Peter Kirwan
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‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore (Cheek by Jowl) @ Warwick Arts Centre
February 5, 2012
Writing about web page http://www.cheekbyjowl.com/tis_pity_shes_a_whore.php Cheek by Jowl have revolutionised my understanding of early modern dramatists time and again – Shakespeare with its Twelfth Night, Middleton with its The Changeling, and now John Ford with a stunning new ‘Tis Pity. This was my third production of the play following an excellent student version at Warwick …
The Winter’s Tale (Propeller) @ Sheffield Lyceum
February 2, 2012
Writing about web page http://propeller.org.uk/current-productions/henry-v-and-the-winters-tale Edward Hall’s company Propeller has always been playful. Whether entertaining audiences in foyers, offering grand guignol torture scenes or turning Portia into a drag queen, the company has delighted in its own performativity. In doing so, their shows tread a fine line between the parodic and the emotive. While elements …
Coriolanus @ The Broadway Cinema, Nottingham
January 22, 2012
The best thing about the poster for Ralph Fiennes’s new film of Coriolanus (and his directorial debut) is the contrast between the streams of red blood and those ice-cold eyes. In a single image we see the entire film – a steady, chilling gaze framed by horrific images and the messy reality of war. For …
The Duchess of Malfi (Blood and Thunder) @ Hall’s Croft, Stratford–upon–Avon (archive video)
January 9, 2012
Writing about web page http://bloodandthundertheatre.org.uk/ I’m beginning the year with a binge of EM drama film recordings, including Greenwich Theatre’s Volpone, Kozintsev’s Hamlet, Taymor’s Tempest, Doran’s Winter’s Tale and Fiennes’s Coriolanus, one or two of which I may review here. One pleasure of this quiet patch is the chance to finally catch up with a …
2011 round up
December 31, 2011
It’s been a transitional year for The Bardathon. In August, I submitted my PhD at the University of Warwick (our kind host here), and two weeks later I began a new job at the University of Nottingham. These two changes have impacted significantly on my ability to get to the theatre this year, which means …
The Changeling (Shakespeare Institute Players) @ The Shakespeare Institute, Stratford–upon–Avon
November 27, 2011
Writing about web page http://www.shakespeareinstituteplayers.co.uk/ The poster for the new production by the Shakespeare Institute Players advertised “The Changeling by Thomas Middleton”. Beneath, in much smaller letters, came the almost apologetic “and William Rowley”. It’s an interesting reminder of the hierarchies that persist in the presentation of collaborative work, even when Shakespeare isn’t involved. It …
Macbeth @ The New Theatre, Nottingham
Just a quick note, for completeness’ sake, to say that I made it to the Nottingham New Theatre’s production of Macbeth last week. I don’t review shows that feature students who I do or will teach, but great to see the country’s only completely student-run theatre in action, and an interesting idea to set it …
Cardenio (Read Not Dead) @ Shakespeare’s Globe
November 22, 2011
We’ve been spoiled for productions and readings of versions of Cardenio/Double Falsehood over the last two years. We’ve had the RSC’s version, two at the Union Theatre, a full production in New York and readings at Nottingham and Warwick. Older but also younger than all of these is Gary Taylor’s "reconstruction" (as opposed to the …
Much Ado About Nothing (Mappa Mundi/Theatr Mwldan) @ Lakeside Arts Centre
November 10, 2011
Writing about web page http://www.mappa-mundi.org.uk/current-shows Expectations were set high by Welsh company Mappa Mundi’s self-description of its work: "gloriously irreverent, populist and accessible." A fun-loving Much Ado is always to be welcomed, and the setting – Britain between the wars, a culture where women have been taking on traditional men’s roles – offered an interesting …
Anonymous
November 6, 2011
Writing about web page http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/knowledge/culture/anonymous/ This is a reprint of my article "Much Ado about Anonymous", written for the University of Warwick Knowledge Centre and published here. Shakespeare scholars have been outraged about Roland Emmerich’s new film since filming first began. Anonymous tells the story of Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford (Rhys Ifans), who …
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