# The Play's the Thing - How Many of the Bard's Plays Have You Seen Live? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 3, 2018, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plays-the-thing-how-many-of-the-bards-plays-have-you-seen-live/813517 "2018-05-03T16:10:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2018, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plays-the-thing-how-many-of-the-bards-plays-have-you-seen-live/813517/1 "2018-05-03T16:10:15Z")
Not movies or on TV, but live in a theatre or a park? My list is: **Comedies** • The Tempest (Regina) • The Two Gentlemen of Verona (my first ever; nagged the parents to drive three hours to the Big City of Regina to see it; thanks, Mom and Dad!) • The Comedy of Errors (at the Young Vic) • Much Ado about Nothing (ahh, Beatrice, you witty girl! Regina) • Love’s Labours Lost (The Globe) • Midsummer Night’s Dream (Stratford Festival and also Moose Jaw) • Merchant of Venice (Stratford Festival, Globe) • As You Like It (Stratford) • Twelfth Night (Regina) • Winter’s Tale (New Haven and the Folger, Washington) **Histories** • Henry IV, Part 1 (New Haven, Stratford Featival) • Henry IV, Part 2 (Stratford Featival) • Henry V (Stratford Festival) • Henry VI, Parts 1, 2 and 3 (merged into two nights; Stratford Festival) • Richard III (Stratford Festival) **Tragedies** • Romeo and Juliet (Regina) • Timon of Athens (Stratford Festival) • Macbeth (Saskatoon, Stratford Festival) • Hamlet (Stratford Festival) So that’s 19 out of the 36 in the First Folio. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2018, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plays-the-thing-how-many-of-the-bards-plays-have-you-seen-live/813517/2 "2018-05-03T16:31:36Z")
I know I’ve forgotten some. These are what I can remember: Macbeth (Broadway) Richard II (London) Richard III (BAM) The following were all at Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte Theatre: Twelfth Night The Winter’s Tale All’s Well That Ends Well Measure For Measure As You Like It The Comedy of Errors Much Ado About Nothing King Lear The Tempest Cymbeline The Taming of the Shrew Troilus and Cressida Julius Caesar A Midsummer Night’s Dream ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2018, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plays-the-thing-how-many-of-the-bards-plays-have-you-seen-live/813517/3 "2018-05-03T16:40:31Z")
All of them except _King John_ and _2 Henry IV_ (ironically, since I wrote large chunks of my dissertation about the latter). Ooh, and it looks like Atlanta Shakespeare is doing _King John_ in June! Maybe I’ll be able to get the life list down to one… ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2018, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plays-the-thing-how-many-of-the-bards-plays-have-you-seen-live/813517/4 "2018-05-03T16:46:01Z")
_Romeo and Juliet_, by my daughter’s high school production. I’m sure I must have seen at least one other, but nothing comes to mind. (I’ve read a lot of them though, I’m not completely uncivilized) ---
**Author:** ![MoonMoon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonmoon/32/2959_2.png) [@MoonMoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MoonMoon)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2018, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plays-the-thing-how-many-of-the-bards-plays-have-you-seen-live/813517/5 "2018-05-03T17:01:46Z")
Let’s see… \*Romeo and Juliet Hamlet Macbeth Twelfth Night Taming of the Shrew Much Ado About Nothing Measure for Measure Midsummer Night’s Dream The Tempest \* ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2018, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plays-the-thing-how-many-of-the-bards-plays-have-you-seen-live/813517/6 "2018-05-03T17:17:37Z")
> [@Fretful\_Porpentine](#): > > All of them except _King John_ and _2 Henry IV_ (ironically, since I wrote large chunks of my dissertation about the latter). Are you fretful because the list is incomplete? Or is that just your normal hairstyle? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2018, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plays-the-thing-how-many-of-the-bards-plays-have-you-seen-live/813517/7 "2018-05-03T17:33:17Z")
The ones I recall, mostly performed by the National Shakespeare company: **Tragedy:** Othello, twice – once with Avery Brooks and once with Patrick Stewart as a white Othello with an otherwise black cast Macbeth **Comedy:** A terrific staging of A Midsummer’s Night Dream A Winter’s Tale The Merry Wives of Windsor A tedious Comedy of Errors that we didn’t stick around to see all of **History:** Richard II King John One part of the Henry IVs, I don’t remember which I feel like I’m leaving something out, but none of the other plays listed by other people are ringing any bells. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2018, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plays-the-thing-how-many-of-the-bards-plays-have-you-seen-live/813517/8 "2018-05-03T17:34:30Z")
I saw _The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)_ in London, so I’m pretty much done. 😉 I’ve seen a few in the original form: [ul] [li]Romeo And Juliet[/li][li]Macbeth[/li][li]A Midsummer Night’s Dream[/li][li]Hamlet[/li][li]The Taming of the Shrew[/li][li]King Lear[/li][/ul] Also _The Donkey Show_ which retells Midsummer Night’s Dream in disco format, and a few Shitfaced Shakespeare versions of the above list. ---
**Author:** ![mikecurtis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikecurtis/32/3284_2.png) [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2018, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plays-the-thing-how-many-of-the-bards-plays-have-you-seen-live/813517/9 "2018-05-03T17:43:05Z")
COMEDIES All’s Well That Ends Well As You Like It - 2x Comedy of Errors - 3x Love’s Labour’s Lost Merchant of Venice Midsummer Night’s Dream- 2x Much Ado about Nothing -2x Taming of the Shrew - 2x Tempest -2x Twelfth Night Two Gentlemen of Verona Winter’s Tale -2x (going to see Measure for Measure this summer at APT!) HISTORIES Henry IV, Part I Henry IV, Part II Henry V Pericles Richard II Richard III - 3x TRAGEDIES Coriolanus Cymbeline Hamlet - 3x King Lear Macbeth - 2x Othello Romeo and Juliet - 5x ( 3 plays, a ballet, and an opera) Titus Andronicus - 2x mc ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2018, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plays-the-thing-how-many-of-the-bards-plays-have-you-seen-live/813517/10 "2018-05-03T17:47:09Z")
