What You Will 2012

This hysterical (and occasionally historical) 90-minute gallop through all things Shakespearean is an irreverent one-man everything there is ‘to be or not to be’ about William Shakespeare: the greatest soliloquies ever written along with accounts of the funniest disasters ever perpetrated on the stage. Juliet’s foolish nurse, gory Macbeth, Hamlet, Richard II, even Charles Dickens, James Thurber, Noel Coward and Stevie Wonder all make appearances during the evening.



Drawing on his 22 years as a company member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, celebrated on both sides of the Atlantic for his performance in the title role of The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickelby, and tackling Hamlet, Benvolio and Claudio amongst other Shakespearean roles, Rees recounts his experiences of the work of a theatrical deity. Intercutting stories of cast camaraderie with excerpts from favourite roles, the show recalls the triumphs, mishaps and practical jokes his various encounters with the Bard have brought the classical actor over the years.



First performed in 2007 at Folger Theatre, Washington and following a brief run in Shakespeare's home, Stratford-upon-Avon, in 2010, this is the London premiere of Rees' ninety minute show.