Southern Fried Shakespeare

Summary

Welcome y'all! This project was created for those who think they don't like Shakespeare. It is a completely unsanctioned and unconventional interpretation of some of the works of William Shakespeare. If you are a purist be forewarned! I have always been fascinated with the written works of Shakespeare since I was a child trying to decipher the giant volume of his works I discovered in my father's library. I knew it was important historically but the language had me often running to a dictionary in those pre-Google days. Understanding a live performance was an equally challenging task as the British accents combined with the lambic pentameter rhythm left me struggling to understand the meaning. But once you figure what he's saying you realized these timeless stories of dysfunctional families and political intrigue are just as relevant today as 400 years ago. Every actor in training experiences the works of William Shakespeare to some degree. While memorizing lines I would try various characters and accents. For Richard III's famous opening monologue I settled on a genteel aristocrat from the Southern United States. I shared with my instructor and after some initial eye rolls he had to admit it was easier to understand. Eventually I created a one man show around the idea and wrote original songs that I believe express the emotion and underlying intentions of the pieces. And of course what's a variety show without an MC or two. In this case two squabbling siblings Auntie Bella and her twin brother Beauregard to bring a small respite to the drama. During the COVID pandemic I decided to record an audio version of the show. I hope you enjoy my family of misfits as much as I did creating them. But hey, to thine own taste be true. Cousin Willy must have had a sense of humor to write some of this stuff!