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2021
Posted 18.09.2021: The Tempest - a colonial reading - [Above] from The Times, 17.09.2021.
Posted 09.09.2021: RSC artistic director Gregory Doran to take compassionate leave to care for husband Antony Sher: https://www.whatsonstage.com/stratford-upon-avon-theatre/news/rsc-artistic-director-gregory-doran-leave-sher_54873.html ; www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-58517401 ; www.theguardian.com/stage/2021/sep/10/gregory-doran-takes-leave-from-rsc-to-care-for-terminally-ill-antony-sher ; www.thetimes.co.uk/article/rsc-director-quits-to-look-after-terminally-ill-antony-sher-l7ctkm55c .
Posted 01.09.2021: [Above] From The Times [31.08.2021]:
Posted 01.09.2021: UK’s first all-black, all-female Shakespeare company aim to shine new light on Bard
Mawa Theatre Company hope to make classic works accessible to diverse audiences:
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/jun/10/uks-first-all-black-all-female-shakespeare-company-aim-to-shine-new-light-on-bard .
Mawa Theatre Company hope to make classic works accessible to diverse audiences:
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/jun/10/uks-first-all-black-all-female-shakespeare-company-aim-to-shine-new-light-on-bard .
Posted 22.08.2021: Recent commentary (Above & Below) on the 'trigger' warnings issued by Shakespeare's Globe in respect of a recent production of R&J. Access the ST article by scanning the QR code above.
Posted 01.08.2021: Review (above) from the Sunday Times 'Culture' magazine.
Posted 22.07.2021: Hamlet review — Alas, poor Ian McKellen — his Prince of Denmark is out of joint [Theatre Royal Windsor]
Clive Davis
Thursday July 22 2021, 12.01am, The Times
Theatre
While Frances Barber twinkles as Polonius and Ian McKellen, 82, is convincing as Hamlet, the oddities mount up
IAN WEST/PA
★★★☆☆
Yes, he can. The first thing to say about this bold but uneven production is that, at 82, Sir Ian McKellen proves that the most celebrated role of them all is not beyond his reach. There may be moments when his voice lacks vigour (I found myself leaning forward to try to catch every word) yet he sketches a subtle portrait of a young man with an old soul. And he can still bound up a ladder or wield a sword.
Who is to say that an “age-blind” Hamlet is a crime against art anyway? (This version of the tragedy is gender and colour-blind too.) Shakespeare has been pummelled by so many concept-obsessed directors that the idea of an octogenarian playing a wrinkled Prince of Denmark is not so radical in an age of non-binary pronouns.
The director, Sean Mathias, has other ways of ensnaring us too. Bringing a seated section of the audience at the Theatre Royal Windsor on to the stage of this gem of a theatre creates an aura of 21st-century groundlings. Tiers press in on either side of the actors.
McKellen sketches a subtle portrait of a young man with an old soul
MARILYN KINGWILLAs Polonius, Frances Barber (a late replacement for Steven Berkoff, who dropped out along with Emmanuella Cole) twinkles in the Ruritanian tunic created by Loren Elstein, the costume designer. When we first see him, McKellen is mourning his father in top hat, sunglasses and a black Victorian suit that give him the air of a male Miss Havisham. Later, he wears more casual street attire, a grandfather down with the kids.
Lee Newby’s scaffold-like set, draped in shades of grey and black, makes an imposing presence, enhanced by Zoe Spurr’s spectral lighting and the echoing effects of Adam Cork’s music and sound design.
Jonathan Hyde gives us a sleek and resonant Claudius. Alis Wyn Davies’s Ophelia wanders the stage, guitar in hand, like a young Joni Mitchell.
The play-within-a-play sequence has dream-like intensity. But the distractions mount up. Why is Jenny Seagrove, otherwise impressive as a sombre Gertrude, given a heavy Danish accent that makes her sound like Marlene Dietrich? Is it worth cutting the opening ghost scene and then having Francesca Annis make her brief appearance as a noisy apparition that would seem quite at home in a Harry Potter film? Does McKellen need to utter “To be, or not to be” while a barber waits to use electric clippers on him?
The odd lurches in tone break the flow. There was certainly more laughter this evening than you would expect. Perhaps it was something to do with the unfamiliar sensation of being back in a crowded theatre for the first time in months. Was it uncomfortable too? Yes, at first, especially on a steamy evening. Then McKellen began to cast his spell.
To Sept 25, theatreroyalwindsor.co.uk
Clive Davis
Thursday July 22 2021, 12.01am, The Times
Theatre
While Frances Barber twinkles as Polonius and Ian McKellen, 82, is convincing as Hamlet, the oddities mount up
IAN WEST/PA
★★★☆☆
Yes, he can. The first thing to say about this bold but uneven production is that, at 82, Sir Ian McKellen proves that the most celebrated role of them all is not beyond his reach. There may be moments when his voice lacks vigour (I found myself leaning forward to try to catch every word) yet he sketches a subtle portrait of a young man with an old soul. And he can still bound up a ladder or wield a sword.
Who is to say that an “age-blind” Hamlet is a crime against art anyway? (This version of the tragedy is gender and colour-blind too.) Shakespeare has been pummelled by so many concept-obsessed directors that the idea of an octogenarian playing a wrinkled Prince of Denmark is not so radical in an age of non-binary pronouns.
The director, Sean Mathias, has other ways of ensnaring us too. Bringing a seated section of the audience at the Theatre Royal Windsor on to the stage of this gem of a theatre creates an aura of 21st-century groundlings. Tiers press in on either side of the actors.
