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Shakespeare's Greatest Hits Retold by Bruce Coville , Volume I

By: Bruce Coville
Narrated by: Bruce Coville, Cynthia Bishop, the Full Cast Family
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Publisher's summary

There is no finer way to welcome young people (or adults!) to the pleasures of Shakespeare than with these four masterful retellings of the Bard's most beloved plays. Ranging from the pure magic of A Midsummer Night's Dream to the heartbreak of young love in Romeo and Juliet, featuring the spine-tingling tragedy of Macbeth (complete with ghost and witches) and culminating in the laugh-out-loud hijinks of Twelfth Night, this collection features clear, straightforward storytelling combined with the richness of some of Shakespeare's most beloved poetry, all brought to life by over two dozen brilliantly talented actors.
©1996, 1997, 1999, 2003 Bruce Coville (P)2003 Full Cast Audio
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Editorial reviews

These audio adaptations of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, and Twelfth Night make for worthwhile listening even when they fall short of their mark. The plays are transformed into narratives, but the judicious selection of key scenes and dialogue, combined with the full-cast performance, retains the flavor of the originals. Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet are both exceptionally well cast and played. Parts of Midsummer are overacted, and the voices in the character-packed Twelfth Night fail to distinguish themselves. Even with these weaknesses, this collection provides a nice introduction for children who might encounter one of these plays in a live production or in the classroom.

What listeners say about Shakespeare's Greatest Hits Retold by Bruce Coville , Volume I

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Newbie and disapointed

Narration is fine no complaints. That's what the three stars are for. Maybe I misunderstood the what I was getting, but not happy about the readers digest version of these great pieces, these are awful and so short.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful adaptations of Shakespeare for children

Bruce Coville does a wonderful job at adapting these four Shakespearean greats for children. You can get them as story/illustrated books as well, they are fantastic.

Two of the plays are told by one narrator, the other two use a full cast for characters. Both ways were fun, but the full cast definitely adds a lot of charm.

I watched a group of 11-14 year old kids listen to this version of "Twelfth Night" to familiarize them with the storyline in preparation for performing the play. I loved watching them laugh and really "get" the plot, humor & all of it. Twelfth Night is one of the "full cast" productions and it is really full of humor. Duke Orsino is so well played, whiny, silly love-sick voice and all.

I would definitely suggest this audio and/or the accompanying books as introductions to Shakespeare.

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2 people found this helpful