Scratch Shakespeare - A Menagerie of Magnificent Student Mash-ups!
This year’s Scratch Shakespeare event at Theatre Royal Winchester was a menagerie of magnificent student mash ups featuring Messy Play’s version of Macbeth complete with tartan, ginger wigs and cardboard crowns, Biscuit Barrel’s The King’s Favourite Painting, a Shakespearean sketch-comedy and Storm Cloud Theatre’s Midsummer Weekender, a retelling of the magical tale at a music festival. Last year’s competitors, Martin Jakeman and company brought the evening to a close with their panto production of Hamalot featuring Dame Ducky who wore the most incredible yellow PVC platform heels, seriously if you’re reading this Mr Simpkin I would love to borrow those, hit me up.
The Scratch is a competition admittedly, but most importantly it is a show, and all four companies gave it their all to entertain family, friends and course mates who made up the majority of the audience in the beautiful Theatre Royal Winchester last night.
With a cardboard castle, props and clothes dotted around the stage Messy Play began their experimental telling of Macbeth. The three witches, Sandra, Maggie and Barbara gathered to talk of spells, fortunes… and the cat’s jabs of course, light hearted and partly improved, the group worked through small blunders with costume and props, as it often is with theatre such as this, the mistakes are the best part! The audience got the most beloved of roles, ‘the tree’ as the first few rows were encouraged to reach under their seats to discover a stick and a sword, the sticks were waved in the air as Birnam Wood moving towards an all too assured Macbeth in his castle, and the swords held aloft to fight. This production was a little slow to begin with a few cringey moments, but once Messy Play got going it was riotously funny - a perfect pick me up for a Monday evening, and Cara Honey was well deserving of the ‘Best Female Performer’ award for her barmy Banquo and wacky witch.
Next it was Biscuit Barrel; a sketch based company whose work has impressed before with witty references and brilliant comic timing. Their energy and absurdity shone through this Scratch performance that followed a flamboyant knight on his quest to replace the king’s favourite painting which he had accidentally stabbed…oops. Thomas House who won ‘Best Male Performer’ played a robot companion with a thick west country accent who narrated the journey through snapshots of Shakespeare’s plays. The pair stumbled across a deaf, and apparently blind Juliet who won’t stop calling for Romeo, a bar full of drunk extras and a stuffed toy bear held by James in a green body suit - ‘they can’t see it’s a green screen innit.’ Moments of jest were mixed with moments of awkwardness as the company tried to hold the narrative together, but hey, it is Scratch!
The final group had an interesting concept; A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Reading inspired festival, however rather than a hedonistic, Bacchic celebration where intoxication and romance meet, Storm Cloud’s piece combined the text with the new setting rather awkwardly. Credit to the group for sticking to the original text, but this in parts, lost the comedic elements they were pushing for such as the stumbling, bandana bad-boy wanna-be Demetrius. The play ended with a song, beautifully performed by the extras in the cast who directed the piece, and who received the ‘Best Director Award.’
The winner of ‘Best Show’ was, drum roll please… Messy Play’s Macbeth!
To conclude the evening, Hat Fair and Engagement Director Andrew Loretto announced that the University of Winchester and Theatre Royal Winchester have agreed on a three year partnership, meaning more student and graduate work can get out into the world! – to find out how you can get your student theatre company involved visit - https://hatfair.co.uk/partners-funders/