McKellen sketches a subtle portrait of a young man with an old soul
MARILYN KINGWILLAs Polonius, Frances Barber (a late replacement for Steven Berkoff, who dropped out along with Emmanuella Cole) twinkles in the Ruritanian tunic created by Loren Elstein, the costume designer. When we first see him, McKellen is mourning his father in top hat, sunglasses and a black Victorian suit that give him the air of a male Miss Havisham. Later, he wears more casual street attire, a grandfather down with the kids.
Lee Newby’s scaffold-like set, draped in shades of grey and black, makes an imposing presence, enhanced by Zoe Spurr’s spectral lighting and the echoing effects of Adam Cork’s music and sound design.
Jonathan Hyde gives us a sleek and resonant Claudius. Alis Wyn Davies’s Ophelia wanders the stage, guitar in hand, like a young Joni Mitchell.
The play-within-a-play sequence has dream-like intensity. But the distractions mount up. Why is Jenny Seagrove, otherwise impressive as a sombre Gertrude, given a heavy Danish accent that makes her sound like Marlene Dietrich? Is it worth cutting the opening ghost scene and then having Francesca Annis make her brief appearance as a noisy apparition that would seem quite at home in a Harry Potter film? Does McKellen need to utter “To be, or not to be” while a barber waits to use electric clippers on him?
The odd lurches in tone break the flow. There was certainly more laughter this evening than you would expect. Perhaps it was something to do with the unfamiliar sensation of being back in a crowded theatre for the first time in months. Was it uncomfortable too? Yes, at first, especially on a steamy evening. Then McKellen began to cast his spell.
To Sept 25, theatreroyalwindsor.co.uk
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Posted 21.07.2021: [Right] "I was stabbed while playing Hamlet...": Guardian Weekend Magazine (17.07.2021).
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Posted 19.07.2021: Ian McKellen’s Hamlet loses two actors amid claims of bitter disagreement: Steven Berkoff and Emmanuella Cole will not be part of production when it opens on Monday: https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2021/jul/18/ian-mckellen-hamlet-loses-two-actors-steven-berkoff-emmanuella-cole .
Posted 16.07.2021: The Comedy of Errors at the RSC's new outdoor theatre.
Posted 13.07.2021: [Above] Times review of Globe's R&J [12.07.2021].
Posted 10.07.2021: Above: The Globe's Romeo and Juliet from today's Guardian: www.theguardian.com/stage/2021/jul/09/romeo-and-juliet-review-globe-london .
Above: A painting by Dr Jonathan Foyle to depict how the wall painting in the Priests’ Chapel would have looked in the early to mid-15th century. The Last Supper painting once adorned Shakespeare's classroom wall, new research suggests . Scholars believe the 15th-century decorative work was whitewashed in the Tudor era to obliterate the Roman Catholic 'idolatrous' images. MAEV KENNEDY
9th July 2021 12:56 BST
Painting by Dr Jonathan Foyle to depict how the Last Supper wall painting is believed to have looked in the mid-15th century at Shakespeare's Schoolroom & Guildhall Courtesy of Jonathan FoyleNew research suggests a painting of the biblical scene the Last Supper once covered a wall of a room in which William Shakespeare attended school as a boy. The building in Stratford-upon-Avon has over centuries served as a guild hall, court room, school, theatre and visitor attraction, and is still in use by an adjoining school.
Master's Chamber at Shakespeare's Schoolroom & Guildhall. Wall painting where fragments of the Last Supper painting can be seen © Sara Beaumont Photography. The architectural historian Jonathan Foyle believes fragments of a 15th-century decorative scheme represent a symbolic Last Supper that was whitewashed later in the Tudor era in an attempt to obliterate the Roman Catholic imagery. The images of Christ surrounded by his apostles were added in painted shields on top of a simple earlier scheme of red and white stripes in an upper chamber used as a dining room. They may have been painted over by Shakespeare’s father John, responsible as a town official for destroying or at least concealing them. The Last Supper, famously painted by Leonardo da Vinci in Milan, was a favourite subject in monasteries and guild halls across Europe linking the diners to Christ and his disciples, although Foyle's date of around 1440s is unusually early.
Foyle also suggests a date of 1422 for a crucifixion scene, of which one beautiful image of John the Baptist survives intact, located in a lower room which had been a chapel. Based on heraldic imagery it links the deaths in 1422 of both the Earl of Worcester, and Henry V who would become the subject of the most famous history plays. Foyle believes they were already covered by Shakespeare’s schooldays, but that he almost certainly learned of them from his father.
The research, partly funded by the Culture Recovery Fund, was based on earlier records of the paintings, and those uncovered in a 2015/16 restoration, funded by Heritage Lottery, to open the building to the public. “It also involved a lot of looking very hard indeed at these walls,” Foyle said. “The evidence was hiding in plain sight.”
The building is now open again, and displays will include his paintings recreating the brilliantly coloured 15th-century walls.
9th July 2021 12:56 BST
Painting by Dr Jonathan Foyle to depict how the Last Supper wall painting is believed to have looked in the mid-15th century at Shakespeare's Schoolroom & Guildhall Courtesy of Jonathan FoyleNew research suggests a painting of the biblical scene the Last Supper once covered a wall of a room in which William Shakespeare attended school as a boy. The building in Stratford-upon-Avon has over centuries served as a guild hall, court room, school, theatre and visitor attraction, and is still in use by an adjoining school.
Master's Chamber at Shakespeare's Schoolroom & Guildhall. Wall painting where fragments of the Last Supper painting can be seen © Sara Beaumont Photography. The architectural historian Jonathan Foyle believes fragments of a 15th-century decorative scheme represent a symbolic Last Supper that was whitewashed later in the Tudor era in an attempt to obliterate the Roman Catholic imagery. The images of Christ surrounded by his apostles were added in painted shields on top of a simple earlier scheme of red and white stripes in an upper chamber used as a dining room. They may have been painted over by Shakespeare’s father John, responsible as a town official for destroying or at least concealing them. The Last Supper, famously painted by Leonardo da Vinci in Milan, was a favourite subject in monasteries and guild halls across Europe linking the diners to Christ and his disciples, although Foyle's date of around 1440s is unusually early.
