CRADLEY Village Players, like many drama and music groups, have been debating how best to celebrate this year’s big event - the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare.

Their answer isn’t to stage a single play but something a little more light-hearted. The Shakespeare Show will combine short extracts from the great man’s works with poems, stories and sketches by famous and not-so-famous modern authors who were inspired by his brilliance. There are also some songs - a few of them well known, others more surprising.

The show also reminds us of how Shakespeare has enlivened our language as well as our literature. "As Bernard Levin put in an article we quote,", says CVP’s David Robertson, "if you claim to be more sinned against than sinning, you’re quoting Shakespeare. The same is true if you recall your salad days, act more in sorrow than anger, refuse to budge an inch, play fast and loose, have too much of a good thing, have seen better days or lived in a fool’s paradise."

The show will be directed by Mary Fielding who was responsible for CVP’s hilarious production of Alan Bennett’s Habeas Corpus last Summer. It’s being staged in Cradley CofE Primary School from Thursday, June 2 to Saturday, June 4 at 7.30pm.

All tickets cost £5 and are available from the Cradley Butchery, online from Cradleyvillageplayers.com and on the door.