Popular Shakespeare Simulation and Subversion on the Modern Stage [Hardcover]

In recent years, the 'Popular Shakespeare' phenomenon has become ever more pervasive: in fringe productions, mainstream theatre, or the mass media, Shakespeare is increasingly constructed as an authentic part of popular culture. A vivid account of Shakespeare in performance since the 1990s, this book examines what 'Shakespeare' means to us today.Contents Preface Acknowledgements Personal Narrative I: Ambiguous Applause Popular Shakespeares Personal Narrative II: Stand-up Shakespeare Text and Metatext: Shakespeare and Anachronism Personal Narrative III: Jeffrey Archer: The One That Got Away 'A Play Extempore': Interpolation, Improvisation, and Unofficial Speech Personal Narrative IV: A Bit Sexist 'It's Like a Shakespeare Play!': Parodic Appropriations of Shakespeare Personal Narrative V: Blasphemy Shakespeare's Popular Audience: Reconstructions and Deconstructions Personal Narrative VI: Alternative Endings Shakespeare, Space, and the 'Popular' Personal Narrative VII: 'It's the Famous Bit!': Fragments of Romeo and Juliet Shakespearean 'Samples' Personal Narrative VIII: Rough Magic Notes Bibliography Index

There is much to recommend in Popular Shakespeare . It is full of well-told and genuinely amusing examples of productions.' - Jerome Monahan, Around the Globe , magazine of Shakespeare's Globe

Stephen Purcell is Assistant Professor of English at the University of Warwick, UK. He directs for the theatre company The Pantaloons.