Foyle also suggests a date of 1422 for a crucifixion scene, of which one beautiful image of John the Baptist survives intact, located in a lower room which had been a chapel. Based on heraldic imagery it links the deaths in 1422 of both the Earl of Worcester, and Henry V who would become the subject of the most famous history plays. Foyle believes they were already covered by Shakespeare’s schooldays, but that he almost certainly learned of them from his father.
The research, partly funded by the Culture Recovery Fund, was based on earlier records of the paintings, and those uncovered in a 2015/16 restoration, funded by Heritage Lottery, to open the building to the public. “It also involved a lot of looking very hard indeed at these walls,” Foyle said. “The evidence was hiding in plain sight.”
The building is now open again, and displays will include his paintings recreating the brilliantly coloured 15th-century walls.
Posted 10.07.2021: Concealed Catholic mural found in Shakespeare's school (above).
Posted 09.07.2021: Chipping Campden Lit. Fest.: see www.campdenlitfest.co.uk/ for full details.
Posted 04.07.2021: Star-cross’d lovers? No, Romeo and Juliet were just ‘depressed' teenagers:
From Sunday Times [04.07.2021]
Ola Ince’s Romeo and Juliet has opened at the Globe. The Bard never meant to romanticise mental anguish, she says
MARC BRENNER
For many, it is the greatest love story ever told. Two “star-cross’d lovers” fall for each other despite hailing from warring families, their passion so great that they end up killing themselves rather than countenance not being together.
However, the director of a new production of Romeo and Juliet says William Shakespeare’s most famous romance is not a love story at all but a parable about depression, teenage suicide and societal failures.
Ola Ince, who is directing a radical interpretation of the play at Shakespeare’s Globe on London’s South Bank, said the story has “never really made sense” to her. “I can’t relate to the characters. I don’t know why these young people take their lives,” she said.
She thought, in a “really flippant” moment, that the only way the intrigue between the Montagues and Capulets could make sense was “if they are all crazy”. Ince then enlisted the help of Rachael Williams, a psychologist, and realised there were parallels with modern concepts of mental illness.
“What I found really shocking when I analysed the play was how violent it is; how hopeless it can seem sometimes for these young people. It’s so surprising that Romeo and Juliet is known as a love story, as opposed to a suicide story,” Ince, 32, said. “No one goes: ‘Oh yeah, Romeo and Juliet, that story about depression.’ It’s always: ‘Romeo and Juliet, that story about love: how romantic to kill yourself for someone you love.’ That’s not romantic. That’s sick.”
From Sunday Times [04.07.2021]
Ola Ince’s Romeo and Juliet has opened at the Globe. The Bard never meant to romanticise mental anguish, she says
MARC BRENNER
For many, it is the greatest love story ever told. Two “star-cross’d lovers” fall for each other despite hailing from warring families, their passion so great that they end up killing themselves rather than countenance not being together.
However, the director of a new production of Romeo and Juliet says William Shakespeare’s most famous romance is not a love story at all but a parable about depression, teenage suicide and societal failures.
Ola Ince, who is directing a radical interpretation of the play at Shakespeare’s Globe on London’s South Bank, said the story has “never really made sense” to her. “I can’t relate to the characters. I don’t know why these young people take their lives,” she said.
She thought, in a “really flippant” moment, that the only way the intrigue between the Montagues and Capulets could make sense was “if they are all crazy”. Ince then enlisted the help of Rachael Williams, a psychologist, and realised there were parallels with modern concepts of mental illness.
“What I found really shocking when I analysed the play was how violent it is; how hopeless it can seem sometimes for these young people. It’s so surprising that Romeo and Juliet is known as a love story, as opposed to a suicide story,” Ince, 32, said. “No one goes: ‘Oh yeah, Romeo and Juliet, that story about depression.’ It’s always: ‘Romeo and Juliet, that story about love: how romantic to kill yourself for someone you love.’ That’s not romantic. That’s sick.”
Posted 03.07.2021: Above is a recording of the second part of Elizabeth Goldring's lecture on Nicholas Hilliard for the 'Talking Tudors' series. Part One can be accessed below (15.05.2021).
The Life of Nicholas Hilliard (Part 2) with Dr Elizabeth GoldringJun 14th, 2021 by talkingtudors
The Life of Nicholas Hilliard (Part 2) with Dr Elizabeth GoldringJun 14th, 2021 by talkingtudors
Posted 24.06.2021: Above is a recording of the BBC Radio4 programme 'In Our Time' devoted to Shakespeare's Sonnets. It was broadcast 24.06.2021.
Posted 29.05.2021: One man in his time really does play many parts, it seems, according to an Argentine newsreader who mixed up the author William Shakespeare with the first man to receive a Pfizer jab.
Canal 26 presenter Noelia Novillo announced that "one of the most important writers in the English language - for me the master" had died.
In fact it was his namesake, William "Bill" Shakespeare, 81, who died in a hospital in England earlier this week.
Shakespeare "The Bard" died in 1616.
However, that was news to Novillo who told her audience on Thursday: "We've got news that has stunned all of us given the greatness of this man. We're talking about William Shakespeare and his death. We'll let you know how and why it happened." www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/28/william-shakespeare-death-mistake-argentinian-tv .
