Tag Archives: Old Vic

The Old Vic at 200

11 May 2018 is the 200th anniversary of the opening of one of the most important theatres in the UK, known as the Old Vic. It was originally named the Royal Coburg Theatre, after Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and his … Continue reading

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Women taking power in Shakespeare’s plays

2016 seems to have been characterised by women staging a takeover of traditional male roles, at least as far as Shakespeare is concerned. While planning this post I was hoping to be able to link this trend to the election of … Continue reading

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Shakespeare, theatre, and the Great War

Over the past few weeks we have been remembering the battle of the Somme that began on 1 July 1916 and continued for five long and bloody months. On the first day alone 19,240 men lost their lives. Even before … Continue reading

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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

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Kenneth Branagh’s Macbeth: an interpretation for our times?

Sir Kenneth Branagh’s “electrifying” and “immersive” production of Macbeth is the current hot Shakespeare ticket, playing for just a month in a disused church in Manchester that seats only 250 people. It’s ensured that Manchester’s International Festival has received worldwide … Continue reading

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Women in the theatre: what next after Julius Caesar?

Phyllida Lloyd’s all-female production of Julius Caesar has now opened to great reviews: here are two from the Guardian and the Observer. More information, including an image gallery, is available on the Donmar Warehouse’s website. The production has created quite … Continue reading

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Peter O’Toole’s Shakespeare

The actor Peter O’Toole has recently announced his retirement from stage and screen, shortly before his 80th birthday. His reason? “The heart for it has gone out of me: it won’t come back.” It occurred to me that it’s unusual … Continue reading

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