Just the one: Antony and Cleopatra. But I did see it in The Globe in London…so that’s pretty cool. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2018, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plays-the-thing-how-many-of-the-bards-plays-have-you-seen-live/813517/11 "2018-05-03T17:58:12Z")
Technically, all of them (abridged). But for full plays: Hamlet King Lear As You Like it Twelfth Night Richard II If you count musicals, The Taming of the Shrew. The rest of my Shakespeare viewing was on TV or in movies. ---
**Author:** ![DooWahDiddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@DooWahDiddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DooWahDiddy)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2018, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plays-the-thing-how-many-of-the-bards-plays-have-you-seen-live/813517/12 "2018-05-03T18:04:40Z")
I saw _Romeo and Juliet_ at the Globe in London; I was a groundling and stood near the stage for the whole show. It was a long time ago but I remember it was in Portuguese; there were several acrobats, fire eaters, and other circus-y elements to it, and the balcony was a Volvo, I shit you not. When Juliet was standing on the roof of the car, she was up on the balcony. I also saw Ralph Fiennes in _Richard II_, but honestly it felt like that one would never end, especially after seeing that awesome production of _R&J_. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2018, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plays-the-thing-how-many-of-the-bards-plays-have-you-seen-live/813517/13 "2018-05-03T18:07:05Z")
I’ve only seen Macbeth Ive done Hamlet, Coriolanus, Winter’s Tale, As You Like It, and Cymbeline. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2018, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plays-the-thing-how-many-of-the-bards-plays-have-you-seen-live/813517/14 "2018-05-03T18:30:20Z")
I think I’ve only seen Love’s Labours Lost and A Midsummer Night’s Dream in the theatre (well, the former in the theatre, the latter in a park.) It’s possible I may be forgetting one or two, though. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2018, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plays-the-thing-how-many-of-the-bards-plays-have-you-seen-live/813517/15 "2018-05-03T19:10:18Z")
Hmm, let’s see \*\*Macbeth The Tempest\*\* (Multiple times, including the version at American Reperetory Theater directed by Teller of Penn and Teller) \*\*Two Gentlemen of Verona The Winter’s Tale The Taming of the Shrew The Merchant of Venice Henry IV Part I Anthony and Cleopatra \*\* Plenty of others, I’m sure (I was a member of a group that put on Shakespeare), but I’m blanking on them now. I’ve seen lots of others on film When she was about 10, our daughter MilliCal put on a version of _a Midsummer Night’s Dream_ using her dolls and toys on a miniature stage she made. I photocopied pages from my Classics Illustrated edition for her to use. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2018, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plays-the-thing-how-many-of-the-bards-plays-have-you-seen-live/813517/16 "2018-05-03T19:19:03Z")
Only Romeo and Juliet, Shitfaced version. Twice. Not sure how much that counts. ---
**Author:** ![DooWahDiddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@DooWahDiddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DooWahDiddy)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2018, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plays-the-thing-how-many-of-the-bards-plays-have-you-seen-live/813517/17 "2018-05-03T19:25:06Z")
> [@Filbert](#): > > Only Romeo and Juliet, Shitfaced version. Twice. > > Not sure how much that counts. It depends; are you talking about you or the actors? ---
**Author:** ![Twoflower](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/twoflower/32/22_2.png) [@Twoflower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Twoflower)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2018, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plays-the-thing-how-many-of-the-bards-plays-have-you-seen-live/813517/18 "2018-05-03T19:50:19Z")
So far: The Tempest The Merry Wives of Windsor Measure for Measure The Comedy of Errors Much Ado About Nothing A Midsummer Night’s Dream The Merchant of Venice As You Like It The Taming of the Shrew All’s Well That Ends Well Twelfth Night The Winter’s Tale Pericles, Prince of Tyre Richard II Henry IV, Part 1 Henry IV, Part 2 Henry V Richard III Romeo and Juliet Julius Caesar Hamlet King Lear Othello My recently adopted hometown of Ashland, Oregon is famed for its Shakespeare Festival. Now that I can walk to the theater, I hope to see all the rest of them over the next few years. ---
**Author:** ![Lasciel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@Lasciel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasciel)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2018, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plays-the-thing-how-many-of-the-bards-plays-have-you-seen-live/813517/19 "2018-05-03T20:27:57Z")
Does tech and house crew count, or are we talking paying audience only? ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2018, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plays-the-thing-how-many-of-the-bards-plays-have-you-seen-live/813517/20 "2018-05-03T20:45:01Z")
> [@Twoflower](#): > > My recently adopted hometown of Ashland, Oregon is famed for its Shakespeare Festival. I saw _Cymbeline, King Lear_, and _A Midsummer Night’s Dream_ at the OSF in 2013. I vaguely recall seeing a production of _Hamlet_ in high school, but I may be misremembering—I know we watched a couple different versions on film so that may be what I’m thinking of. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plays-the-thing-how-many-of-the-bards-plays-have-you-seen-live/813517.md?page=2)