One of the reasons why the world is still banging on about Shakespeare is that his writing still sounds extremely pretty to this day. The bard’s work has leaked into and influenced modern English to such an extent that sometimes we miss how clever and pleasing the original works are. Muse: The Shakespeare Mayhem Musical does a very modern thing by taking some of Will’s greatest hits and chopping them up into something new.
The premise of this musical is that Shakespeare has been offered the chance by a big city publisher to have one of his plays published. This, we’re told, would be a big deal. But he can only choose one. Swiftly, Puck from A Midsummer Night’s Dream arrives to tease the playwright and beg to be the first. Other cast members arrive in short order, each intent on catching their creator’s eye.
The result is a sort of remixed highlight reel of Shakespeare’s various stories. Each has a song and a twist of sorts, and there are some cute interactions between Macbeth and King Lear, as well as Juliet and Beatrice. Everyone is a cartoon version of themselves, and this is the show’s main vibe. Muse doesn’t feel like it’s a musical about the works of Shakespeare; it feels like a school special designed to celebrate Shakespeare to an indifferent audience.
One of the main problems is the sheer size of the cast; the image of William Shakespeare surrounded by the various figments of his imagination, all of whom are pecking his ear, is a good one. But it also means that the stage is constantly busy; no one has time to take it all in. This results in a rather charmless mess. Which is a pity as the casting is very solid and the idea is great. The songs are okay but again, feel like educational specials rather than anything else. What it fails to do is give some beloved classic characters their musical moment.
Muse: The Shakespeare Mayhem Musical will entertain teachers and those new to Shakespeare. For the rest of us, it’s a fun show that doesn’t quite reach its potential.
You can find the songs here. You can get tickets here, and find out more here.
