Tag Archives: Richard II

The Thames Jubilee Pageant: the royal throne of kings

The Jubilee weekend’s most spectacular event, the Thames pageant, was a bit of a victim of the English weather. The brand new Shard, the tallest building in Europe, disappeared into the mist as the weather worsened. Apparently nowhere in the UK … Continue reading

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Posted in Legacy, Plays and Poems | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Performance history and the critic: Michael Billington’s point of view

A week or so ago Michael Billington of the Guardian, the UK’s most respected theatre critic, and now on twitter @billicritic, wrote a piece about his job. He talked about the challenges of writing a piece that takes into account … Continue reading

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Posted in Shakespeare on Stage, Sources | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

The RSC’s golden years: Terry Hands and Alan Howard

What better way to end the RSC’s season of events celebrating the Company’s 50th anniversary than with a discussion between two people who for many epitomised the RSC during the 1970s and early 1980s? On Saturday morning Greg Doran hosted … Continue reading

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Posted in Plays and Poems, Shakespeare on Stage, Stratford-upon-Avon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Disorder, riot, and unweeded gardens

 Bill Bratton, the supercop who’s credited with successfully cutting gang crime in New York and Los Angeles, is going to be consulted by the UK prime minister about how to solve the issue of the recent riots in English cities. … Continue reading

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Shakespearian stars 1: Richard Burton as Henry V

This is the first in a series about actors and their greatest Shakespearian parts.  Henry V is a gift of a part for a young actor. It’s a varied role, particularly if  Henry IV Parts 1 and 2, which show … Continue reading

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Posted in Plays and Poems, Shakespeare on Stage, Stratford-upon-Avon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The ups and downs of power

No matter what your political affiliation, you have to feel a bit sorry for Nick Clegg. Only a year ago he was the darling of the electorate.  In the televised debates between the leaders of the three main parties before … Continue reading

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Posted in Legacy, Shakespeare's World | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Cuckoos, cuckolds, and the coming of spring

According to one website, Shakespeare “writes more about birds than any other poet”, with 606 mentions of 64 different species. He certainly names many species, and associates them with feelings, people or events.  The day before yesterday I heard my … Continue reading

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Posted in Shakespeare's World | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments