Tales From Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb: The First Three Weeks Part I
A review by Melanie Liebetrau, April 29, 2021
The Blind Cupid Shakespeare Company is now three weeks into their collaborative project with Quarantine Kids Storytime, in which they each intend to release two sets of Shakespeare’s plays in the form of a narrative audio drama every weekend until June. This is an ambitious project and both companies shall be sharing the profits: Blind Cupid in particular shall be using their half of the donations to add to their fund to bring Shakespeare to the Costa Blanca in Spain, a region filled with international expats that Artistic Director Joe Staton believes are ready to embrace the Bard. “I grew up in the Costa Blanca,” says Staton. “My love for Shakespeare was born there and I 100% believe in our mission to have annual Shakespeare performances in the area”. To contribute to their cause, visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/tales-of-shakespeare-by-charles-and-mary-lamb-audio-book-series-tickets-150307757549?fbclid=IwAR0Iw1ARaAjydBHm8Xqo64D2J70GJnrVVbRj0ObDJlBlIjSzkw1ckuuUD2U
Each week, I shall be listening to two of their recordings and providing reviews and my thoughts on each one. In the meantime, you can listen to them on the Quarantine Kids Storytime Youtube Channel.
These stories were written by siblings Charles and Mary Lamb in 1808, as a way to bring Shakespeare to children. Admittedly, after reading some of these stories, there’s some question as to whether or not children will be able to follow them. Some of the language is a little outdated and complex. Quarantine Kids and Blind Cupid appear to realize this, however, using their diverse and multinational range of voices to bring the words to life, in a fun and interesting fashion. Some of the lines have also clearly been edited in order to help the actors sound more natural behind the microphone.
Jack Chandler, the tech editor in charge of making the stories sound good, absolutely shines with these audio dramas so far. I am, by no means, an expert of technology, however the task of recording an audio drama from one’s own home is an absolute Herculean task, one that can easily be disrupted by awkward inflections, background noises and other interferences. Whether or not the actors have suffered from this is open to interpretation, however Chandler’s editing has done an extremely fine job of making the sounds of each drama come through as clean as possible.
I have to give a shout out to the artwork also. In each video released, the audio is supported by images from the Victorian Illustrated Shakespeare Archive, with artwork by Michael John Goodman. These images are absolutely stunning and do a lot to add to the experience. The idea to use these images came from Sascha Cooper from Quarantine Kids Storytime and it is truly inspired. From Blind Cupid’s end, Russian Comic book artist Alexandr Kireev provides stunning illustrations to support BC’s actors, bringing to mind ancient family crests. This is certainly an eye-catching and imaginative way of drawing in their audiences. He is clearly a rare talent and you should definitely check out his instagram: “@sketchesfrommoscow”. The fact that he is an artist based in Moscow is in keeping with Blind Cupid’s desire to present themselves as multicultural and he certainly seems to be an asset to their company.
Now, onto the audio dramas. Quarantine Kids Storytime has been releasing an audio drama every Saturday for the past three weeks, with Blind Cupid following them every Sunday. The opening weekend saw QK release All’s Well That Ends Well and Blind Cupid release Romeo and Juliet. A very interesting and yet appropriate beginning.
All’s Well As It Ends Well is delightful. This was narrated by Claire Coull with Christine Hepworth James, with Coull reading most of the narration and James dropping in occasionally to read the dialogue. The story goes as follows: Helena loves Bertram, but their worlds are too different. This becomes clear when they are joined in marriage by the king as thanks to her late father's medicine saving his life. Will Helena get her husband back? And how is a widow and her daughter involved with Bertram?
Coull has a soft yet engaging voice, completely appropriate for reading to children. She has an almost soothing quality and yet she is quite clearly a character actress, changing her voice appropriately to convey different characters when the need demands. James’ voice provides an interesting contrast, coming in at appropriate times to add a slightly harsher quality that is just perfect for the male characters, such as the King. I truly enjoyed listening to this opening drama and I believe that Quarantine Kids Storytime provided this project with an incredibly strong opening. Well done.
Link to All’s Well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DbZrC35JWM
Blind Cupid likewise opens on an outstandingly strong note with Romeo and Juliet, narrated by Darlington native Frances Knight, with Reuben Beau Davies providing bits of dialogue in between. I’m not sure if there is a soul in the world who doesn’t know Romeo and Juliet, however on the off chance there is any such person reading now: The Montagues and The Capulets are at war with each other. Their children meet and fall in love at a masked ball, but how much is at stake for these star crossed lovers? Will love prevail? Or will it end sooner than it began? (Spoiler: it does).
Frances Knight is simply stunning in this role, sounding extremely confident in front of the mic and her Northern English accent bringing such a raw and beautiful quality to this tale. Davies’ only appears occasionally, reading various bits of dialogue, however his voice suits the tragic romantic qualities that Romeo must exhibit. Frances also works as the Social Media Manager for The Blind Cupid Shakespeare Company, and all one has to do is take a look at the Instagram stories she provides to understand why their artistic team most certainly wanted her to take part in this project: her colorful and quirky personality is a credit to their group and the energy that she brings to Romeo and Juliet is sure to hook any listeners in. The childlike wonder and love that Romeo and Juliet feel towards each other is ever present in her narration, as well as the danger and tension that comes in Tybalt’s confrontation that results in his and Mercutio’s death and the sadness that must always come when the lovers find themselves dead in each other’s arms. This was such an interesting interpretation of an incredibly famous play and I think anyone who finds themselves cast in Romeo and Juliet would benefit greatly from listening to Knight and Davies showcase the story of this fantastic tale.
Link to R&J: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6bIOgYafdk&t=46s