.Posted 28.05.2021: The Times review [above] of A Midsummer Night's Dream at Shakespeare's Globe.
Posted 26.05.2021: 'The smoking gun': The research which demonstrates pretty conclusively that “Shakespeare, Gent. from Stratford” and “Shakespeare the Player” are the same man. In other words, “the man from Stratford” is indeed the playwright: www.theguardian.com/culture/2017/jan/08/sherlock-holmes-of-the-library-cracks-shakespeare-identity . [Above] Heather Woolfe - Researcher.
Posted 15.05.2021: Podcast by CSR’s Honorary reader Elizabeth Goldring ‘Nicholas Hilliard: Life of an Artist’ has just gone live as part of the 'Talking Tudors' podcast series. It's available at https://talkingtudors.podbean.com and also on iTunes, Spotify, etc. This interview is part 1 of 2: the follow-up interview will take place in a month or so and will go live at some point over the summer.
Posted 09.05.2021: The Dark Lady: A debut novel from the rapper known as 'The Black Shakespeare':
"Rap[p]er, poet and activist Akala has today (April 26) released his debut novel, The Dark Lady. His first literary release since Natives: Race And Class In The Ruins Of Empire, the novel is aimed at teenagers and young adults. Set in 16th century London, the novel has been inspired by Shakespeare’s ‘Dark Lady’ sonnets.": https://www.nme.com/news/music/rapper-akala-releases-debut-novel-the-dark-lady-2928288 ;
A short extract from Akala's poem/lyric, 'Shakespeare': https://www.google.com/search?q=akala+%22shakespeare%22+lyric&oq=akala+%22shakespeare%22+lyric&aqs=chrome..69i57j0.13625j1j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 .
Nigger listen, when I spit on the riddem, I kill 'em
Raw like the Ball of Brazilians
You don't want war, 'cos the kids brilliant
Blood, I'm the heir to the throne
Not William, Akala, smart as King Arthur
Darker, harder, faster
Rasclaat, I kick the illest shit
It's like Shakespeare with a nigger twist
Lyricist, I'm the best on the road
Nitro flow, oh so cold, I'ma blow yo
Keep the hoes, I only want dough homes
Nobody close, I'm alone in my own zone....
See also: theculturetrip.com/europe/united-kingdom/articles/an-introduction-to-akala-the-black-shakespeare-in-8-songs/
"Rap[p]er, poet and activist Akala has today (April 26) released his debut novel, The Dark Lady. His first literary release since Natives: Race And Class In The Ruins Of Empire, the novel is aimed at teenagers and young adults. Set in 16th century London, the novel has been inspired by Shakespeare’s ‘Dark Lady’ sonnets.": https://www.nme.com/news/music/rapper-akala-releases-debut-novel-the-dark-lady-2928288 ;
A short extract from Akala's poem/lyric, 'Shakespeare': https://www.google.com/search?q=akala+%22shakespeare%22+lyric&oq=akala+%22shakespeare%22+lyric&aqs=chrome..69i57j0.13625j1j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 .
Nigger listen, when I spit on the riddem, I kill 'em
Raw like the Ball of Brazilians
You don't want war, 'cos the kids brilliant
Blood, I'm the heir to the throne
Not William, Akala, smart as King Arthur
Darker, harder, faster
Rasclaat, I kick the illest shit
It's like Shakespeare with a nigger twist
Lyricist, I'm the best on the road
Nitro flow, oh so cold, I'ma blow yo
Keep the hoes, I only want dough homes
Nobody close, I'm alone in my own zone....
See also: theculturetrip.com/europe/united-kingdom/articles/an-introduction-to-akala-the-black-shakespeare-in-8-songs/
Posted 25.04.2021: The traditional Shakespeare Service was celebrated this morning in Holy Trinity Church, Stratford. The service is led by Rev'd Patrick Taylor. Sonnets read by Jonathan Broadbent & Emma Fielding from the Royal Shakespeare Company. The sermon is given by Rev'd Canon Mark Oakley, Dean of St. John's College, Cambridge. The service lasts for just an hour and can be accessed here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=58d8HydpvrM .
Posted 25.04.2021: Above is a short video (7+mins.) presented by the art dealer and historian Philip Mould. He introduces Love's Labours Found, an exhibition of Elizabethan and Jacobean portraits at the Philip Mould Gallery in London. During the course of his commentary he describes at least one of the portraits as "a Shakespearean way of showing a face".
More information at philipmould.com/exhibitions/24-love-s-labour-s-found-elizabethan-jacobean-portraiture/ . A catalogue of the Exhibition is available at £15.00.
More information at philipmould.com/exhibitions/24-love-s-labour-s-found-elizabethan-jacobean-portraiture/ . A catalogue of the Exhibition is available at £15.00.
Posted 24.04.2021: Below is a link to a video of the virtual Shakespeare Birthday celebrations in Stratford-upon-Avon, 2021 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzS1-Iped0I
Above: Helen McCrory in the National Theatre’s 2014 production of Medea. Photograph: Tristram Kenton/The Guardian.
| helen_mccrory_by_damian_lewis.docx |
Posted 17.04.2021: 'Peaky Blinders' and National Theatre actress Helen McCrory dies of cancer aged 52:
www.theguardian.com/culture/video/2021/apr/16/helen-mccrory-looking-back-at-the-life-of-the-fearless-star-video-obituary ; www.nme.com/news/tv/peaky-blinders-star-helen-mccrory-died-aged-52-secret-cancer-battle-2922317 ; www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-56770593 .
www.theguardian.com/culture/video/2021/apr/16/helen-mccrory-looking-back-at-the-life-of-the-fearless-star-video-obituary ; www.nme.com/news/tv/peaky-blinders-star-helen-mccrory-died-aged-52-secret-cancer-battle-2922317 ; www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-56770593 .
