Teaching Shakespeare 3

by Stephanie Classen, The StarPhoenix

Dr. Keir is every English nerd's dream.

In Teaching Shakespeare 3, Keir Cutler reprises his role as the incompetent Shakespeare expert who has, in this latest installment, tumbled to the embarrassing level of substitute teacher.

The Montreal actor takes As You Like It and turns its subject matter into a wildly hilarious and gripping one-man play.
Assuming the role of a traditional Shakespearian hero, Cutler shifts from hopeless romantic to denial-ridden cynic, with a sense of timing so sharp it will glue you to your seat. While trying to dispel a rumour that he is having an affair with one of his students, Dr. Keir finds himself revealing too much and losing his composure.

Cutler is captivating with his wild, furrowed gaze, as he navigates a tight script that is pure comedy with a note of seriousness -- not to mention an ending that will give you chills.

This is Cutler's fourth appearance in Saskatoon and he has already established himself as one of the Fringe circuit's most entertaining and intriguing performers.

In the play, his Dr. Keir exclaims, "Shakespeare is for the intellectually elite." But this play is for Shakespeare lovers, haters or anyone who has ever sat through a lecture on the Elizabethan author.

© The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) 2006

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Timeless Tales With a Modern Twist in ShakespeaRe-Told

New York Times
By ALESSANDRA STANLEY
Published: August 4, 2006

A SCOTTISH chef carves up his boss, Duncan, king of the celebrity restaurateurs.

A cross-dressing aristocrat tames a shrew aiming to become the next Margaret Thatcher.

Beatrice and Benedick are bickering co-anchors on a local news broadcast, and Titania falls for Bottom in a tacky theme resort known as Dream Park.

There have been so many adaptations of Shakespeare that it would seem almost mathematically impossible to find a fresh approach. Yet the BBC series “ShakespeaRe-Told” manages just that. “Macbeth,” “The Taming of the Shrew,” “Much Ado About Nothing” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” have been reconfigured into contemporary tales that are deliciously far-fetched, yet faithful to the plays.