Andrew Woodall as Caesar. photo by Helen Maybanks It’s an accepted cliché that, whatever the prevailing political mood there is a Shakespeare play that adequately reflects, comments on or holds a mirror up to it. Like all the best clichés it has become so ingrained in the consciousness of theatregoers because it is largely true. […]
The Tempest @ The Royal Shakespeare Theatre
There’s no better way to kick the post-Christmas blues than an early January trip to the theatre, so this year we decided to go an extra step and head to Stratford upon Avon for a short break. Of course, when you’re in Stratford you’d be mad to miss a trip to the Royal Shakespeare Company […]
King Lear @ The Barbican Centre
Photo by Ellie Kurttz (c) RSC For many actors Lear is the ultimate role, hence the proliferation of productions that appear every year. In 2016 alone we’ve had Timothy West, Don Warrington and Michael Pennington all pop up in the role and Glenda Jackson is currently giving us a female perspective over at the Old […]
Love's Labours Lost/Much Ado About Nothing @ Chichester Festival Theatre
the company of Much Ado About Nothing There’s something special about seeing a Shakespeare play for the first time – so the chance to see two, on the same day and in linked productions couldn’t be missed. A couple of years ago the Royal Shakespeare Company paired Love’s Labours Lost with Much Ado About Nothing […]
Imogen @ Shakespeare's Globe
Photo: Tristram Kenton Cymbeline has long been regarded as perhaps the most challenging of Shakespeare’s “problem plays”, a hodge-podge of plots thrown together without any consistency of tone or style – it’s almost like a series of sketches more than a coherent play. It’s normally best presented as comedy or fairy tale, but this gritty […]
WATCH: The RSC present their trailer for Cymbeline
I was lucky enough to see the Royal Shakespeare Company‘s production of Cymbeline in Stratford back in May and, for a play that has always seemed troublesome, it made for incredibly engaging viewing in large part due to a stunning cast of performers and a fascinating setting. Check out the trailer here and then go see […]
The Two Gentlemen Of Verona @ New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth
The Two Gentlemen of Verona in it’s natural outdoor setting Shakespeare’s early plays are often problematic, with the bawdier comedies such as The Comedy of Errors the faults are hidden within some gloriously silly slapstick, but in The Two Gentlemen Of Verona (quite possibly the first play in Will’s canon) the flaws are writ large. […]
Macbeth @ Shakespeare's Globe
Like most of Shakespeare’s tragedies Macbeth works best when viewed on the strength of the relationships between its characters. Sure the blood and guts murders are ways to get bum on seats but even with a literal thunderstorm overhead foreshadowing the tumultuous effects of Macbeth’s actions it all boils down to a marriage made strong by the […]
A Midsummer Night’s Dream @ Shakespeare’s Globe
Anarchy! It’s not what you expect from a Shakespeare play… even one that has been performed in as many ways as A Midsummer Night’s Dream has been tackled.Emma Rice’s debut piece in her first season as Artistic Director for the Globe throws the rulebook right out of the window though with performers wearing head mics, […]
The Taming Of The Shrew @ Shakespeare’s Globe
Shakespeare’s Globe’s Wonder Season is in full swing on Bankside, with the theatre becoming more and more of a fantasy world. I have to confess that The Taming Of The Shrew would not have been one of the plays I’d have picked for such a whimsical programme, but this production has a magic of its […]