Wonderful singing enriched this medley of Shakespeare’s love scenes

Tim Raistrick and Adam Schumacher. Photo courtesy of Second Thoughts.

Shakespeare on Love Performed by Second Thoughts Productions at The Bear Pit Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, Saturday 14 February 2026.

Review by Charles Essex.

In a novel format, two narrators (Nic Walsh and Gill Hines) took us on a tour of a medley of Shakespeare’s love scenes featured in both his comedies and tragedies.  The scenes were acted out as short vignettes, either from the original script or modern versions from films and musicals which have used Shakespeare’s plays as their basis.  Nic and Gill’s commentaries linked the two styles very effectively.

The love scenes depicted gave director Amanda Laidler opportunities to show the relevance of the enduring theme of love with all its range of emotions.  Emerson Fairclough and Georgina Monk gave a wonderful portrayal of the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet.  The modern take on that in West Side Story allowed Daniel Denton-Harris and Vanessa Gravestock to sing superbly as Tony and Maria.

Georgina Monk and Adam Schumacher. Photo courtesy of Second Thoughts.

Not all the duets were amorous.  Husband and wife Tim and Kate Guest gave an hilarious portrayal of Katharine and Petruchio’s fractious relationship in The Taming of the Shrew, delivering the dialogue with authenticity.  Stephanie Jepson-Sensicle was terrific, giving a strong interpretation of Beatrice opposite Benedick (Noel Dollimore), conveying Beatrice’s rage very believably from Much Ado About Nothing.  Oberon (Tim Raistrick) and Titania (Georgie Headley) bickered before resolving their differences in Midsummer Night’s Dream and Georgie sang with passion and gusto I Hate Men from the musical Kiss Me Kate, which caused much amusement in the audience.

From Return to the Forbidden Planet, Georgina sang Teenager in Love with great feeling, with Adam Schumacher and Tim Raistrick as doo-wah backing singers.  Adam and Tim delighted the audience with a magnificent rendition of a comedy song Brush Up Your Shakespeare.

Daniel Denton-Harris and Georgina Monk. Photo courtesy of Second Thoughts.

 The juxtaposition of the more modern songs with the Shakespearean language of the extracts from the plays worked well and was enjoyed by the audience.  Speaking Shakespearean dialogue convincingly is a skill and some of the actors did not deliver the lines well.  Curiously several monologues were read by the actors holding a card.  Chloe Jane Wiltshire sang well as Puck but that role as another narrator was an unnecessary distraction.

The most authentic scene was the interaction between Orsino (Adam) and Cesario (Georgina) from Twelfth Night.  Whenever Adam and Georgina were on stage, the production became much more animated.

This collection of Shakespeare’s love scenes was a mixed bag, with some outstanding acting and singing performances.