Posted 16.04.2021: 1drv.ms/v/s!Auj7FvfEUgiGgtdTSd3IFMP10gD76Q?e=3ocTad
Above is a link to a radio broadcast (BBC R4) of a conversation between Peter Brook and Glenda Jackson in which they discuss their long association. The programme was originally broadcast 15.04.2021.
An intimate and personal look at Peter Brook's life's work in conversation with Glenda Jackson. Brook has been cited as 'our greatest living theatre director'. With landmark productions that changed the face of British theatre, such as the electrifying Marat Sade and the liberating, landmark acrobatic production of Midsummer Night's Dream, and since moving to Paris, internationally renowned The Mahabharata. Presented by Glenda Jackson Produced by Pauline Harris
Above is a link to a radio broadcast (BBC R4) of a conversation between Peter Brook and Glenda Jackson in which they discuss their long association. The programme was originally broadcast 15.04.2021.
An intimate and personal look at Peter Brook's life's work in conversation with Glenda Jackson. Brook has been cited as 'our greatest living theatre director'. With landmark productions that changed the face of British theatre, such as the electrifying Marat Sade and the liberating, landmark acrobatic production of Midsummer Night's Dream, and since moving to Paris, internationally renowned The Mahabharata. Presented by Glenda Jackson Produced by Pauline Harris
Posted 14.04.2021: Celebrate Shakespeare's birthday weekend with The Winter's Tale
We are excited to announce that The Winter's Tale will be broadcast on BBC Four on Sunday 25 April at 7pm.
The Winter's Tale was in its final stages before opening in 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic closed our theatres. We are thrilled that we are able to finally share this production with you, which has been reimagined for the screen by Deputy Artistic Director Erica Whyman and performed and filmed on the Royal Shakespeare Theatre stage.
Set across a 16-year span from the 1953 coronation to the moon landings, this production imagines a world where the ghosts of fascist Europe collide with horrors reminiscent of The Handmaid’s Tale, before washing up on a joyful seashore.
Following the premiere broadcast on BBC Four, The Winter's Tale will then be available on iPlayer until April 2022.
We are excited to announce that The Winter's Tale will be broadcast on BBC Four on Sunday 25 April at 7pm.
The Winter's Tale was in its final stages before opening in 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic closed our theatres. We are thrilled that we are able to finally share this production with you, which has been reimagined for the screen by Deputy Artistic Director Erica Whyman and performed and filmed on the Royal Shakespeare Theatre stage.
Set across a 16-year span from the 1953 coronation to the moon landings, this production imagines a world where the ghosts of fascist Europe collide with horrors reminiscent of The Handmaid’s Tale, before washing up on a joyful seashore.
Following the premiere broadcast on BBC Four, The Winter's Tale will then be available on iPlayer until April 2022.
Posted 10.04.2021:
Peter Kyle, chairman of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, and Tim Cooke, the chief executive, said:
"We are deeply saddened by the death of His Royal Highness Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh. The Duke of Edinburgh had a keen interest in Shakespeare and was a regular visitor to Stratford-upon-Avon. He held a special place in the history of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, visiting Shakespeare’s Birthplace alongside the Queen on 14 June 1957, and returning on 23 April 1964, the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth, to officiate the opening of the Shakespeare Centre."
www.stratford-herald.com/news/family-to-family-we-share-that-sadness-stratford-tribut-9194961/
Peter Kyle, chairman of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, and Tim Cooke, the chief executive, said:
"We are deeply saddened by the death of His Royal Highness Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh. The Duke of Edinburgh had a keen interest in Shakespeare and was a regular visitor to Stratford-upon-Avon. He held a special place in the history of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, visiting Shakespeare’s Birthplace alongside the Queen on 14 June 1957, and returning on 23 April 1964, the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth, to officiate the opening of the Shakespeare Centre."
www.stratford-herald.com/news/family-to-family-we-share-that-sadness-stratford-tribut-9194961/
Posted 06.04.2021: Romeo and Juliet review — Jessie Buckley and Josh O’Connor create chemistry [See review above & below]; www.theguardian.com/stage/2021/apr/04/romeo-and-juliet-review-national-theatre-sky-arts-josh-oconnor-jessie-buckley
Sky Arts
Clive Davis
Monday April 05 2021, 12.00pm, The Times.
Sky Arts
Clive Davis
Monday April 05 2021, 12.00pm, The Times.
| nt_-_r_j_skyarts.docx |
Posted 02.04.2021: Times article [Above].
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Posted 25.03.2021: Interval exits stage left, inspired by Shakespeare:
The Globe theatre is taking its cue from Shakespeare and doing away with the breaks.
See file above.
The Globe theatre is taking its cue from Shakespeare and doing away with the breaks.
See file above.
Posted 20.03.2021: 'Self-satisfied pork butcher': Shakespeare grave effigy believed to be definitive likeness:
www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/mar/19/shakespeare-grave-effigy-believed-to-be-definitive-likeness
www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/mar/19/shakespeare-grave-effigy-believed-to-be-definitive-likeness
Posted 09.02.2021: Royal Shakespeare Company to stage virtual reality show: Playhouses may be dark, but the Royal Shakespeare Company is to bring immersive theatre to audiences wherever they are in the world by combining revolutionary virtual reality and video games technologies with traditional live performances.
Real-time animation will be created by actors interacting with a live audience, who will in turn influence a story inspired by A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-55969712 ; inews.co.uk/news/entertainment/royal-shakespeare-company-stage-vr-performance-midsummer-nights-dream-virtual-forest-861593; www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/feb/07/is-this-an-avatar-i-see-before-me-audience-takes-to-stage-in-virtual-shakespeare-play .
