To beat or not to beat? That’s the question in the newest hip hop interpretation of Shakespeare. ‘the bard in bars’ is a remix of beats, bars, and the violin. It’s a musical stage performance fusing the arguably greatest wordsmith ever with swagger.

Matt LeBlanc(As Joey Tribbiani): “I have to memorize a monologue from Shakespeare’s Richard The Third.

Drea de Matteo(As Gina Tribbiani): “Oh how’s that going?”

Matt LeBlanc(As Joey Tribbiani): “Bad.”

Understanding Shakespeare is foreign to Joey from ‘Friends’.

But if he watched ‘The Bard in Bars’, he would totally get it.

It’s all about spitting poetic fire.

Darius V. Daughtry, founder Art Prevails Project: “The bard in bars is a magical mashup of Shakespeare and hip-hop. I am a huge fan of both. I was inspired at an early age by both Shakespeare and hip-hop. I first read sonnet 18. Right? So that is, ‘shall i compare thee to a summer’s day’. Right. When I first started reading that I was like oh, Shakespeare’s got game.”

For two days, this captivating show will re-tell eight different Shakespearean plays.

Darius V. Daughtry: “In this play, you’ll see Macbeth and you know Lady M. But they are rapping and they’re telling their stories through these hip-hop songs. These songs are all played by 13 piece live ensemble of musicians with the with new canon chamber collective.”

Violins, drums, voices, and much more will take over Amaturo Theater at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts.

And the visuals on stage speak volumes of sonnets.

Darius V. Daughtry: “One of the amazing things about the show is the costuming. Because it is beautiful mixture of both hip-hop energy and Shakespearean, Elizabethan energy. So when you see this beautiful kind of melding of these two worlds come together in all phases. You’re going to be like, yo that’s dope.”

Because this high energy re-imagined performance will raise the curtains and the roof.

Darius V. Daughtry: “Every single person should come and watch it. But if you are a lover of hip hop you should come. If you are a lover of theater and Shakespeare you should come. If you’re a lover of something that’s new and exciting and different, you should come. But it’s a live show, it’s a fun show, it’s energetic and it reminds you of 11th grade English class.”

This theatrical fusion goes down July 25 and 26.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
‘The Bard in Bars’
Broward Center for the Performing Arts
July 25-26
Tickets

Copyright 2026 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Join our Newsletter for the latest news right to your inbox