Shakespeare Rocks!

Prologue

The show is introduced by Aubrey, the director of the Rough Shakespeare Company, and his assistant Al. They welcome the audience to their exclusive adaption of William Shakespeare's secret diary which they claim to have found. Aubrey begins to read the first extract from the diary as we move to Scene One.

Scene One: 1593 - Will's Study In Stratford

Will is furiously ranting to his family about a bad review he has recently received. He vows to rebuff his critics by becoming a writer so famous that school children will be forced to study his work for centuries to come!

Scene Two: 1595 - London

The song 'Will's Wonderful Words' is performed in the streets by a group of 'cool' Minstrels in sunglasses. Will is now, indeed, rather famous and is constantly chased throughout the song by a legion of fans until he reaches the safety of his study.

Scene Three: A Rehearsal Room

It's audition time in the rehearsal rooms for the female roles. Since no women were allowed to perform on stage at the time, this is quite a difficult process. Will entrusts the loud mouthed, arrogant star of the theatre company, Richard 'Burley' Burbage to take on the task. A farce ensues when a group of Men-Dressed-As-Women with beards and hairy chests try to quote some female lines. The scene gets more ridiculous as a group of Women-Disguised-As-Men-Dressed-As-Women try to infiltrate the audition. The song 'No Girls Allowed' is performed.

Scene Four: 1599 - The Globe Theatre

The finishing touches to the Globe theatre are underway in preparation for the grand opening performance of Henry the Fifth. The song 'Show In The Globe' Is performed before the grand entrance of Queen Elizabeth 1 followed by a group of pesky paparazzi painters hoping for a quick 'sketch'. After an exchange of words between Will and the builders about the extortionate cost, the audience settles down and the beer and apple sellers peddle their wares as the show starts.

Scene Five: 1613 - A Rehearsal Room In London

The cast of Macbeth are rehearsing a scene. Unfortunately, because they are so superstitious, they cannot mention Macbeth by name in case it brings them bad luck. They perform the song 'Don't Mention Mac' just before Macbeth's name is mentioned. Desperate to reverse the bad luck, the Superstitious Sorcerers claim that the only solution is to spin around three times, then say a naughty word. The cast agree to do this but, just before they get chance to say it, Bernie Bottom - the cannon operator - enters the scene with bad news. The Globe Theatre has burnt down!

Scene Six: The Smouldering Ruins Of The Globe Theatre

In the smoked filled remains of the Globe theatre, secret lovers Romeo and Juliet find each other amongst the scorched debris. A Lutenist and Recorder Player enter, trying to find their beloved instruments before stumbling across the besotted pair. The musical Minstrels are shocked to discover that Juliet is, in fact, a real woman and not a Man-Dressed-As-A-Woman. After a charred recorder and a burnt lute are reunited with their owners the song 'Romeos And Juliets' is performed. Will and Anne enter, touched by the love song that they overheard. Will agrees to keep Juliet's secret and even renames his play 'Roger & Janet' after the love struck duo. After a decision to rebuild the Globe, the song 'All The World's A Stage' is performed.

Scene Seven: Will's Bedroom

Will, who is now getting old and is not feeling very well, is attempting to make himself look younger. Anne insists Will rests and he retires to bed where he stumbles upon 'a new-fangled' pencil which inspires one of his most famous quotes. The song 'To Be Or Not To Be' is performed as the finale by the whole cast.

Suggested Cast List For 73 Actors

N.B. In the following list, the number shows how many SPOKEN lines each role has. An asterisk (*) before the character's name indicates that this character ALSO has solo sung or rapped lines.

Non speaking roles: - *Minstrels 1-4 (Rappers) plus four (miming) Instrumentalist Minstrels, four more Builders, another apple seller and another beer seller. Also four Theatregoers and two Box Office Attendants, some of whom also play the Chorus of Fans in Scene 6.

Suggested Cast List For 30 Actors

N.B. In the following list, the number shows how many SPOKEN lines each role has. An asterisk (*) before the character's name indicates that this character ALSO has solo sung or rapped lines.

Non speaking roles: - Two Theatregoers and one Box Office Attendant, all of whom also play the Chorus of Fans in Scene 6.