Shakespeare's Mothers: Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know

Straylight Australia presents SHAKESPEARE'S MOTHERS: MAD, BAD AND DANGEROUS TO KNOW ADELAIDE FRINGE 2011 Direct from the Edinburgh Fringe, Straylight Australia presents twenty of Shakespeare's wickedest women, from twelve plays, in just sixty minutes! Thrilling scenes full of danger and passion are introduced with witty charm by the Bard himself. While it's true that Shakespeare did write some lovely, kind, gentle mother characters, this play isn’t about them. It's about dangerous women like Tamora, Lady Macbeth, Gertrude, Queen Margret and Dioniza - mothers whose rampant protectiveness, lusty appetites and vaunting ambition set them against powerful enemies and drove them to treachery, adultery, war, murder and madness. Shakespeare’s Mothers: Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know is set in our risk-averse present, where Shakespeare is accused by the media of inciting female violence through his inappropriate maternal role-models. Summoning his uneasy, warring mothers about him, he defends himself with wit and charm while they re-live their most thrilling, passionate and dangerous experiences. "It's very exciting to have all these marvellous women on stage in one show and to hear the great lines Shakespeare wrote for them", says Greg de Polnay, who directed the Edinburgh Fringe production. Director of the Adelaide show, Roz Riley, adds, "By putting the focus on the mothers, we suddenly see how cleverly Shakespeare used fiercely protective and ambitious women to drive some of his strongest plots." Shakespeare’s Mothers: Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know was written and compiled by Straylight Australia's Actor/Manager, Kath Perry, who is again joined in the all-Australian cast by Cat Martin and Alexander Jonas. The show comes to Adelaide direct from a successful world premier at the Edinburgh Fringe, where it played to enthusiastic audiences. Here's a taste of what the critics there had to say: Acted with power and precision (Scotsman), Highly professional cast (Fringe Guru), Entertaining... fun and family friendly (Three Weeks), Lively, humorous and... energetic (Edinburgh Spotlight). Where: The Bakehouse Theatre, 255 Angas St, Adelaide 5000 When: Mon-Sat, 21 Feb-26 Feb at 6:00pm, 28 Feb–12 March at 7:30pm Tix: $20/$17/$15 from www.adelaidefringe.com.au or 1300 FRINGE (374 643)