The Review (standard:horror, 1219 words)
Author: red1hols	Added: Apr 02 2004	Views/Reads: 3468/2312	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
The post in the forum made fit for human consumption.

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

I couldn't face handing her the victory. Instead, I said the first 
thing that came into my head. 

"We are writing a contemporary parody of Shakespeare, the inflexibility
of the Education System and unrequited love" My words struck her 
between the eyes like a well aimed half brick. 

Stunned into silence, she retreated from the room. The writers looked at
each other and realised the germ of an idea was born. 

With the idea came three of the four ten minute sketches. 

The first sketch was Romeo & Juliet meets Monty Python. The twist was
that it was Romeo on the balcony with Juliet in the bushes below. All 
kinds of mayhem went off behind them as they more or less followed the 
bard's words. 

The second sketch was Henry V giving his stirring speech to a bunch of
very reluctant soldiers. The soldiers talking over the speech making it 
very plain that they would rather be down the Bingo than filling 
breaches with dead bodies – especially their own. 

The third was Hamlet trying to teach an unruly class his version of
politics. Again, with a very deep nod towards the ‘Monty Python' team. 

With these three scripts distracting the director, actors and most
importantly the producer, we set to work on the fourth. With help from 
a Chemistry teacher, we wrote in secret, mostly down the pub. More 
effort went into that sketch than all of the others combined. We 
updated Twelfth Night to contemporary language and packed it with 
Innuendo and double meaning. For characters, Mr. Ireland was the love 
sick Duke and Mrs. Ireland as his cross-dressing aide. We were proud of 
the results, so much so that we had the actors rehearse it in secret 
and away from prying eyes. 

Come the night, the results went down very well. The audience, who had
spent a while in the bar beforehand, appreciated the first three 
sketches. We were feeling pretty pleased with ourselves. 

The fourth sketch brought the house down. What it lacked in subtlety, it
made up for in brazen parody. I watched Mr. & Mrs. Ireland from the 
wings. Mr. Ireland started to laugh, but was halted by a well aimed 
elbow from his wife. She stood there arms crossed, cheeks puffed out 
and slowly turning a very fetching shade of plum. 

The Headmaster declared the entire production a success. However, Mrs.
Ireland stated that she would not be repeating the experiment of using 
in-house writers. 

Afterwards, I realised that I enjoyed the experience. Just when the
enjoyment started is not clear. Whether it was the secrecy of preparing 
the script, the joy of hearing your audience laugh or the sight of Miss 
Ireland on the brink of an apocalyptical explosion, I really can't 
tell. 

However, I learned the pen is indeed mightier than the sword. By writing
that sketch, I felt an amazing air of wrongs righted. Somehow, my soul 
felt cleansed. Most of all, the idea that I could write something that 
made people laugh, gave me a real buzz. 

Oh, and the cute girl? I'm afraid she fell in with one of the ‘actors'.
In fact, all of the writers failed in their quest to quell their raging 
hormones. Such is life I suppose. No one remembers or honours the 
writer; they just praise the actor who is content to let other peoples 
words spill from their mouth. 


Tweet