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Love’s Labour’s Lost Tickets

Love and desire and reality versus fantasy are all put under scrutiny in this witty Shakespeare's play.

Performance dates

12th December to 18th March 2017

Run time 2 hours 30 minutes including 1 interval

Includes interval

Top Rated Show

Reviewers highly rate this show

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Love's Labour's Lost is one of Shakespeare's earliest plays. It was published in 1598 and is assumed to be written between 1594 and 1595, included in Shakespeare's First Folio. Love and desire and reality versus fantasy are its central themes. It is famous for its use of rhetoric and witty exchanges.

The story follows the King of Navarre and his three companions in their trying to give up on the company of women for three years. Instead, they aim to study and fast. However, their plans go astray as Princess of Aquitaine and her ladies cross their paths... 

Not being a typical comedy, Love's Labour's Lost does not end with a marriage as usual for other Shakespeare's comedies. Play within the play also goes on, as the characters themselves comment on the ending of the play being not happy, hence the famous: "Our wooing doth not end like an old play/ Jack hath not Jill: these ladies' courtesy/ Might well have made our sport a comedy" (V.ii.867-9)

Recent Reviews

4.6
25 reviews
Margerat Russell

Excellent production. Great play. Beautiful theatre. Extremely helpful staff.

Rudolph Canepa-Anson

Disappointing overall, though quite fun at times. But Shakespeare's blank verse was laboured, rushed and not very clearly annunciated by many characters, so hard to follow. Usually when the RSC or NT do Shakespeare the words are so well spoken that within 5-10 minutes you cease to be aware the characters are speaking in blank verse. I wouldn't recommend it. Hope for better when we go to Much ado about nothing.

Samantha Lukan

We really enjoyed the play. It was very funny and well produced.

kenneth johnston

Excellent silly word-comedy for 90%, and then over-the-top great with shift in last minutes to World War I motif. Made sense of the Edwardian decor in a second!

ES

Wonderful production and beautiful music. Very moving

William Southgate

Fantastic production, really well done and entertaining.

Helena

It has everything you want in a (Shakespeare) play; love, death, comedy, confused identities, pomp, etc. The RSC was superb!

Sarah Curtis

A very slick production. Brilliant sets

Carolyn

Amusing production, if a bit Gilbert and Sullivan!

Chris

The story line was confusing. The actors did their parts well. But the director seems to have taken license with the original tale and made it into something almost unrecognizable. If you want to see Shakesphere, this may not be for you.

Colin Berry

A clear, well-spoken, attractively staged production of a less-well known play - really brought to life

Vibeke

Perfection! A great performance in all respects. Had not expected to enjoy it half as much.

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