roundup
WHAT’S ON OUR RADAR THIS MONTH.
Q&A
After performing
the longest running
comedy show
in the West End
the Reduced
Shakespeare
Company goes
on tour. Heather
Arnold speaks to
the ‘other RSC’
actor Matt Rippy.
SINGING IN THE RAIN
Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay
Tue 3 Dec - Sun 5 Jan
Tickets: £19 - £47.50
Info: 029 2063 6464
www.wmc.org.uk
LOS CAMPESINOS!
Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff
Thurs 5 Dec
Tickets: £12 - £15
Info: 029 2023 2199
www.clwb.net
What brings you back to the UK?
We’re always touring the states and Europe and we decided that it was really
time to come back. It was all after we saw a survey in the UK saying that one
in four people had never seen or read any Shakespeare plays whatsoever. So
we thought ‘there’s a whole new generation of Shakespeare noobies waiting
to be converted’, so we’re back! With a mission from the bard! We will not rest
until the complete works of Shakespeare is found in every hotel room in the
world! That is our mission! That is why we are here!
How is the tour going?
We’re seeing some great venues and I never grow tired of traipsing the UK.
This is probably my fourth or fifth time out on the road, and I always love it.
There’s nothing like walking into a theatre. I love the dusty old stinky old smell
of an old theatre. It just makes me happy. With all the cuts going on we’ve
already seen one theatre close, and we were scheduled to perform there.
And now they’re gone and it makes me sad because in this modern, virtual
world of screens and games consoles and virtual connectivity, it’s more vital
than ever that we get together and have a shared experience. And that’s why
I love touring with this show, because the Reduced Shakespeare Company
has always treated the audience as the fourth member of the company. We’re
a three man company troop, and we can’t do it without our fourth member,
which is the audience.
Do you think it’s that audience interaction that makes the show
so popular?
Absolutely! I think that on the one hand we have fans of Shakespeare who
come, truly, to enjoy an evening centred on the bard. We also have people
who come again and again, I mean we’ve had folks who come up to us
after and say ‘this is the seventh time I’ve seen this play! Woohoo!’. We have
followers and groupies. You can feel slightly cultured because we offer a little
culture. Very little.
I think it’s fun to watch three grown men treat a stage as a playground, treat
the theatre as a virtual playground. We leap and jump and fly about, and
hang from the rafters and crawl over the seats. We played at the White House
and we were like “Really? You do know who we are? We’re the Reduced
Shakespeare Company. You do realize we’re going to play on the furniture
and probably mess stuff up?” and they’re like “Yep! No, come in”. It’s a joy.
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged), Royal Welsh
College of Music and Drama, Cardiff, Tues Nov 12. Tickets: £15 (sold
out). Info: 029 2039 1391 / www.rwcmd.ac.uk
BUZZ 08
BOOK
NOW
“We’re
back! With
a mission
from the
bard!
STATUS QUO
Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff
Sun 8 Dec
Tickets: £44
Info: 029 2022 4488
www.motorpointarenacardiff.co.uk
ELECTRIC SIX
The Glee Club, Cardiff
Mon 9 Dec
Tickets: £14.25
Info: 0871 472 0400
www.glee.co.uk
CERYS MATTHEWS
Sherman Cymru, Cardiff
Fri 13 Dec
Tickets: £23
Info: 029 2064 6900
www.shermancymru.co.uk
CAROL ANN DUFFY
Dylan Thomas Centre, Swansea
Fri 13 Dec
Tickets: £9 - £12
Info: 01792 463 980
www.dylanthomas.com
DIVERSITY
Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff
Sat 14 Dec
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