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Category Archives: Plays and Poems
Peter Brook: from enfant terrible to grand old man of the theatre
Nobody has been more influential in the world of the theatre in the last 70 years than Peter Brook. And at the age of 88, he’s still involved, setting out his ideas about why theatre is so important. Shakespeare has … Continue reading
Posted in Plays and Poems, Shakespeare on Stage
Tagged A Midsummer Night's Dream, Antony and Cleopatra, Hamlet, John Gielgud, Love's Labour's Lost, Marat-Sade, Measure for Measure, Peter Brook, Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest, Theatre of Cruelty
Comments Off on Peter Brook: from enfant terrible to grand old man of the theatre
Looking at Leontes: The Winter’s Tale in stitches at the RSC
Last week I wrote about the three costumes for Prospero in The Tempest which form part of the RSC’s exhibition of historic costumes, Into the Wild. Just opposite them stand three quite different costumes, for the character Leontes in The … Continue reading
Posted in Plays and Poems, Shakespeare on Stage, Stratford-upon-Avon
Tagged Antony Sher, costume, Greg Hicks, Into the Wild, Jeremy Irons, The Winter's Tale
Comments Off on Looking at Leontes: The Winter’s Tale in stitches at the RSC
Shakespeare, the BAFTAs, and screening theatre
On Sunday May 12 the award ceremony for the UK’s TV industry, the BAFTAs, is being held. Shakespeare interest is focused on The Hollow Crown, the four-part mini-series which screened during the summer of 2012. The series isn’t badly represented: Ben … Continue reading
Othello, Iago and the search for character
The National Theatre’s new production of Othello is beginning its previews this week. Starring Adrian Lester as Othello, the Henry V from a few years ago, and Rory Kinnear as Iago, who has recently played Hamlet, both at the National, … Continue reading
Posted in Plays and Poems, Shakespeare on Stage
Tagged Adrian Lester, character, Dan Donohue, National Theatre, Nicholas Hytner, Othello, Rory Kinnear, Simon Russell Beale
Comments Off on Othello, Iago and the search for character
Shakespeare’s Hamlet: productions for their own time
This week the actor Jonathan Slinger, who in the last 10 years has played many of Shakespeare’s leading roles including Richard III, Prospero and Macbeth, is taking on Hamlet at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. Any new production is always met … Continue reading
Shakespeare’s silly sheep: the royal connections
This week’s TV programme Countryfile was guest edited by the Prince of Wales, giving him the opportunity to explore issues about the countryside and farming that are close to his heart. The prince is also a great lover of Shakespeare, … Continue reading
Posted in Plays and Poems, Shakespeare's World
Tagged As You Like it, Countryfile, fleece, lamb, Prince Charles, royalty, sheep, The Winter's Tale
1 Comment
Richard III: the story continues
The story of the discovery of the skeleton of Richard III in Leicester is, you can tell, going to run and run. On Wednesday 27 February at 9pm the More4 TV Channel screens another documentary, Richard III: the Unseen Story. The earlier … Continue reading
Richard III: an update on the King in the car park
Last week’s revelations about the discovery of Richard III’s skeleton in a car park in Leicester has sparked off a flurry of articles about the real and fictitious monarch. Here are links to just a few of them. First of all, … Continue reading
Posted in Legacy, Plays and Poems, Sources
Tagged archaeology, burial, excavation, Ian McKellen, Michael Dobson, Richard III, Simon Russell Beale, Stephen Greenblatt, University of Leicester, York Minster
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Hilary Mantel and Shakespeare: two tales of Henry VIII
I’ve only just got round to reading Hilary Mantel’s 2009 novel Wolf Hall, the first of a trilogy (the third part still being written) about the life of Thomas Cromwell. Both Wolf Hall and its sequel Bring Up the Bodies … Continue reading
Posted in Legacy, Plays and Poems, Shakespeare's World, Sources
Tagged Bring up the Bodies, Henry VIII, Hilary Mantel, Man Booker prize, Thomas Cromwell, Wolf Hall, Wolsey
2 Comments
Was 2012 Shakespeare’s year?
2012 was the year of the World Shakespeare Festival, the biggest celebration of Shakespeare ever, when this early-modern writer was to be proclaimed a global superstar, as if he wasn’t already one of the most-recognised faces, and the most-performed playwright, … Continue reading