When a big-name Hollywood celebrity returns to the stage, it's always a risk. Jude Law has taken the biggest risk by playing Shakespeare's most complex and multi-faceted character, Hamlet.

Well, it seems that Jude Law's risk has paid off with the production becoming an official Broadway hit. Last week, it was revealed that his $2.5 million production of Hamlet is in profit after less than a three-month run at the Broadhurst Theater in New York.

I think that high-profile productions like this are important because they connect with new audiences like never before. Already, Jude Law has attracted hundreds of young audience members and exposed them to Shakespeare for the first time.

Also, it's heart-warming to see Shakespeare become a huge commercial success on Broadway.

The production runs until 6 December 2009 - Have you seen it? Do you rate Jude Law's Hamlet? Share your reviews here for other theater goers.

Photo © Andrew H. Walker / Getty Images

Last week, the UK government barred state schools from offering a new IGCSE qualification because it would allow students to opt out of studying Shakespeare.

I think that the very idea that an entire generation of students could leave school without being exposed to Shakespeare at all is terrifying. The study of Shakespeare forges a link with our culture, our history, our heritage and our language - factors that will give the adults of tomorrow a solid grounding in life.

The importance of Shakespeare in our schools was expressed perfectly by Jacqui O'Hanlon, director of education at the Royal Shakespeare Company, in her letter to the Guardian this weekend:

There is a reason why Shakespeare is the only compulsory writer on the secondary English curriculum ... we know that when students engage actively with the plays, when they are up on their feet saying the words and making choices about character motivation and setting, they are also exploring living dilemmas about democracy, leadership, family loyalty, love and power. They increase their confidence, self-esteem and communication skills in the process.

Can we really study the English language without Shakespeare? I think not because his writing provides the essential context to our modern language and his influence pervades our every word.

Let's keep our children exposed to Shakespeare.

Photo © NYPL Digital Gallery

Should the tourist industry fund repairs to Holy Trinity Church? This building has been the subject of my blog for some weeks now and finally the tourist industry has taken a proactive step in the right direction.

A group of 34 travel agents from the US have donated $200 towards the vital repair work needed to keep Shakespeare's final resting place open to the public. The money was originally raised by the Anne Hudgins Shakespeare Class.

Of course, many other tourists have already donated to the church by paying the small fee to see the Bard's grave when touring Shakespeare's Stratford.

Like it or not, it seems that a large proportion of the bill will be picked up by the tourist industry in one way or another.

If you would like to save Shakespeare's final resting place, then donations can be made online to The Friends of Shakespeare's Church. Simply visit www.shakespeareschurch.org.

I was appalled to learn that a company of Shakespeare actors was jeered off stage by drunks during an open air performance of The Two Gentlemen of Verona in Tunbridge Wells, UK.

The Pantiles Players has been performing Shakespeare on a local bandstand since World War Two, but have now decided to cancel the project following a barrage of abuse from drunks at a nearby pub. The actors have finally had enough of being jeered at by idiots saying that they "look gay" in their Shakespearean costume.

The free community performances have been disrupted since England introduced a smoking ban in public places, forcing smokers at the nearby pub out onto the street of Tunbridge Wells.

I know that Shakespeare isn't for everyone, but where's the community spirit? Although I can't vouch for the quality of the performance, I suspect that this reaction to Shakespeare is more common than we'd like to think. I've sat a few times in theaters with restless idiots behind me ruining the performance.

At the risk of opening a can of worms, I'd like to hear about your Shakespeare horror stories. Has the utter disrespect or a sad lack of interest on someone else's part ever ruined a Shakespeare performance for you?