What is the first thing that pops into your mind when someone says ‘Shakespeare’? Macbeth…Romeo and Juliet…Julius Caesar…the universal appeal of his works, or maybe some of the famous quotes, like; “to be, or not to be.” But what about “Ghostbusters”? More precisely, a Shakespearean version of “Ghostbusters”. Yes, you read that right! Thanks to writer and illustrator, Jordan Monsell, the world been has blessed with an ingenious Shakespeare and “Ghostbusters” mash-up we didn’t even realise that we needed.
About “Ministers of Grace”
Titled “Ministers of Grace: The Unauthorized Shakespearean Parody of Ghostbusters”, the play is a retelling of the tale of three parapsychologists and their Manhattan-based business of ghost-catching in “a smart, intelligently crafted, and wickedly funny mash-up joyride of Shakespeare, pop culture, and contemporary comedy”, so says Ellen Dostal of broadwayworld.com about Shakespeare in LA.
Monsell rewrote Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis’ original Ghostbusters script using iambic pentameter and other writing styles used in Renaissance prose. Published by Shadowcut Press, the play “fuses Ghostbusters and Shakespearean drama and interweaves lines and moments from across the Shakespeare canon with those from Ghostbusters (1984) to comic effect,” explained Sarah Waters of the Shakespeare Standard.
Dan Aykroyd, who co-wrote the original 1984 supernatural comedy, gave his nod of approval by providing a quote for the book: “Jordan Monsell has trance channelled the Bard in genuine, scholarly and hilarious to celebrate the Ghostbusters in a whole new, old way.”
"Ministers of Grace" is available for purchase on Amazon.
Other Shakespearean adaptations of Hollywood movies
In 2012, Commedia Beauregard Theatre created a Shakespearean adaptation of Quentin Tarantino's neo-noir crime film, Pulp Fiction. Named “Bard Fiction”, the play was developed by Ben Tallen, Aaron Greer, Brian Watson Jones in collaboration with the Pulp Bard Wiki.
"It bodes well for an evening of hilarity and budding comic genius… Tarantino is known for naturalism and street language in his productions – particularly “Pulp Fiction”.
Bard Fiction also brings in Tarantino’s deconstructed timeline with flashbacks and a present day ghost in a past time setting,” wrote K.D Hopkins of Chicago Theatre Beat.
Directed by Christopher O. Kidder, “Bard Fiction” was set in the 1600s where the main protagonists, Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield, carried daggers and broadswords instead of pistols and shotguns.
Moreover, in Feb 2017, American playwright David Mann created a mash-up of Shakespeare and Francis Ford Coppola’s blockbuster movie, “The Godfather.” Titled “Corleone: The Shakespearean Godfather,” Mann’s play used a blend of iambic pentameter and mob speak. Directed by Mindy Parfitt, the play was set in the 1940s and had an all-female cast.
