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 …
Twelfth Night (WSAF) @ Warwick Arts Centre
June 28, 2007
There are dangers to taking on Shakespeare. People are obviously drawn to the history, the accessibility, the guaranteed audiences and the copyright-free texts, but sometimes the dangers get overlooked. Perhaps the most overlooked problem when tackling a Shakespeare play is the question of “Why?”. When every play has such a rich performance history, why do …
Cymbeline (Cheek by Jowl) @ The Barbican Theatre
June 6, 2007
I love Cheek By Jowl. I’ve seen several of their productions, both English and Russian, over the last few years, and they are the company who have most consistently impressed me with their intelligent approach to classical texts, their innovative ideas and groundbreaking use of space and movement, directed by Declan Donnellan. In addition, they’re …
The BBC Shakespeare
June 3, 2007
While seeing the Complete Works Festival has been the main part of my work over the last year, I’ve been quietly supplementing this with two other ‘Bardathons’. The first is the academic, where I’ve been reading the Arden editions of every play, and I’ll probably post some thoughts about that once I’ve finished (I’m on …
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Dash Arts) @ The Swan Theatre
May 5, 2007
I’ve raved about this production before, the greatest, or 2nd greatest (depending on my mood) production of the Complete Works Festival. It’s back for three sold-out weeks in Stratford-upon-Avon, and the production has gone from strength to strength since it was last here, playing to packed audience around the globe. This is, of course, Tim …
The RSC Open Day
It’s been almost a week since the RSC Open Day 2007, which among other things heralded the official close of the Complete Works Festival. I’ve had a hectic week at work and haven’t had a chance to even think about posting blogs for a while, but the one advantage of having the extra time is …
Coriolanus (Ninagawa Company) @ The Barbican Theatre
April 30, 2007
I’d never been to the Barbican before Friday night, and I have to say I was incredibly impressed. It’s enormous and beautiful and very much the kind of venue that gets me excited about theatre, life and all the possibility there is. Needless to say I picked up several events guides and am already looking …
Macbeth (RSC) @ The Swan Theatre
April 17, 2007
‘Macbeth’ is a play that has been done time and time again. Most importantly, it’s been done well. Trevor Nunn’s production starring Ian McKellen and Judi Dench is often held up as the greatest filmed Shakespeare, and films by Roman Polanski and Orson Welles have also had major impacts. Even the BBC version was uncommonly …
Venus & Adonis (Little Angel) @ The Little Angel Theatre
April 6, 2007
My ‘Complete Works’ may be over, but several of the productions that made it up are not yet! ‘Coriolanus’ is off on tour, ‘King Lear’ is still playing in the Courtyard and ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ returns to the Swan in April. On Wednesday I went for my second viewing of yet another production, ‘Venus …
Find, follow, join us
