Hamlet (Baxter) @ The Swan Theatre
July 24, 2006
MAY 1ST 2006 (backdated) And now for the full-on performance! My seat wasn’t as good as it was for the dress rehearsal, but no matter, the production was just as it had been two days ago- excellent. The problem with seeing any production twice in a short space of time is, of course, over-familiarity. This …
Henry IV Part 1 & 2 (Chicago Shakespeare Theater) @ The Swan Theatre
July 13, 2006
The first of the American companies, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, have been performing these two plays in tandem all week, and I thought I’d take the opportunity to see them both in one day- Part I in the afternoon, part II in the evening. I was quite interested to see how an international company would treat …
A quiet moment of reflection
July 2, 2006
It’s the summer holidays! And there’s a bit of a gap until my next plays, so thought I’d do a quick summary of what’s been going on so far. In descending order, these are the plays I’ve enjoyed the most: ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ by Dash Arts ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ by the RSC ‘Twelfth …
Free tickets!
June 27, 2006
JUNE 27TH 2006 (backdated) One of the big excitements this year is the opening of a new theatre in Stratford, the Courtyard. This is going to replace the main house for a couple of years while they refurbish it, and should be a pretty exciting venue, with thrust stage and an intimate feel in a …
Titus Andronicus (Ninagawa Company) @ The Royal Shakespeare Theatre
June 24, 2006
Yukio Ninagawa is a very famous director, though I should admit I’d never actually heard of him! He’s Japanese, directed ‘King Lear’ for the RSC a few years back and is currently putting on Japanese interpretations of every single Shakespeare play in turn. It seems obvious, then, that he should be contributing to the Complete …
News update
June 20, 2006
Having a few days off, so thought I’d update with a couple of things I’ve found out. Trevor Nunn and Ian McKellen are going to be doing a production of Chekov’s ‘The Seagull’ alongside their ‘King Lear’ at the close of the Festival, so that’s something to look forward to. A bit sad though, as …
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Dash Arts) @ The Swan Theatre
June 13, 2006
You know when I said a few days ago that I was trying to avoid using superlatives? Well, forget that. This was the BEST BEST BEST thing I’ve EVER seen on stage! Firstly, it was by no means difficult to follow. Some characters never spoke a word of English, but the actors were so clear …
A Marvellous Convenient Place For Our Rehearsal @ Cox’s Yard
June 12, 2006
Another ‘Slants On Shakespeare’ event, with Duska again (I won’t post that huge picture again). This time, director of the Dash Arts ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ that I’m seeing tomorrow, Tim Supple was the starring practitioner, with Pablo Mukherjee from the University of Warwick as the academic. It aws another interesting event, though I won’t …
‘Twelfth Night’ and Director’s Talk (Cheek by Jowl) @ Warwick Arts Centre
June 1, 2006
It’s been a hectic few days, rounded off by my third play in as many nights, a second viewing of Cheek By Jowl’s ‘Twelfth Night’. Again, it’s a comedy that manages to stay funny a second time round, and even better was the fact that the audience was considerably bigger this time. Also, it was …
The Duck and the Swan
May 31, 2006
My girlfriend finished her exams today, so to celebrate I took her for dinner at the Dirty Duck, a pub which is as big a part of the Complete Works in my opinion as any of the plays. It’s a pub opposite the Swan Theatre that serves gorgeous food, good wine and is beautifully decorated …
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