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Othello (Munchner Kammerspiele) @ The Royal Shakespeare Theatre

APRIL 29TH 2006 (backdated) “May be unsuitable for young children. Certain scenes contain strong language which some people may find offensive”. Not a disclaimer for this blog, but the one sent out prior to the arrival of the first of the international contributors to the Festival – Munchner Kammerspiele from Germany. This was emphatically NOT …

Sneak peek!

APRIL 27TH 2006 (backdated) There are advantages to going on conferences sometimes. While on a two-day conference on Thomas Kyd’s ‘The Spanish Tragedy’ (a very good play by the way, hoping someone mounts a production of it in the near future), we got the offer of seeing an open dress rehearsal of the Baxter Theatre …

Antony & Cleopatra (RSC) @ The Swan

APRIL 13TH 2006 (backdated) Whew. Well, as opposed to ‘Romeo and Juliet’, Doran’s ‘Antony & Cleopatra’ was a very traditional production, but very, very good. It says something that for its three hours length, I didn’t even notice that I was standing, the time just flew. Whereas the cast of ‘Romeo’ were dwarfed by their …

Seeing Shakespeare Solo; or, Famous People Sell Shows

APRIL 12TH 2006 (backdated) One problem with seeing fifty plays in one year is finding people to go with you! I’ve had to get organised very quickly, and I have tickets for performances as late as March 2007, and naturally most people don’t have the luxury of planning that far ahead. So, I’ve had to …

Romeo & Juliet @ The Royal Shakespeare Theatre

APRIL 11TH 2006 (backdated) I was always going to be excited about the first show of the Festival, but this promised to be particularly special. The director, Nancy Meckler, debuted with the RSC last year with ‘The Comedy Of Errors’, the funniest production of a Shakespeare play I had ever seen. Physical, fast and hysterical, …

The Grand Plan

APRIL 1ST 2006 (backdated) Welcome to The Bardathon, the running account of one student’s attempt to see every single production in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s mammoth Complete Works Festival! My name’s Pete, and the Festival is happening right in the middle of my two year part–time MA in English Literature, so I’m basing my dissertation …