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 …
Romeo and Juliet (RSC) @ The Courtyard Theatre
March 26, 2010
Writing about web page http://www.rsc.org.uk/whatson/8956.aspx From its very opening, Rupert Goold’s new Romeo and Juliet was intent on forcing its audience to view a familiar play afresh. Sam Troughton’s Romeo, in jeans and hoodie, wandered onto the stage with a camera, taking photographs as if a tourist (though this amateur stalker had a different kind …
King Lear (RSC) @ The Courtyard Theatre
March 5, 2010
Writing about web page http://www.rsc.org.uk/whatson/8954.aspx The last time the RSC produced King Lear at the Courtyard Theatre, it was one of the most high-profile theatrical events of the decade. Directed by Trevor Nunn and starring Ian McKellen, it was the climax of the Complete Works Festival as well as going on to generate an international …
Twelfth Night (RSC) @ The Courtyard Theatre
November 11, 2009
Writing about web page http://www.rsc.org.uk/whatson/8209.aspx Here’s an interesting question. If one is updating the setting of a Shakespeare play, but needs to incorporate a vast amount of explanatory material in the production’s programme and on its website, are the resonances of the updated setting not then too obscure to hold any meaning for its audience? …
Days of Significance (RSC) @ The Belgrade Theatre
November 4, 2009
Writing about web page http://www.daysofsignificance.co.uk/page/1/home Roy Williams’ play debuted as part of the RSC’s Complete Works Festival back in early 2007, and it’s a pleasure to have the chance to revisit a production I enjoyed so much the first time round. The play has gone from strength to strength since its initial short run, and …
The Comedy of Errors (RSC Young People’s Shakespeare) @ The Courtyard Theatre
July 12, 2009
Since the launch of the "Stand Up For Shakespeare" manifesto a couple of years ago, the RSC has been remarkably tenacious in promoting its educational work alongside its core productions. While always an important part of the company’s remit, the Education Department has recently stepped confidently into the limelight, with events such as the Regional …
Julius Caesar (RSC) @ The Courtyard Theatre
June 12, 2009
Writing about web page http://www.rsc.org.uk/whatson/7295.aspx I’ve seen a wide variety of techniques used to conjure up the crowd who act as onstage witnesses to the orations that form the climactic set piece of Julius Caesar. Sometimes actors have moved among the audience, implicitly bolstering their numbers with the seated masses. At other times, offstage shouting …
As You Like It (RSC) @ The Courtyard Theatre
May 29, 2009
Writing about web page http://www.rsc.org.uk/whatson/7293.aspx Long time readers will know that As You Like It is one of my least favourite Shakespeare plays. In fact, as much as this goes against the grain of my general Shakesepearean outlook, it’s one that I personally find works better on the page than the stage. Once in the Forest …
The Winter’s Tale (RSC) @ The Courtyard Theatre
May 4, 2009
Writing about web page http://www.rsc.org.uk/whatson/7291.aspx The new RSC ensemble is now officially up and running in Stratford, with The Winter’s Tale and As You Like It both playing in rep at the Courtyard. At the moment I’m curious to see whether the new ensemble format will prove as rich as the old; where the Histories …
The Tempest (Baxter Theatre Centre) @ The Courtyard Theatre
February 24, 2009
Writing about web page http://www.rsc.org.uk/whatson/6941.aspx When the Complete Works Festival finished, we were promised that it would be an "engine of change" at the RSC, ushering in home and international collaborations and more new work. However, after a couple of months, the RSC was taken over by the Histories and then the last summer season …
Find, follow, join us
