The door of Number 9 is once again open…well, at the Hotel Zanzibar, there’s quite a few doors and everyone’s going in the wrong ones as the guests of the ninth floor become tangled in true Shakespearean style.
‘Zanzibar’ is written in rhyming couplets, in a mock Shakespeare fashion. Borrowing from The Comedy of Errors, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and some old-fashioned bedroom farce, writers Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton (half of The League of Gentleman) have written a fun opener to Series 4.
Known for having played Shakespearean roles like Hamlet and Iago at the National, Rory Kinnear fits in very nicely in a dual role, playing simple homely Gus and spoiled Prince Rico. Shearsmith is the dastardly villain, plotting to take the crown. Throw in a confused but game old lady (Marcia Warren), a harlot (Tanya Franks) and a bit of magic from a hypnotist (Kevin Eldon) and you have the stuff of Shakespearean comedy. Jaygann Ayeh is definitely channeling Puck in his role as bellboy Fred.
Constructing a comedy is hard and a farce is harder, but Shearsmith and Pemberton have pulled it off. It may not have the horror or gruesomeness that the duo are known for but it has their comedic flair and audacity.
‘Zanzibar’ is written in rhyming couplets, in a mock Shakespeare fashion. Borrowing from The Comedy of Errors, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and some old-fashioned bedroom farce, writers Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton (half of The League of Gentleman) have written a fun opener to Series 4.
Known for having played Shakespearean roles like Hamlet and Iago at the National, Rory Kinnear fits in very nicely in a dual role, playing simple homely Gus and spoiled Prince Rico. Shearsmith is the dastardly villain, plotting to take the crown. Throw in a confused but game old lady (Marcia Warren), a harlot (Tanya Franks) and a bit of magic from a hypnotist (Kevin Eldon) and you have the stuff of Shakespearean comedy. Jaygann Ayeh is definitely channeling Puck in his role as bellboy Fred.
Constructing a comedy is hard and a farce is harder, but Shearsmith and Pemberton have pulled it off. It may not have the horror or gruesomeness that the duo are known for but it has their comedic flair and audacity.