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Category Archives: Shakespeare on Stage
So how should Shakespeare really sound?
The biggest perceived challenge to anyone getting to grips with Shakespeare for the first time is probably making sense of the language. All the old-fashioned words, the use of “thee” and “thou”, the poetic constructions, the grammar itself. Yet reading … Continue reading
Posted in Shakespeare on Stage
Tagged Ben Crystal, David Crystal, John Barton, original pronunciation, Playing Shakespeare, Royal Shakespeare Company, Shakespeare's Globe, Word of Mouth
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Presenting Shakespeare’s Venice on stage
The RSC recently announced its Summer 2015 season, beginning in March. They’ll be focusing on the Italian city Venice, with three plays that are fully or partly set there: The Merchant of Venice, Othello, and Ben Jonson’s Volpone. It’s sure … Continue reading
Posted in Shakespeare on Stage, Shakespeare's World
Tagged Ben Jonson, British Museum, Othello, The Merchant of Venice, Venice, Volpone
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Cross-gender casting for Hamlet and Henry IV
Gender issues in the performance of Shakespeare’s plays are being discussed in the press again with Maxine Peake playing Hamlet in a production at the Manchester Royal Exchange. Here is the review from the Observer by Susannah Clapp, and that … Continue reading
Posted in Shakespeare on Stage
Tagged Donmar Warehouse, gender, Hamlet, Harriet Walter, Henry IV Part 1, Manchester Royal Exchange, Maxine Peake
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The Secret Life of Shakespeare’s First Folio
Shakespeare’s First Folio is back in the news again, with a documentary presented by actor Simon Russell Beale having been broadcast on 9 September. It’s part of the series The Secret Life of Books, a fascinating look at the process of creative … Continue reading
Two Shakespeareans remembered: Donald Sinden and Jeffery Dench
I was sorry to hear of the death on 11 September 2014 of Donald Sinden, like Jeffery Dench who died in March an actor who had made a considerable contribution to productions of Shakespeare’s plays in Stratford-upon-Avon. Both men will … Continue reading
Posted in Shakespeare on Stage, Stratford-upon-Avon
Tagged Donald Sinden, English Serenata, Jeffery Dench
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If music be the food of love, play on! Music Notes at the RSC
Music and theatre have always been closely associated. You might not always be aware of it when you visit a theatre, but it is often created live by a team of largely unseen musicians. The RSC, after its formation, insisted … Continue reading
Posted in Legacy, Shakespeare on Stage
Tagged blog, music, Music Notes, Richard Sandland, Royal Shakespeare Company
1 Comment
Thomas Platter’s visit to Shakespeare’s theatre
On 21 September 1599 a Swiss tourist, Thomas Platter, visiting London, went to the newly-opened Globe Theatre to see a play. As it happened, he saw Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. The occasion made quite an impression on him, so much so … Continue reading
Posted in Shakespeare on Stage, Shakespeare's World
Tagged audience, Globe Theatre, Listening to the Audience, Shakespeare's Globe, Thomas Platter
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Shakespeare’s mothers and sons
For Shakespeare’s towards the end of his life, early September must have been a sad time, not just because it signalled the end of summer. Both parents died at this time of year: his father was buried on 8 September 1601, and … Continue reading
Posted in Legacy, Shakespeare on Stage, Shakespeare's World
Tagged Arden, Hamnet Shakespeare, King John, mothers, The Winter's Tale, Wilmcote
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The Two Gentlemen of Verona meet Shakespeare in Love
On 3 September 2014 the RSC’s production of The Two Gentlemen of Verona is to be broadcast Live from Stratford-upon-Avon to cinemas. I’ve written before about the way this enables people who would never have the chance to see plays … Continue reading
Posted in Legacy, Shakespeare on Stage
Tagged love, Shakespeare in Love, The Two Gentlemen of Verona
2 Comments
Mary Anderson, an American actress abroad
On the 29th August 1885 a special performance took place at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre. The famous Mary Anderson and her Company staged As You Like It as a Benefit for the Shakespeare Memorial Fund. Although her name is now … Continue reading
Posted in Shakespeare on Stage, Stratford-upon-Avon
Tagged 1916, American, As You Like it, Johnston Forbes-Robertson, Macbeth, Mary Anderson, Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, terracotta, The Winter's Tale, USA
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