No Holds Bard is a one man show in which several of Shakespeare's protagonists meet, and their discourse is thought-provoking, energetic, and often hilarious. For Michael Hurst it is quite the tour de force. His characterisations are concise and suitably quirky, while remaining recognisable. His vocal work is second to none: the richness of his voice, and his aptititude for accents are showcased and the material provides the chance to demonstrate one's whole vocal repertoire. And for a crowd-pleasing climax, Hurst discovers the hilarity in a one-person fight sequence. Hurst proves his worth time and again. It's all very impressive. But is it good?
Well, it is entertaining. I liked it. Shakespeare's words are really quite exquisite and familiarity with his most popular works is rewarded. The script cleverly weaves Shakespeare's words into new situations. As for a beginning, middle and end...well that is where this piece is weakest. There is some sense of story, and a token pithy resolution to reassure the audience that the stage-play format has not been forgotten. But, actually nothing about the story interested me.
The part of the script I enjoyed most was the tug and tussle and push and pull between Macbeth and Hamlet. Here they represent two opposing drives: one a man of action, the other a man of grand talk. Some of their discussions are works of genius. Macbeth is reliably funny (surprise?!?), and Hamlet is ridiculously foppish (poor guy). These characters are given the most development, and their interactions with each other are the most interesting and edifying. I wondered whether a better play might have been one in which these two found were kept front and centre throughout.
Special mention to the lighting design for achieving some bold effects, with smooth, precise transitions.
See this play for a laugh and to hear some beautiful words. Michael Hurst's performance is world class and makes the show gripping from start to finish.
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