Acclaimed UK theatre company Forced Entertainment brings Table Top Shakespeare to the Sydney Opera House. The premise of the performances involves a narrator who retells one of Shakespeare’s plays using various items found around the home. Think of it as CliffsNotes with condiments.
The Studio space at the Sydney Opera House contains a rectangular table at its centre with shelves either side filled with various condiments and household items. As people find their seats a figure moves around the stage collecting items and placing them on plastic tubs either side of the table. Once the figure sits, the retelling begins.
First up in this double bill was The Merchant of Venice, perhaps one of Shakespeare’s most infamous and difficult plays. As the narrator skilfully entwines engaging storytelling with the bard’s original text, the numerous collected items are brought on to the table. The titular character Antonio is represented by a bottle of Grappa, an Italian digestif with a very high alcohol content, and often described as having a fiery taste. Given the merchants behaviour towards Shylock throughout the play, this seems an appropriate choice.
Indeed, what you soon come to notice is how intentional the narrators choices are. A dignitary from France is dijon mustard, an Italian is a can of tomatoes and an Englishman is a tiny jar of English mustard. When a character masquerades as the opposite sex, as often occurs in Shakespeare’s plays, the bottle was merely turned upside down. A simple but entirely effective visual ploy.
After a 20-minute interval, during which a new narrator took to the stage and began to collect their cast of characters, A Midsummer Night’s Dream began. There were arguably less original lines incorporated into the narrative and more commentary added than the first performance, which was surprising given the popularity of the play being presented.
Once again clever character choices were made, such as a large bottle of absinthe for Oberon, King of the Fairies and gin for Titania, Queen of the Fairies. One brings about hallucinations and odd behaviour while the other is created with juniper berries and is of the earth. Nick Bottom is a jar containing two paintbrushes and when he is transformed into a donkey, the brushes are flipped to show their bristles pointing out – a symbol of ears. Again, so simple, yet so effective.
The real beauty of Table Top Shakespeare lies in the details. The fact that you are able to observe the narrator selecting their props, the care with which characters are chosen, how these items are used, the pace with which the stories are told – even the fact that the storytellers are dressed in all black so as not to distract from the performance – everything is intentional.
Forced Entertainment essentially presents the beginner’s guide to Shakespeare in an accessible and unintimidating way. Thoroughly entertaining, you do not need to understand, or even know Shakespeare’s work to enjoy these performances. And while all that glisters may not be gold, Table Top Shakespeare just might be.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Table Top Shakespeare will perform at the Sydney Opera House until 27 September 2026.
For more information and to purchase tickets head to the Sydney Opera House website.
Reviewer attended on 24 September 2026.
Photos: Cassandra Hannagan
