Arden of Faversham (Em–Lou Productions) @ The Rose Theatre Bankside
June 23, 2010
The programme for this year’s second Arden of Faversham, at the Rose in Bankside, advertises it as "England’s Oldest Tragic Comedy" (as opposed to tragicomedy, which of course the play is emphatically not). While tragic comedy sounds like something Bottom might put on, it’s not a bad description of a play which is unavoidably funny …
Me and Orson Welles
June 22, 2010
This film comes as something of a holiday having recently written a performance history of Julius Caesar for the RSC Shakespeare single edition. Telling the story of Orson Welles’s seminal production of the play at New York’s Mercury Theatre in 1937 from the point of view of the actor playing Lucius, it’s a lovely slice …
Women Beware Women (National) @ The Olivier, London
June 9, 2010
Following The Revenger’s Tragedy a couple of summers back, Middleton is back on the Olivier stage, this time in the guise of Women Beware Women. Not only is this my favourite play by my favourite writer, but it’s directed by the wonderful Marianne Elliott with a stellar cast. Expectations, then, were somewhat high. And yet, …
Henry VIII @ Shakespeare’s Globe
Since Dominic Dromgoole took over at Shakespeare’s Globe, the prioritisation of the "house dramatist" over all others has disappointingly extended to the exclusion of plays by his contemporaries from the repertory – a real shame, as this was one of the features that used to make the Globe such an important venue from an academic …
Antony and Cleopatra (RSC) @ The Courtyard Theatre
May 18, 2010
Writing about web page http://www.rsc.org.uk/whats-on/antony-and-cleopatra/ Michael Boyd’s Antony and Cleopatra follows interestingly from Lucy Bailey’s Julius Caesar, the resident ensemble’s last foray into the Roman histories. While the retention of Darrell D’Silva as Mark Antony may have initially suggested a continuity between the two productions, Boyd’s Antony was in many ways the polar opposite of …
Twelfth Night (National Theatre Primary Classics) @ Warwick Arts Centre
May 5, 2010
Writing about web page http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/39017/primary-classics/primary-classics.html The Primary Classics series is an important part of the National Theatre’s youth work. You can argue till you’re blue in the face about the politics of canon, the centrality of Shakespeare as a "necessary" component of primary education, and whether there aren’t a great many more worthwhile theatrical projects …
Macbeth @ Shakespeare’s Globe
May 2, 2010
Writing about web page http://www.shakespeares-globe.org/theatre/annualtheatreseason/macbeth/ Lucy Bailey’s recent outings at Shakespeare’s Globe have been some of the biggest highlights of the theatre’s annual season. Last year’s Timon of Athens, in particular, made amazing, innovatory use of the space to create a theatrical experience that was total and participatory, creating something theatrically effective over any sense …
Soliman and Perseda @ The Rose Theatre Bankside
Writing about web page http://www.solimanandperseda.com/ The Rose Theatre in Bankside is a very different enterprise to its big brother around the corner, Shakespeare’s Globe. Where the reconstructed Globe presents "living history", a modern reimagining of a Shakespearean theatre, the exposed archaeological remains of the Rose provide a very different kind of experience. In a low-roofed …
The Donmar King Lear
April 12, 2010
I genuinely don’t know how excited I am about this – Michael Grandage is directing Derek Jacobi in King Lear at the Donmar, opening in December. I’ve enjoyed the three Grandage productions I’ve seen, but they have all been rather safe, which is the same reaction I’ve had to Jacobi’s performances in the past. Still, …
Fiennes’ Coriolanus blog
April 8, 2010
Writing about web page http://30ninjas.com/blog/ralph-fiennes-coriolanus-blog-photos-from-the-set Following up a tip from Duncan, here’s a link to Ralph Fiennes’ Coriolanus blog. He’s playing the title role in a major new motion picture, so I’ll be following this with some interest.
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