Shakespeare gets a Welsh shake-up (From Western Telegraph)

Shakespeare gets a Welsh shake-up

10:54am Friday 16th September 2011 in Leisure

Fluellen Theatre Company will be bringing its production of Taffy Shakespeare to Tenby on Saturday.

Taffy Shakespeare tells the story of an Elizabethan Welsh stand-up comic who goes to London to seek his fortune, bumps into a struggling playwright with writer's block called William Shakespeare, and ends up writing his plays for him.

However, Queen Elizabeth hates the Welsh and so the original titles such as 'All's Well in Taffs Well', 'Romeo and Blodwyn', 'The Taming of the Saesneg' and 'MacBethan' have to be changed to their better-known titles in order to save him from the executioner's axe.

Specially written as a one-man show for Swansea comedian Kevin Johns MBE, this is a new, hysterically funny historic fiction.

Kevin Johns said: "Working on this project has been a laugh a minute. It's a unique and excellently written piece of comedy and the reaction we have had to date has been a very positive one.

"The Tenby public are certainly in for a treat with Taffy Shakespeare - they will thoroughly enjoy it."

Francis Hardy, writer of Taffy Shakespeare, added: "Audiences will love Kevin (Johns) and the way he brings his character to life; he'll have everyone believing that Shakespeare's plays were actually written by a Welshman."

The performance will take place at Church House on Upper Frog Street at 8pm. Tickets cost £8 and they can be purchased by telephoning 07815 571589. They will also be available on the door prior to the performance, providing it hasn't sold out.

Taffy Shakespeare is being performed as part of Tenby Arts Festival.

Saturday (September 17th) sees the grand parade to open the festival, with a lively procession through the streets of Tenby to the harbour, where an all-day gala of music and dance, food, juggling and stalls awaits. Highlights of this will be performances by the amazing and acrobatic Welsh Bockers Jumping Stilts Club and the final rounds of Tenby’s Got Talent.

A feast of musical, theatrical, entertaining and informative events throughout the following week culminate with much-loved jazz clarinettist Acker Bilk and his Paramount Jazz Band who perform on Saturday, September 24th, at The Follies Theatre, Folly Farm. Full details of the festival programme can be found at www.tenbyartsfest.co.uk or call 07815 571589 (10am-2pm) to book tickets which are on sale now.