Real-time animation will be created by actors interacting with a live audience, who will in turn influence a story inspired by A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-55969712 ; inews.co.uk/news/entertainment/royal-shakespeare-company-stage-vr-performance-midsummer-nights-dream-virtual-forest-861593; www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/feb/07/is-this-an-avatar-i-see-before-me-audience-takes-to-stage-in-virtual-shakespeare-play .
Posted 28.01.2021: Armada maps saved for the nation (From The Times, 27.01.2021):
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-55812565 ; https://www.standard.cwww.standard.co.uk/news/uk/spanish-armada-maps-saved-national-museum-royal-navy-b901295.htmlo.uk/news/uk/spanish-armada-maps-saved-national-museum-royal-navy-b901295.html
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-55812565 ; https://www.standard.cwww.standard.co.uk/news/uk/spanish-armada-maps-saved-national-museum-royal-navy-b901295.htmlo.uk/news/uk/spanish-armada-maps-saved-national-museum-royal-navy-b901295.html
Posted 28.01.2021: From the Sunday Times 'Culture' Magazine, January 24, 2021.
Posted 11.01.2021: New Place Garden (Above).
Posted 11.01.2021: Howard Jacobson ('My Name Is Shylock') examines the decision of Michael Morpurgo to omit The Merchant of Venice from his new edition of Tales From Shakespeare aimed at introducing children to Shakespeare.
2020
Posted 29.12.2020: Below is the link to the Upstart Crow Lockdown Christmas Special - 1603: Shakespeare in a time of plague.
Just a two-hander on this occasion (WS & Kate): Lots of fairly obvious but amusing parallels with our current situation.
BBC iPlayer - Upstart Crow - Lockdown Christmas 1603 .
Just a two-hander on this occasion (WS & Kate): Lots of fairly obvious but amusing parallels with our current situation.
BBC iPlayer - Upstart Crow - Lockdown Christmas 1603 .
Posted 26.12.2020: The first performance of King Lear took place on this day ('S[t] Stephans night in Christmas Hollidayes') 1608 - recorded on the Title Page of Q1: www.bl.uk/treasures/shakespeare/kinglear.html .
Posted 22.12.2020:
Covid: The night London's theatres went dark:
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-55274219 .
Covid: The night London's theatres went dark:
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-55274219 .
Posted 11.11.2020: Rugby School to sell 'rare' Shakespeare and Dickens books: A "rare" Shakespeare book being sold by Rugby School is estimated to fetch up to £50,000 at auction.
William Shakespeare's Fourth Folio, from 1685, is one of about 300 books from the school's library going under the hammer.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-54895279 .
William Shakespeare's Fourth Folio, from 1685, is one of about 300 books from the school's library going under the hammer.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-54895279 .
Posted 16.10.2020 : Shakespeare First Folio fetches a record $10m at auction: The edition sold on Wednesday was the first complete copy to go under the hammer since 2001, when one fetched $6.1m (£4.9m) - the previous record : www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-54544737 .
Posted 10.09.2020: Diana Rigg (obituary) : She was Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Bianca in The Taming of the Shrew, Lady Macduff in Macbeth, Adriana in The Comedy of Errors and, most notably, Cordelia in Peter Brook’s famous production of King Lear, with Paul Scofield as the king. She repeated Cordelia and Adriana for a British Council tour of Europe, the Soviet Union and the US, making her New York debut in 1964: www.thetimes.co.uk/article/dame-diana-rigg-obituary-d376s22p5 ; www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-27986272 ; www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/sep/10/actor-diana-rigg-dies-aged-82 . Above as Cleopatra (1966).
Posted 10.09.2020 : (Above) The Times, 10.09.2020, p. 17.
Posted 26.08.2020: Times article on Cordor Castle (below):
| times_-_25.08.2020_cordor_castle.docx |
Posted 25.07.2020: 'When will theatres reopen and what will have changed?' - an important article from today's Times Review (Below)
| times_review_25.07.2020.docx |
| john_peter_-_st_culture_mag..docx |
| obituary_-_john_peter.docx |
Posted 11.07.2020: Obituary: John Peter, Theatre Critic of the Sunday Times: www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-life-and-legacy-of-theatre-critic-john-peter-v8jg7fz7f ; www.wikiwand.com/en/John_Peter_(critic) .
Posted 06.07.2020: Chancellor Rishi Sunak announces new £1.57billion support package for the Arts: www.lbc.co.uk/news/chancellor-rishi-sunak-announces-new-157billion-support-package-for-the-arts/ ; www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/government-1bn-package-arts_51906.html ; www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/rishi-sunak-chancellor-coronavirus-jobs-a4389471.html .
Posted 06.07.2020: Chancellor Rishi Sunak announces new £1.57billion support package for the Arts: www.lbc.co.uk/news/chancellor-rishi-sunak-announces-new-157billion-support-package-for-the-arts/ ; www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/government-1bn-package-arts_51906.html ; www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/rishi-sunak-chancellor-coronavirus-jobs-a4389471.html .
[Above photo is of Holm as Richard III for the RSC in 1966]
Posted 19.06.2020: Sir Ian Holm dies, aged 88: 'In the theater he ran the gamut of Shakespeare, from the high-spirited Prince Hal to the tormented King Lear': https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-53110391 ; www.theguardian.com/film/2020/jun/19/sir-ian-holm-obituary ; www.nytimes.com/2020/06/19/obituaries/ian-holm-dead.html; www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/ian-holm-obituary-death-bilbo-baggins-lord-of-the-rings-a9575566.html ; www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jun/21/ian-holm-invented-shakespeare-acting-in-the-modern-age-of-film ; www.theguardian.com/film/ian-holm ; www.wharfedaleobserver.co.uk/leisure/national/18531395.peter-jackson-says-working-sir-ian-holm-taught-so-much/ ; www.theguardian.com/film/2020/jun/22/ian-holm-remembered-richard-eyre-anne-marie-duff-ken-stott-hugh-hudson .
