TALES FROM SHAKESPEARE BY CHARLES AND MARY LAMB: THE FIRST THREE WEEKS PART II
A review by Melanie Liebetrau, May 7, 2021
Recap: Every week until June, the Blind Cupid Shakespeare Company and Quarantine Kids Storytime have undertaken an ambitious project to release a Shakespeare play in the form of a narrative, as adapted from Tales From Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb. To read up on their successful first week, be sure to check out part I of this review series. The project is a fundraiser, with both companies splitting the funds between them. Quarantine Kids Storytime will use their half to support the actors they recruited to record their share of the stories whereas Blind Cupid, who themselves offered their own pay towards their artists, will use their share of the profits to add towards their goal of taking a company of international actors to the Costa Blanca in Spain. Both groups are ambitious and filled with talent and the hard work they have been putting into this project undoubtedly earn them your support! To contribute, visit:
In their second week of releases, taking place on April 17th and 18th, Quarantine Kids offered a highly enjoyable and extremely entertaining rendition of Macbeth (or should that be; the Scottish play?). This tale was narrated by Christine Hepworth-James, with Sascha Cooper occasionally chiming in with bits of dialogue.
The story’s synopsis read: Three witches prophesise fame and royalty for army man Macbeth. What will he and Lady Macbeth do to become king? And what are the consequences of their actions?
It was truly refreshing and delightful to listen to this dark tale narrated by someone with the calm and soothing vocal quality of Hepworth-James, who’s clear and clean British dialect painted the picture of the story perfectly. Her voice has a wonderful mystical quality that transports you straight into the story; hitting every operative word clearly and consistently. A truly wonderful casting choice for the story of the tragic Scottish “hero”. She is supported by the many voices provided by Sascha Cooper who uses an impressive range of tone, dialects and characters to bring the dialogue alive. Audiobooks need people like Cooper, who can effortlessly change their voices in order to ignite the imaginations of their audiences. It is far from surprising that Cooper is, herself, a radio host for Bexhill radio. To listen to her show, Sascha’s world, tune in and listen to her at https://bexhillradio.co.uk/ which broadcasts on Fridays at 9pm, UK time. She is thoroughly entertaining and worth listening to.
To listen to their rendition of the Scottish Play, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iw38gwRM7Q&t=1274s
Sascha Cooper
A shout out has to once again go to Jack Chandler, who edited both of these audiobooks wonderfully once again. The ominous wind sounds added throughout the story added to the atmosphere to such an extent that, coupled with Hepworth-James’ gentle narration, I genuinely felt like I was listening to a ghost story at one point.
From Blind Cupid’s side, in stark contrast to the tragic story of Macbeth, we instead get the comedy of The Winter’s Tale (although, both plays do have similar themes despite their concluding differences). In keeping with Blind Cupid’s mission to use international actors, the Wisconsin-born JT Stocks both narrates and provides the dialogue for this story. His wonderful American dialect illuminates this story fantastically and his vocal choices when reading the words spoken by the characters are incredibly subtle and yet effective. Stocks is no stranger to Shakespeare and you can definitely tell; one gets the sense that he completely understands the characters he is reading and the tonal changes in his voice that convey both the lighthearted aspects of the story and the tragic aspects showcase a thorough understanding of the nuances within the story.
To listen to his fantastic performance, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNvlolNWP9c
Once again, I have to give a shout out to Alexandr Kireev who provided the graphics for this project. His artwork is both eye-catching and unique; and I’m a sucker for a good bear drawing.
Read more about the Blind Cupid Shakespeare Company at https://www.blindcupidshakespearecompany.com/