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Author Archives: Sylvia Morris
Ian Richardson and Richard II’s ring
On Friday morning BBC Radio 4’s Today programme included a feature about theatre history relating to David Tennant’s current role as Richard II. On the press night Tennant received a package from Ian Richardson’s widow Maroussia Frank containing the ring … Continue reading
Visualising Shakespeare’s London
Most of the London that Shakespeare knew disappeared in the Great Fire of London in 1666. As the city was rebuilt the original street pattern was re-established, and today we still find places with medieval names: Cheapside, Newgate, Bishopsgate and … Continue reading
Posted in Shakespeare's World
Tagged De Montfort University, Great Fire of London, John Donne, John Stow, North Carolina State University, St Paul's, Survey of London, visualisation
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Shakespeare’s crows and hateful ravens
When Shakespeare wanted to conjure up a sense of foreboding he often used the image of the birds of the crow family: crows, magpies, ravens and rooks. Lady Macbeth chillingly predicts the King’s murder: The raven himself is hoarse That … Continue reading
Posted in Legacy
Tagged crows, Hallowe''en, Hamlet, illustration, Jemima Blackburn, Macbeth, Robert Greene
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“Far more fair than black”: Cleopatra, Othello and blacks in Renaissance England
The Royal Shakespeare Company’s new production of Antony and Cleopatra will, for the first time in its history, feature a black actress, Joaquina Kalukango, as Cleopatra. It’s a co-production between the RSC, the Public Theatre, New York and Gablestage, Miami, … Continue reading
Posted in Shakespeare on Stage, Shakespeare's World
Tagged Antony and Cleopatra, Carol Rutter, Miranda Kaufman, Othello, race, Tony Howard
5 Comments
Elizabeth 1 and her people in portrait and performance
The new exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, Elizabeth I and her people, puts on display a glorious collection of portraits of Elizabethans, supported by objects, manuscripts and books that provide some background to the world in which these people … Continue reading
Posted in Shakespeare's World
Tagged A Midsummer Night's Dream, David Walliams, Elizabeth 1 and her People, National Portrait Gallery
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Richard II at the RSC
The RSC’s Richard II is onstage at last, and I’ve got to one of the performances. I’ve seen quite a few past productions of the play onstage, some extremely memorable. Like Hamlet, it’s often judged by its central performance, but … Continue reading
Posted in Plays and Poems, Shakespeare on Stage
Tagged Alan Howard, Jeremy Irons, John Heffernan, National Theatre, Richard II, Sam West, Tobacco Factory
6 Comments
Elizabeth 1 and her people
Our fascination with the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods shows no sign of abating. Lives of the monarch and courtiers have always been recorded but in recent years it’s apparent that there is much evidence for the lives of ordinary citizens … Continue reading
Posted in Legacy, Shakespeare's World, Stratford-upon-Avon
Tagged Charivari Agreable, Mountjoy, Museum of London, National Portrait Gallery, Queen Elizabeth, sonnet, Stratford on Avon Music Festival
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Shakespeare and the National Theatre
On 15 October it was announced that Rufus Norris was to be appointed to the most important job in UK theatre, as Artistic Director of the National Theatre, taking over in April 2015. Then next week, on 22nd October the … Continue reading
Posted in Legacy, Shakespeare on Stage
Tagged Daniel Rosenthal, David Warner, Gregory Doran, Hamlet, National Theatre, Old Vic, Peter Hall, Peter O'Toole, Rufus Norris
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Screening Shakespeare: to adapt or not to adapt?
Last week, the Stratford Shakespeare Club’s monthly lecture was given by Daniel Rosenthal, the author of Shakespeare on Screen and the BFI Screen Guide 100 Shakespeare Films. In her foreword to the latter book the director of Titus, Julie Taymor, claims that “Shakespeare is … Continue reading
Posted in Legacy
Tagged adaptation, Baz Lurhmann, Daniel Rosenthal, film, Julian Fellowes, Julie Taymor, screen, Shakespeare Club, Shakespeare Film Festival
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An obscure grave: did Shakespeare write the memorial verses at Tong?
A couple of years ago I wrote a piece about the two epitaphs inscribed at the ends of a tomb in the church in the village of Tong, Shropshire. I was intrigued by them, and by the tradition that the … Continue reading
Posted in Shakespeare's World
Tagged Earl of Rutland, Epitaphs, grave, Helen Moorwood, inscription, John Combe, John Weever, monument, Shropshire, Sir Edward Stanley, Sir Thomas Stanley, Sir William Dugdale, Tong
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