Bard Heads Reviews

“It could change forever the way you look at Shakespeare.” Wiltshire Gazette and Herald “It mines the texts for thoughtful, funny, and in the end deeply touching reflections” Rural Arts Touring

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★★★★☆  Michael Hasted

Stage Talk Magazine Review – June 2013

FINDING THE WILL take well-known characters from Shakespeare and move them to a time frame outside of the play and let them tell their own story. It’s a very clever idea and it tickled me. I love clever but it should not be taken as an end in itself. It is merely a way of presenting and telling your story. And this is what Finding the Will do. The company is currently presenting two of its pieces – in the form of monologues – at the Everyman Studio in Cheltenham. Under the canopy of Bard Heads, Dog, Book & Scandal is the story of Friar Laurence from Romeo & Juliet after he has been banished from Verona. It’s a compelling and moving story beautifully written and performed by Richard Curnow. Jules Hobbs’ portrayal of Miranda from The Tempest, thirty-five years on, was a tour de force performance, again beautifully written by the performer. I really enjoyed Bard Heads. It was entertaining, amusing and thought provoking. And, of course, very clever – not least in as much as it provides Finding the Will with an endless source of material. I wonder whatever happened to that Rosalind……

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 Michael Wilkinson

Gloucester Citizen Review – June 2013

Thought you knew the characters from some of Shakespeare’s most famous works? Think again. Finding The Will bring the delightful Bard Heads to the fore. They are the stories you haven’t heard before. What happened to the characters when the play ends? An evening with the Bard Heads comes in two parts, one man and one woman monologues. Dog, Book and Scandal, written and performed by Richard Curnow, imagines how Friar Lawrence questions his faith and rebuilds his life after the tragic deaths of Romeo and Juliet. Friar Lawrence faces criticism over star-crossed lovers’ fiasco. The Queen’s Speech, written and performed by Jules Hobbs, follows the fortunes of Miranda, daughter of Prospero, thirty five years after The Tempest. The pair met in 1990 during a three month run at the English Speaking Theatre, in Hamburg, and it is clear from their performance that they have a long history of work together. This is a finely honed piece, its two parts complementing each other perfectly. Curnow’s Friar Lawrence is probing and thoughtful and lovers of Shakespeare can revel in the complexity of his work. Those that don’t know Romeo & Juliet may struggle to appreciate the finer detail of the piece. Hobbs’s Miranda is simply brilliant. Here we have an hilarious, yet moving portrayal of a woman under house arrest who pores over the life she has led. Hobbs’ writing is as witty and clever as her delivery of it. It comes full circle beautifully. If these pieces don’t become BBC Radio 4 afternoon plays there is something wrong with the world. The Bard Heads may have finished their run at the Everyman, but remember the name. They have ambitions of launching themselves upon the prestigious Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Then there will be no stopping them.