Classic puppet show with Venus and Adonis

The only northern performances of a unique puppet version of Shakespeare's epic narrative poem Venus and Adonis are at York Theatre Royal (June 30-July 1).

Narrated by Simon Russell Beale and brought to life by a team of world-class puppeteers and live musical accompaniment, the production blends comedy and tragedy with Shakespeare’s poetry to chart the story of Venus and her obsessive love for the beautiful Adonis.

First seen and acclaimed in 2017, this revival is directed by its original creator, Greg Doran, former artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Drawing inspiration from the intricate artistry of Japanese Bunraku puppetry and the spectacle of the Jacobean court masque, the production employs a range of techniques including marionette, rod, shadow and tabletop puppetry. The cast and creative team for the tour includes puppeteers Bartolomeo Bartolini, Edie Edmundson, Rachel Leonard, Lee Maeda and Sarah Wright, alongside musician Nick Lee.

Venus and Adonis was the first piece Shakespeare published (in 1593) and was extremely popular but is rarely performed today due to the poem's length, its single-narrator format and its lack of conventional dramatic structure. Doran's production was generally agreed to solve the problems brilliantly by using the puppetry as a visual counterpart to the verse, effectively creating an impressive theatrical experience.

More info and tickets here