Sonnet to sound: Where Shakespeare’s cadence meets hip-hop’s rhythm in South Florida
By Natu Tweh
May 7, 2026 at 2:51 PM EDT
"The Bard in Bars" is a production created by Darius V. Daughtry that reimagines Shakespeare's text through the rhythm and cadence of ... hip-hop. Backed by a live ensemble, it blends music and spoken word to make Shakespeare’s work feel more accessible, especially to younger audiences.
The show also includes dedicated matinee performances for students, giving them a chance to experience the Bard in a more familiar, engaging format.
Daughtry was exposed to hip-hop at an early age and just fell in love with the genre and the culture, and with writing as well. Around the same time, he was exposed to Shakespeare at a summer camp. The rhythms and content reminded him of hip-hop.
He was an English teacher for 10 years, and when he taught high school English, his students could not understand Shakespeare.
“ They're like, ‘This is the worst thing ever, why would we wanna do this?,’” he said. “ So I started playing around with the ideas of how to connect this for them, how to make this more relevant for them. And I started using hip-hop.”
The Bard in Bars attempts to break through to audiences not only through the music of hip-hop but also through language. At the time of their publishing, Shakespeare’s works used words and phrases that people used everyday.
READ MORE: From the Grove, For the Grove: A local playwright’s mission to revive neighborhood theater
However, those same words are antiquated by today’s standards and can hinder one’s understanding of the bard’s work.
“ My hope is also that for those who may not have a love for this kind of work, this is an entry point that can open up the avenue for them to relate to it,” he said.
The play’s original run started in Broward parks, and last year was the first time they had a full stage production at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts.
Twin sisters Isadelle and Yamille Mercedes have been performing since the first few park performances.
“ These are curated pieces that absolutely excel in storytelling, so the beauty of the Bard in Bars is that it takes Shakespeare, which can feel distant, which can feel antiquated … and honey, we make this thing about now,” Yamille said. “We make it for everyone.”
Isadelle loves that the heart of the stories remain even with the addition of hip-hop.
“ If you take something like Twelfth Night, which we're both in … We, in the span of a song, will take you through the entire journey from losing one another at sea to what happened while we were independent and on our own, to the point where we celebrate our reunion,” she said. “So I think it's fantastic that not only does the lyric and what he put down on paper capture it, the music takes it to another level, and then you add in a live orchestra? Oh my god.”
Daughtry hopes "The Bard in Bars" keeps reaching out to not only students and younger audiences, and people who aren’t too well-versed in hip-hop or Shakespeare.
He wants this production to be a beacon of theatrical experience for multicultural audiences, particularly for Black and Brown communities.
“ I think the more we're able to get people to, to see reflections of them through arts and cultural experiences, the better that we become as a community,” he said. “But also not only allow people to see reflections of them, but see more cross-sections of humanity.”
IF YOU GO
WHAT: The Bard in Bars
WHEN: Friday and Saturday, May 8-9 and May 15-16
WHERE: The African-American Research Library and Cultural Center (8-9) and The Historic Lyric Theater (15-16)
COST: Free, RSVP here
(2750x625, AR: 4.4)
The show also includes dedicated matinee performances for students, giving them a chance to experience the Bard in a more familiar, engaging format.
Daughtry was exposed to hip-hop at an early age and just fell in love with the genre and the culture, and with writing as well. Around the same time, he was exposed to Shakespeare at a summer camp. The rhythms and content reminded him of hip-hop.
He was an English teacher for 10 years, and when he taught high school English, his students could not understand Shakespeare.
“ They're like, ‘This is the worst thing ever, why would we wanna do this?,’” he said. “ So I started playing around with the ideas of how to connect this for them, how to make this more relevant for them. And I started using hip-hop.”
The Bard in Bars attempts to break through to audiences not only through the music of hip-hop but also through language. At the time of their publishing, Shakespeare’s works used words and phrases that people used everyday.
READ MORE: From the Grove, For the Grove: A local playwright’s mission to revive neighborhood theater
However, those same words are antiquated by today’s standards and can hinder one’s understanding of the bard’s work.
“ My hope is also that for those who may not have a love for this kind of work, this is an entry point that can open up the avenue for them to relate to it,” he said.
The play’s original run started in Broward parks, and last year was the first time they had a full stage production at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts.
Twin sisters Isadelle and Yamille Mercedes have been performing since the first few park performances.
“ These are curated pieces that absolutely excel in storytelling, so the beauty of the Bard in Bars is that it takes Shakespeare, which can feel distant, which can feel antiquated … and honey, we make this thing about now,” Yamille said. “We make it for everyone.”
Isadelle loves that the heart of the stories remain even with the addition of hip-hop.
“ If you take something like Twelfth Night, which we're both in … We, in the span of a song, will take you through the entire journey from losing one another at sea to what happened while we were independent and on our own, to the point where we celebrate our reunion,” she said. “So I think it's fantastic that not only does the lyric and what he put down on paper capture it, the music takes it to another level, and then you add in a live orchestra? Oh my god.”
Daughtry hopes "The Bard in Bars" keeps reaching out to not only students and younger audiences, and people who aren’t too well-versed in hip-hop or Shakespeare.
He wants this production to be a beacon of theatrical experience for multicultural audiences, particularly for Black and Brown communities.
“ I think the more we're able to get people to, to see reflections of them through arts and cultural experiences, the better that we become as a community,” he said. “But also not only allow people to see reflections of them, but see more cross-sections of humanity.”
IF YOU GO
WHAT: The Bard in Bars
WHEN: Friday and Saturday, May 8-9 and May 15-16
WHERE: The African-American Research Library and Cultural Center (8-9) and The Historic Lyric Theater (15-16)
COST: Free, RSVP here
(2750x625, AR: 4.4)