Henry IV Part I (RSC) @ The Courtyard Theatre
August 4, 2007
The disappointment is crushing. It was perhaps too much to hope that every play in the Histories Cycle would be a cracker, but after five excellent productions (even Richard III, which I wasn’t too fussed about at the time, has left a positive impression on me), Michael Boyd has finally dropped the ball. That said, …
Richard II (RSC) @ The Courtyard Theatre
With the Complete Works Festival now long over, and the Swan preparing to shut down in a couple of weeks, the RSC’s attention now seems focussed on its new Big Project. The Histories Cycle is Michael Boyd’s attempt to stage with a single company the two tetralogies of history plays that Shakespeare wrote. The Cycle …
King Lear (RSC) @ The Courtyard Theatre
March 31, 2007
I don’t wish to come across as unprofessional, but this is going to be a very difficult review to write. Last night I sat in the front row for Trevor Nunn’s ‘King Lear’, and I still don’t feel as if I’ve entirely recovered. It was theatre as I’ve rarely experienced it- theatre that reaches inside …
Nothing Like The Sun (RSC/Opera North) @ The Courtyard Theatre
February 25, 2007
Considering this is the ‘Complete Works’ Festival, it seems an appropriate time to point out that that doesn’t mean every word Shakespeare ever wrote. None of his commendatory poems or prefixes are being performed, for example. His famous epitaph (‘Cursed be he that moves these bones’, chilling) stays on his grave. More prominently, neither ‘A …
Henry VI Part 1 (RSC) @ The Courtyard Theatre
February 10, 2007
Last night’s trip was a jolly really- a third viewing of the first part of Michael Boyd’s ‘Henry VI’ trilogy, just for fun! I’d really wanted to see all three ‘Henries’ and ‘Richard III’ in sequence, but timing hasn’t allowed, and I’m sure I’ll get the chance in 2008 when the company play eight history …
Richard III (RSC) @ The Courtyard Theatre
January 28, 2007
It’s impossible not to notice that, throughout all the publicity material, posters, press shots, reviews and everything else surrounding the fourth installment in Michael Boyd’s history cycle, there is only one face leering out. Despite the emphasis that this company has placed on ensemble playing, despite the universal praise for the all-round excellence of the …
West Side Story (Stratford Operatic Society) @ The Courtyard Theatre
December 3, 2006
I haven’t had anything to update for a while- after the manic patches of the Autumn, there are far fewer plays on at the moment! Next week I’m seeing The Winter’s Tale and Pericles, and after that it’s Merry Wives: The Musical. I did, however, make one trip to Stratford this week, to see the …
Richard II (Berliner Ensemble) @ The Courtyard Theatre
November 19, 2006
Perhaps this shouldn’t have come as a surprise, considering the reception of the stark German-language production of ‘Othello’ at the start of the Festival, but I was very disappointed to enter the Courtyard last night and see so many empty seats. Despite just four performances, and despite the rearrangement of the theatre into an apron …
The Taming Of The Shrew (Propeller) @ The Courtyard Theatre
November 9, 2006
Yet another transport problem last night, as the line between Hatton and Stratford caused our train to be delayed by over half an hour. Thankfully we still managed to get in for the first line of the play, so didn’t miss anything apart from milling around in the foyer for a while! Propeller, tonight’s visiting …
The Phoenix And The Turtle (RSC) @ The Courtyard Theatre and Holy Trinity Church
November 6, 2006
The holy grail of the Complete Works, and one that cost me a great deal of time and money in order to get a ticket for! But thoroughly worth it, despite me not knowing the poem at all. The evening began in the Courtyard, with a talk from Michael Wood about the poem. Without going …
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