Iambic pentameters can just about be made to work, with an extremely disciplined approach. But its tough, and it defeats actors who haven't been trained specifically to do this.

Shakespearian realism is poetic realism - rather the realism aimed at by method actors. the poetry has to be performed - and then the imagery and occasionally (if you're lucky) the meaning emerge.

If you piss about with this very demanding art form, you will only subtract from it.

this summer I saw an enormously talented group of american actors at the swan in stratford tackle love labours lost. in the production - parallels were drawn between the Beatles spititual quest with the Maharishi and the central triumvirate of characters forswearing of sex, and taking oath of celibacy.

It was an interesting conceit and it was performed with great energy, however the lines were often gabbled in the attempt to get on to the next bit of entertaining 'business'. Shakespeare is about the words:- their clarity, the imposed rhythm, the imagery which illustrates character and situation.

If you want to piss about with something using ridiculous accents - piss about with folksongs, where most of us are past caring about the fact that nobody the length and breadth of england communicates in such grotesque perversions of our language.