Shakespeare Today – serie

Jenny Oldfield''s As You Like It is a fresh, youthful retelling of Shakespeare''s comedy. When half of the royal court end up abandoning their luxury lifestyles for the back-to-basics life of the forest no one really knows who they are anymore - let alone who anyone else is! In the midst of all this, the young people are trying to find love and everyone is looking for an end to the feuding.The Shakespeare Today series captures the magic of Shakespeare''s text and sets it in an accessible and contemporary style.

Balthasar - Baz - a Montague mob foot soldier and Romeo''s right hand man - narrates the tragic tale of Romeo and Juliet. The story unfolds on a contemporary Nottingham estate, where trouble is brewing between the Montague Mob and the Capulet Crew. A contemporary retelling of one of Shakespeare''s most famous plays, but there are still no happy endings...

Robert Swindell''s Henry V isa gripping retelling of Shakespeare''s famous historical play. Battlesand scenes of warfare are never far from the young King Henry. Thisretelling brings to life the tumultuous struggle of the heroic youngmonarch as he fights to protect his kingdom and his life.The Shakespeare Today series captures the magic of Shakespeare''s text and sets it in an accessible and contemporary style.

Robert Swindells''s A Midsummer Night''s Dream is set in a very modern-day Yorkshire. Theseus, the neighbourhood tycoon is getting married. Bottom and his mates are roped into putting on a play for the wedding because, well, there''s nothing much to do when you''re on the dole. But, before the wedding, there are young lovers with problems to resolve ... and a drop of magic and mischief in the mix!The Shakespeare Today series captures the magic of Shakespeare''s text and sets it in an accessible and contemporary style.

The world of Twelfth Night isa perplexing place where everyone is falling in love, only not with theright people, and not at the right time. It''s a world of disorder andconfusion where cross-dressing and mistaken identities wreak havoc.Will love win out in the end? Sue Purkiss brings a modern and livelytouch to one of Shakespeare''s best-loved comedies.The Shakespeare Today series captures the magic of Shakespeare''s text and sets it in an accessible and contemporary style.

Tony Bradman brings the tension and danger of a thriller to Shakespeare''s history play, Richard III.The deformed Richard weaves a web of intrigue, removing all obstacles that stand between him and the throne of England. An atmosphere of insecurity pervades, no one dare reveal their thoughts and danger lurks in the shadows. Once Richard achieves his goal, will danger turn its gaze on him? The Shakespeare Today series captures the magic of Shakespeare''s text and sets it in an accessible and contemporary style.

Tony Bradman''s retelling of Shakespeare''s Macbeth is a historical narrative with plenty of pace and drama. It''s a very dark story, with almost a horror movie feel, as Macbeth is corrupted by ambition and power. Boy readers in particular will be drawn to the darkness and violence of the world of Macbeth, with its swords and warriors, witches and ghosts.

Jenny Oldfield creates a hilarious narrative retelling of Shakespeare''s comedy, Much Ado About Nothing.When AC Messina''s star striker Claudio falls for the team manager''sdaughter, Hero, he sets in motion an escalating web of deceit. Fuelled by a combination of liesand genuine misunderstandings, Claudio is fooled into believing thatHero is having an affair, and rejects her on their wedding day; whilststar defender Benedick is tricked into falling in love with his worstenemy, Hero''s cousin Beatrice. With a delightful cast of reporters,footballers, WAGs and revenge-obsessed scoundrels, will thetruth ever be unravelled? But more to the point, will it result in anycelebrity weddings?The Shakespeare Today series captures the magic of Shakespeare''s original play and sets it in an accessible and contemporary style.

It''s a year after the events of Shakespeare''s The Tempest have taken place and Ariel has returned to the magical island. Gradually she starts to look back and reflect upon the strange characters and happenings which took place on that fateful afternoon - the magic, the murder and Prospero''s sweet revenge...