Edinburgh Fringe Review: Charlie Dupré – The Stories of Shakey P

– reviewed by Lettie McKie

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The Stories of Shakey P – Shakespeare Remixed

The first piece in this hour long Shakespearean remix see’s Charlie Dupré present the world’s most famous Elizabethan playwright as a rapper. Leaping onto the stage with characteristic energy, Charlie goes straight into his first story with very little preamble. He presents Shakespeare as the underdog in a playground rap battle against an older bully, Marlowe. Shakey P ultimately triumphs because of better insults, tighter plot lines and more enduring posthumous popularity.

Thus begins an intense hour’s retelling of some of the bards most famous plays including Othello, Richard III, Macbeth and Hamlet.

A Cerebral Approach

It is a well-known fact that much of Shakespeare’s verse is written in iambic pentameter. The five beats to the bar rhythms were develop by early writers because they closely mirror the natural pace of speech and this form of metre is one of the most popular forms for verse to take; period.

In this fast paced poetic romp Charlie uses this fact to his advantage by cleverly contrasting the iambic pentameter with its four beats to a bar alternative the iambic tetrameter, commonly used as a basis for much rap music.

The result is an immediately accessible performance. Intersecting his stories with helpful explanations and insightful asides the show feels, at times, like a GCSE English class, albeit the coolest one you’ve ever had.

Multiple Characters

Charlie slips effortlessly between multiple characters and voices to tell his stories. He hooks each retelling on a different premise, Richard III is told through his ‘counselling sessions’, Othello compared to Eminem’s stalker hit ‘Stan’ and so on. Some poems are more polished than others but all command attention for the original way they tackle very familiar storylines. Reminiscent of the comedic Reduced Shakespeare Company, these poems distill the key themes and plotlines of the plays into witty vignettes.

The Music

In another interesting twist Charlie is accompanied by Oliver Willems and Oktawia Petronella on strings. The double base and violin are used throughout the piece to create a soundtrack to the pieces, the contrasting tones of the two instruments used to differentiate character and mood. This both helps Charlie to build on the drama of his performances and also takes the idea of Shakespearean rap that one step further, imagining what sort of instruments available in the 16th Century could create the right backdrop for spitting rhymes like a modern day MC.

The Verdict

Teachers all over the country should know about Shakey P! A fantastically entertaining, energetic and fresh account of Shakespeare’s oeuvre, not to be missed! So if you did miss it at the Edinburgh Fringe this August, keep track of his website, Facebook or Twitter for future gigs.

Star Rating: 4/5

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