Posted 19.06.2020: Sir Ian Holm dies, aged 88: 'In the theater he ran the gamut of Shakespeare, from the high-spirited Prince Hal to the tormented King Lear': https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-53110391 ; www.theguardian.com/film/2020/jun/19/sir-ian-holm-obituary ; www.nytimes.com/2020/06/19/obituaries/ian-holm-dead.html; www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/ian-holm-obituary-death-bilbo-baggins-lord-of-the-rings-a9575566.html ; www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jun/21/ian-holm-invented-shakespeare-acting-in-the-modern-age-of-film ; www.theguardian.com/film/ian-holm ; www.wharfedaleobserver.co.uk/leisure/national/18531395.peter-jackson-says-working-sir-ian-holm-taught-so-much/ ; www.theguardian.com/film/2020/jun/22/ian-holm-remembered-richard-eyre-anne-marie-duff-ken-stott-hugh-hudson .
| sir_ian_holm_obituary.docx |
Posted 10.06.2020: Archaeologists discover first Elizabethan theatre - the Red Lion: See The Times article below and - www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-52983008 .
| unearthed_playhouse_that_ushered_in_the_era_of_shakespeare.docx |
Posted 03.06.2020: Britain excels in performing arts, but the coronavirus crisis has taken the industry to the brink of disaster, says the playwright James Graham (Below):
| theatre_-_the_final_curtain....docx |
Posted 27.05.2020: Writer repents for making the Bard's father most foul: See Times article below:
| times_26.05.2020_-_ofarrell.docx |
Posted 19.05.2020: Michael Morpurgo gallops into battle to modernise Shakespeare’s plays by Sian Griffiths (below):
| times_-_17.05.2020_-_morpurgo_s_shakespeare_.docx |
Posted 23. 03.2020: Above review by Quentin Letts from Sunday Times Culture Magazine (22.03.2020).
Posted 23. 03.2020: Above review by Claire Allfree from the Telegraph 18.03.2020.
Posted 14.03.2020: Review of James Shapiro's Shakespeare in a Divided America:
"... you could go through the entire history of colonised America and discover examples of how Shakespeare has played a prominent role in significant political and social shifts in a country he never visited and knew precious little about.You could write a very good book about it. Which is exactly what the Professor of English at Columbia University has done.
James Shapiro is an academic who not only teaches Shakespeare, but has also learnt a thing or two himself from the Sweet Swan of Avon about the art of storytelling.
His book, Shakespeare in a Divided America, is an unpretentious, fact-filled, lightly-written, meticulously-researched history of seven politically-defining moments that occurred in the US over the past 200 years: www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-51827357 . Review by Will Gompertz.
Posted 27.02.2020 : Timothy West interview: ‘Taking a wrecking ball to Shakespeare is senseless’ : www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/timothy-west-interview-taking-wrecking-ball-shakespeare-senseless/ .
"... you could go through the entire history of colonised America and discover examples of how Shakespeare has played a prominent role in significant political and social shifts in a country he never visited and knew precious little about.You could write a very good book about it. Which is exactly what the Professor of English at Columbia University has done.
James Shapiro is an academic who not only teaches Shakespeare, but has also learnt a thing or two himself from the Sweet Swan of Avon about the art of storytelling.
His book, Shakespeare in a Divided America, is an unpretentious, fact-filled, lightly-written, meticulously-researched history of seven politically-defining moments that occurred in the US over the past 200 years: www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-51827357 . Review by Will Gompertz.
Posted 27.02.2020 : Timothy West interview: ‘Taking a wrecking ball to Shakespeare is senseless’ : www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/timothy-west-interview-taking-wrecking-ball-shakespeare-senseless/ .
Posted 19.02.2020 : The 'Upstart Crow' review at Gielgud Theatre, London – ‘a fantastic comedy cast’ : https://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/2020/upstart-crow-ben-elton-david-mitchell-review-at-gielgud-theatre-london/ ; https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2020/feb/17/the-upstart-crow-review-gielgud-theatre-london .
Posted 13.02.20202 (above).
Posted 30.01.2020 : Shakespeare sacks ITV Newsreader: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2020/jan/29/alastair-stewart-quits-as-itv-presenter-over-errors-of-judgment ; https://www.southwalesguardian.co.uk/news/national/18196726.alastair-stewart-leaves-itv-news-role-errors-judgment/ ; https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/01/29/alastair-stewart-stepping-itv-news-following-errors-judgment/ .
Posted 02.01.2020 : The article above was published in the Stratford Herald (02.01.2020).
2019
Posted 23.12.2019 : The Curtain theatre where Romeo and Juliet was probably first performed is granted protected status (above):
Posted 23.12.2019: Tony Britton obituary:
"Britton resumed his stage career after the end of the war and in 1953-54 he appeared in a number of Shakespearean roles as part of the company at the Memorial Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon. They included Bassanio in The Merchant of Venice, Cassio in Othello, Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet and Lysander in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. As recently as 2013, he appeared as the Earl of Gloucester in a production of Shakespeare’s King Lear at the Old Vic in London, directed by Sir Jonathan Miller, who died last month" : www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/dec/22/tony-britton-british-actor-dies-aged-95 ; www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-50885272 ; www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2019/12/22/tony-britton-actor-stage-film-became-best-known-suave-comedy/ ; www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7818941/Actor-Tony-Britton-dies-age-95.html .
