The Revenger’s Tragedy @ The National Theatre
June 4, 2008
The 2008 Middleton Renaissance is underway with two new productions of The Revenger’s Tragedy opening simultaneously at opposite ends of the country. The professional critics saw the Manchester production first, but I’m working the other way round, last night catching the National’s new interpretation. The National went to great lengths to emphasise and jazz up Middleton’s …
King Lear @ Shakespeare’s Globe
June 2, 2008
Putting on a tragedy at the Globe is a substantial challenge. The space, open to the elements and with much of the audience standing only feet away from the actors, invites laughter and participation rather than sober reflection or sadness. It is testament to the strengths of Artistic Director Dominic Dromgoole and his team, then, …
Troilus and Cressida (Cheek by Jowl) @ The Barbican
Cheek by Jowl’s new English-language production, Troilus and Cressida, seems to be one of those that is already polarising people. In just the day and a half since I saw it I’ve already heard from people who loved it and others who loathed it, and the reviews ranged from Michael Billington’s 4-star praise in the …
The Taming of the Shrew (RSC) @ The Courtyard Theatre
May 28, 2008
Irish director Conall Morrison made waves in Stratford last year with his violently explicit production of Macbeth, a flawed but compelling show that demonstrated his fascination with sexual abuse and the blurring of lines between dark comedy and outrage. It is little surprise, then, that this uncompromising director has been invited back to Stratford to …
More on Romeo
May 6, 2008
I sincerely don’t imagine readers of this blog would actually WANT to read another review by me of Northern Broadsides’ Romeo and Juliet, but in case you want the complete set, follow the link! Shakespeare Revue is a useful site that I do recommend checking out. I find it most useful for finding out about obscure productions in …
Hamlet (SATTF) @ The Tobacco Factory
April 27, 2008
With only a short night’s sleep, and barely recovered from Black Watch, it was an early start for the Bristol train to catch Jonathan Miller’s new production of Hamlet for the Tobacco Factory. I should thank Carol Rutter here for managing to secure me a couple of tickets to a production that has sold out …
Romeo and Juliet (Northern Broadsides) @ Liverpool Playhouse
April 13, 2008
Perhaps the biggest problem with Romeo and Juliet is that it is so familiar to us. It seems to have formed most people’s introduction to Shakespeare in schools, contains some of the best-known and most-quoted lines in Shakespeare and, of course, was the basis for the most successful (and pervasive) Shakespearean film of recent times, …
The Merchant of Venice (RSC) @ The Courtyard Theatre
April 11, 2008
The Merchant of Venice has long been one of my favourite Shakespeare plays. I love the fact that the play can so easily and excitingly be used to confront so many issues: anti-Semitism, homosexuality, gender oppression, racism, child abuse and more have all been dealt with in productions I’ve seen. It’s also one of the very …
I’ll be the Devil (RSC) @ the Tricycle Theatre
March 9, 2008
I’m still due to write something less ‘highlighty’ about the Histories, but time has overtaken me. Yesterday, I made my first trip of the new year down to London for I’ll be the Devil, a new RSC commission by Leo Butler. I reviewed the original rehearsed reading of the production back in November 2006, when …
Richard III (RSC) @ The Courtyard Theatre: Highlights
March 4, 2008
The big finish! And, if I’m truly honest, it was a slightly disappointing end to the week. Not because of the company, who kept up the energy right to the end, but for two reasons. Firstly, Richard III is a play dominated by one performance. The wonderful thing about the Histories ensemble is that there …
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