Brick Shakespeare: Tragedies & Comedies book REVIEW

Brick Shakespeare
by McCann, Sweeney & Thomas

The Brick Shakespeare books takes a unique look at Shakespeare's most famous plays. The version I got housed two books one on the tragedy plays and the other comedy. You can buy them separately depending on what plays you wish to read. With the version I got you receive a double sided poster with Lego Romeo and Juliet on one side and The Taming of the Shrew on the other.

Poster of The Taming
of the Shrew

As the all of the plays they decided to recreate in the book are long they haven't created the full versions. So they handpicked the scenes which are the most interesting and significant to the story-line. 

This whole book is illustrated by scene by scene photos. The sets they uses in the images to illustrate the books are very basic. They hardly house imagination or effort put towards the design of them. They could have done better. I have seen many books similar to these with far more interesting sets which background the scenes they recreate. 

I don't normally talk about the covers of book in my reviews but with this one I am going to make a exception. They are unusual. The cover isn't of one picture like most but it is made up of many. Now I don't know about you but I never really seen many books like that. I see what they are trying to do with this; they are trying to showcase all the plays they are depicting in the book but this me think of some Instagram page and not a book cover.   

Poster of Romeo and Juliet

As I said above each play is depicted in Lego images in a scene by scene style which isn't unusual for Lego books like these ones. However, the script which is written below of each frame is placed within a scroll like backdrop and the font made to look like handwriting. This way of displaying the plays seem silly and unnecessary. This trying to create a theatrical feel to the book. I see what they are trying to achieve with this; they are trying to make it seem old to give the reader a sense of place. Although this only makes me see a childish feel for the book.   

Shakespeare - "To be, or not to be"

Lego Shakespeare 
1564-1616

William Shakespeare was born in 1564 at Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire. His father was John Shakespeare, a glove maker and wool merchant and his mother was Mary Arden. He was most likely educated at the local King Edward VI Grammar School in Stratford. He married at the age of 18 to Anne Hathaway in 1582.

The years between 1585 and 1592 are known as the 'Lost Years' as it is not known what Shakespeare achieved in the period. We find him in London and became an actor. He also became one of the managing partners of the Lord Chamberlain's Company. The company acquired interests in only two theatres in Southwark area of London near the south bank of the Thames, The Globe and The Blackfriars.

In 1593 and 1594 Shakespeare wrote his first poems, 'Venus and Adonis' and 'Rape of Lucrece'. Both published by Henry Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton and his patron. According to the records he wrote his first play in 1594. Making about two plays a year until 1611. His earliest plays were mainly historical and comedies, such as 'Henry VI' and 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. Then later on he moved onto tragedies, such as 'Romeo and Juliet'.

In 1596 John, Shakespeare's father was granted to have a coat of arms. In 1597, Shakespeare bought a larger house in New Place, Stratford. By the last years of the Elizabeth I's reign he was called upon to perform several of his plays before the Queen and court.

William Rowley 

you got the lines all wrong.

 It's "Alas poor Yorick,

 I knew him".

In 1602, Shakespeare's success enabled him to move upmarket in Silver Street, London. While he was living here he wrote some of his greatest tragedies, such as 'Hamlet' and 'Macbeth'.

After his long career, he spent the last five years of his life in the family home in New Place, Stratford. He died on 23rd April 1616 at the age of 52 and buried in Holy Trinity Church in Stratford. He bequeathed his property to the male heirs of his eldest daughter, Susanna and his 'second best bed' to his wife.

The first collected edition of his works was published in 1623 and was known as the 'First Folio'. 

Visit Shakespeare's Globe.

Lego Museums visited the Globe's exhibit within the reconstruction of the 1997 on 25th July 2014. The project was brought together by one man Sam Wanamaker. He believed in bringing the famous playwrights world, William Shakespeare, to life on stage. As Shakespeare said himself in As You Like It: 

"All the world's a stage,

And all the men and women merely players:

They have their exits and their entrances;

And one man in his time plays many parts,

His acts being seven ages..." Act 2 Scene 7.

William Rowley you got the lines all wrong. It's "Alas poor Yorick, I knew him".

Sam has really brought the Elizabethan theatre to life with this such iconic scene of the Tudor past. Everything about the place gives the visitor or audience a time machine to the 16th and 17th century theatre. 

As for the exhibit that they have on the same site as the theatre itself; it is a small but lively exhibit showing the life of Tudor England, the history of both the Globe and Shakespeare, as well as talking of the history of English acting and theatre. Along side this historic side of things you look at the painstaking work that went into researching and constructing the Globe that everyone knows and loves today. You have a choice to look around the exhibit on your own or have a tour of what you can see as well as within the Globe itself.

Lego Shakespeare meets the man who brought his Globe back to life, Sam Wanamaker.

The Globe uses its history to agian school audiences by teaching them about Shakespearean acting as well as fashion and history with their number of workshops they have to offer the interest young people in drama, history and of course Shakespeare. As we all know learning about him and his plays were not always a highlight of school if you are just reading his plays. So what the Globe is doing is making it interesting to those who may not like history or old literature. 

This is a great place to go if you're a fan of Shakespeare, Tudors and Elizabethan theatre then is worth a go and see of the exhibit and the theatre to see a play. 

Museum Ducks

Museum Ducks is a fellow museum blog on Twitter. If you are Quakers about museums and rubber ducks then join the photography fun. Then take a look... twitter.com/DucksMuseum

Museum Ducks Logo.

Museum Ducks uses the museum collectible duck to have adventures around museums. Sort of similar to Lego Museums in some respects. Using an object to travel around museums and galleries with taking photos.

These are just a selection of museum ducks that are used on the museum blog:

Caveman an old museum duck from the British Museum.

Egyptian from the British Museum.

Roman from the British Museum.

Viking from the British Museum.

William Shakespeare another old duck from the British Museum but now you can find in some libraries such as the Guildhall Library in London

Henry VIII from the Mary Rose Museum.