet even here, the cast’s comic fluency and physicality keep the audience engaged.
After interval, the production sharpens its focus to deliver a second half that is more confident, coherent and rewarding.
A shadow-screen Romeo and Juliet is unexpectedly tender, letting the verse speak while images express the emotion. The recorded narration sounds eerily familiar —could the voice be that of the late Ross Williams?—and the question itself adds poignancy to the scene.
King Lear as hip hop is far better than it has any right to be; rhythmically smart, narratively clear, and respectful of Shakespeare’s muscular language. The four-minute operatic Othello is well-pitched absurdity, while Macbeth performed with puppets turns vaulting ambition into something gleefully macabre.
Antony and Cleopatra is reimagined as a glitzy Vegas floorshow, all sequins and swagger, cleverly framing epic romance as showbiz spectacle. A potted War of the Roses, involving two audience assistants, compresses dynastic chaos into messy but funny comedy.
The most effective parodies are those that draw generously from Shakespeare’s actual text and maintain a clear, consistent style, resisting the drift into pastiche or gag-driven excess. When the production trusts the Bard, it sparkles.
By Kate Herbert
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| Jackson McGovern and Alex Cooper-image Ben Fon |
Francis Flute the Bellows Mender – Alex Cooper
Nick Bottom the Weaver – Peter Houghton
Peter Quince the Carpenter – Jackson McGovern
Robin Starveling the Tailor – Hugh Sexton
Snug the Joiner – Maddy Somers
Tom Snout the Tinker – Scott Jackson
Creative Team
Director – Glenn Elston
Musical Director – Paul Norton
Choreographer – Sue-Ellen Shook
Lighting Designer – Peter Amesbury
Costume Designers – Kaspa & Karla Erenbots
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