The Bard’s Bus Tour is making one final voyage around Ontario this summer with Jeremy Smith and Steven Gallagher’s Living with Shakespeare. This entrancing look at Smith’s relationship with the works of the Bard is a fitting way to end the legacy of Driftwood’s travelling summer shows. Full of song, memories, and fun, Living with Shakespeare is a delight for Shakespeare enthusiasts and newcomers alike.

Jeremy Smith is the founder of Driftwood Theatre Group, and in Living with Shakespeare he details everything from his fascination with storytelling as a youngster, to starting the company partway through his acting degree, to the struggles he’s had to keep this dream alive. All the while he questions the spectre that is Shakespeare; the author whom Smith at one point avoided, but grew to love and appreciate in his own way. Smith and Gallagher deftly incorporate songs and quotations from Shakespeare’s most famous plays to emphasize his real-world experiences. It creates a compelling story that makes the eighty minutes just fly by.

Smith gives an emotional and vulnerable performance; while he talks about his triumphs and jokes about the shenanigans that took place on tour, he also never shies away from the moments that were difficult or where it seemed like the company couldn’t go on. That honesty is refreshing while also making room for a great deal of humour. Accompanying Smith on stage is Tom Lillington who plays the score for the production. I loved how the music is used as both accompaniment and as a sort of conversation between the two performers. Their chemistry shows the length of their friendship and gives the performance its unmistakeable vibrancy.

Having discovered Shakespeare’s works at the young age of nine, I could wholeheartedly relate to Smith’s journey of discovery and re-discovery of Shakespeare’s plays throughout his life. I’m also able to deeply relate to Smith’s stories of travelling Shakespeare throughout Ontario in the summer; I was part of an all-female Henry V back in 2018 and we toured through several cities as far away as Kingston and Ottawa. However, it’s Smith’s unique experiences which carry this story, and make it the unforgettable experience he and Gallagher have created.

You won’t want to miss the final ride of The Bard’s Bus Tour and Living with Shakespeare. There’s one show left here in Toronto on August 24th, and then the production moves to Burlington for its last stop on August 25th. I highly recommend renting a chair, especially if you’re taking public transit; the lovely folks at Driftwood really have thought of everything! For more information and tickets, visit: https://www.driftwoodtheatre.com/see/bardsbustour/

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Cover photo of Jeremy Smith by Dahlia Katz