Alfie Joey talks about why the genius of William Shakespeare is still relevant to today's audiences
ON Monday, I will have everything crossed, fingers, toes and even my eyebrows. My son has his first English Literature GCSE exam.
Along with many other North East teenagers, Alfie Joey Junior will be turning over the paper and attempting to answer questions on ‘Romeo and Juliet’, ‘A Christmas Carol’ and ‘An Inspector Calls’.
READ MORE: Alfie Joey on the snooker legends to remember and pay tribute to
As much as I loved the subject, I failed my English Literature exam (O Level as it was then) first time around but, forsooth, thankfully I did quite well on the resit.
I still remember chunks of what I learned and I now appreciate the value of the subject more since I left school and I mean much more than being of use for a few points in a pub quiz.
There was recently the regular hullabaloo over whether we celebrate St George’s Day enough in England but it could be argued that more bravado and chest beating in honour of the Bard would be more relevant.
For a start, Shakespeare definitely existed. And though we may not know as much about the writer himself, the body of his work had a dramatic influence on what we have consumed and what we say.
Imagine the cultural vacuum if there was no Shakespeare. Without Shakespeare we would have no ‘Kiss Me Kate’ by Cole Porter, no ‘West Side Story’ by Sondheim and Bernstein, no 'Throne of Blood' by Kurosawa, no ‘10 Things I Hate About You’ (my niece Megan LOVED this film), no ‘The Lion King’ and no...countless other adaptations.
Not to mention the 100s of everyday phrases we use that those plays coined. No sayings like 'break the ice', 'wild-goose chase', 'heart of gold', or 'wear my heart on my sleeve.' He wasn’t just a dramatist, he was a linguistic game changer.
And for those of you who still think it is all a bit posh, he wrote for everyone. Commoners went to his shows.
And for those of you who are saying, well it was all a bit serious, the endless Shakespearean spoofs and comedies that have cheered us up on stage and screen… Monty Python, Morecambe and Wise, Black Adder, Upstart Crow, To Be Or Not To Be (by both Jack Benny and Mel Brooks), The Reduced Shakespeare Company and countless others, ALL influenced by Whiley Ol’ Will.
I was in a Bishop Auckland school last year, as a guest children’s author (yes, even a literature failure like me can turn it round). It was there I bumped into a much more erudite man who was enthusing the children about literature.
His name is Jake Murray and he was doing a very good job of it. Jake runs an award-winning County Durham theatre company called Elysium, so of course, he is a real Shakespeare fan. I asked Jake to explain to me why he believes Stratford Upon Avon’s favourite son is still relevant and important to our young people and also to the country.
Jake said, "His work has shaped our lives and inspired people for generations. I don’t see why the children of the North East should be denied access to something the rest of the world takes as granted. It is the job of our theatre company to bring his work to life."
English literature really is one of the lovely gifts we have shared with the world and there are many ways we can teach valuable lessons from it and be entertained at the same time.
Good luck to Jake and his troop of strolling players. They are currently bringing to life Eugene O’Neill’s classic play, ‘Long Day’s Journey Into Night’ at North East theatres.
And good luck to all of our young people turning that paper over on Monday. Indeed, if they are stressed trying to remember all of the information, may they take a moment and find inspiration from the words of Romeo: 'O, teach me how I should forget to think!'
FACTS & FOOTNOTES :
l ‘West Side Story’, inspired by Romeo and Juliet, is set in 1950s New York City, with music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.
l 'A Long Day’s Journey Into Night’ by Elysium Theatre Company will be playing Hexham, May 12; Town Hall Theatre, Hartlepool, May 14 and Ushaw House, May 18
Alfie Joey will be in conversation at Ushaw Historic House, Chapels and Gardens, 6.30pm, June 24. Free admission but book via the venue.