"Britton resumed his stage career after the end of the war and in 1953-54 he appeared in a number of Shakespearean roles as part of the company at the Memorial Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon. They included Bassanio in The Merchant of Venice, Cassio in Othello, Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet and Lysander in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. As recently as 2013, he appeared as the Earl of Gloucester in a production of Shakespeare’s King Lear at the Old Vic in London, directed by Sir Jonathan Miller, who died last month" : www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/dec/22/tony-britton-british-actor-dies-aged-95 ; www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-50885272 ; www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2019/12/22/tony-britton-actor-stage-film-became-best-known-suave-comedy/ ; www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7818941/Actor-Tony-Britton-dies-age-95.html .
Posted 29.11.2019 : Elizabeth I revealed as secret scribe of historic manuscript : The work is a translation of a book in which the Roman historian Tacitus wrote of the benefits of monarchical rule. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-50588168 ; https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/nov/29/handwriting-identifies-elizabeth-i-tacitus-translation ; www.aedaily.net/en-gb/posts/elizabeth-i-revealed-as-secret-scribe-of-historic-manuscript/ .
Posted 29.11.2019 : Sir Jonathan Miller, outspoken polymath, public intellectual and champion feuder whose career ranged from ‘Beyond the Fringe’ to opera and theatre directing – obituary : www.theguardian.com/stage/gallery/2019/nov/27/theatre-director-and-writer-sir-jonathan-miller-a-life-in-pictures ; www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2019/11/27/sir-jonathan-miller-outspoken-polymath-public-intellectual-champion/ ; www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-21144364 .
Posted 19.11.2019 : Times review of RSC's Measure for Measure at the Barbican (above).
Posted 25.11.2019 : Richard Lutz reviews King John at The Swan: : http://thebirminghampress.com/2019/11/rsc-review-shakespeare-play-swaps-genders-and-plants-itself-in-the-swinging-sixties/ .
Posted 17.10.2019: “Criticism,” observed the literary critic Harold Bloom, who has died aged 89, “starts (it has to start) with a real passion for reading... He forgot nothing, and retained his passionate love for literature and belief in its supreme value through dark decades in which “literary theory” – a term he scorned – threatened to displace the study of literature in US higher education" : www.theguardian.com/books/2019/oct/15/harold-bloom-obituary ; www.nytimes.com/2019/10/14/books/harold-bloom-dead.html ; www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2019/10/15/harold-bloom-colossus-american-letters-defended-primacy-traditional/ ; www.thetimes.co.uk/article/harold-bloom-obituary-99qvz5mfq .
Posted 15.10.2019 : [Above] Times Review (12.10.2019) of The King - based on Shakespeare's H41, H42 & H5.
Posted 05.10.2019 : Shakespeare and Quentin Tarantino : bloggingshakespeare.com/shakespeare-quentin-tarantino?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BloggingShakespeare+%28Blogging+Shakespeare%29 .
Posted 03.10.2019 : INTERVIEW- Stratford Herald: Rosie Sheehy on playing King John at the RSC : www.stratford-herald.com/102378-interview-rosie-sheehy-playing-king-john-rsc.html .
Posted 03.10.2019 : MEASURE FOR MEASURE, TRANS. AND DIR. JACK NIEBORG, SHAKESPEARE THEATER DIEVER, THE NETHERLANDS, SEPTEMBER 2019 : bloggingshakespeare.com/reviewing-shakespeare/measure-measure-trans-dir-jack-nieborg-shakespeare-theater-diever-netherlands-september-2019/?utm_source=Blogging+Shakespeare+RSS-Email&utm_campaign=c2d707c167-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_9b7c91aee0-c2d707c167-274586381 .
Posted 02.10.2019 : Royal Shakespeare Company ends BP partnership after student protest : www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-49906754 ; www.thestage.co.uk/news/2019/rsc-to-end-bp-sponsorship-amid-intensifying-pressure-from-climate-protesters/ ; www.stratford-herald.com/102535-breaking-rsc-end-sponsorship-partnership-bp.html .
Posted 03.10.2019: [Above] Reviews of the current RSC production of King John at the Swan, Stratford.
Posted 03.10.2019 : Michael Billington on King John at the Swan: : "... while I welcome its cynical, modern take on power politics ... I feel there are times when Aberg's hunger for innovation dwindles into idiocy." : www.theguardian.com/stage/2012/apr/20/king-john-review .
Posted 30.09.2019 : Macbeth, Chichester Festival Theatre, review: a muted John Simm and Dervla Kirwan are outshone by the scenery : www.telegraph.co.uk/theatre/what-to-see/macbeth-chichester-festival-theatre-review-muted-john-simm-dervla/ ; www.theguardian.com/stage/2019/sep/29/macbeth-review-chichester-festival-theatre-john-simm .
Saturday night’s performance of Macbeth on Chichester Festival Theatre’s main-house stage had to be abandoned after the glass stage became damaged [Below]: https://www.chichester.co.uk/news/people/damaged-glass-stage-halts-macbeth-performance-at-chichester-festival-theatre-1-9089343 .
Saturday night’s performance of Macbeth on Chichester Festival Theatre’s main-house stage had to be abandoned after the glass stage became damaged [Below]: https://www.chichester.co.uk/news/people/damaged-glass-stage-halts-macbeth-performance-at-chichester-festival-theatre-1-9089343 .
Posted 28.09.2019: Elizabeth I's lost dress to go on display at Hampton Court Palace : www.theguardian.com/education/2019/sep/27/elizabeth-first-lost-dress-to-go-on-display-at-hampton-court-palace .
[Posted 26.09.2019 : Michael Billington: Standard of Shakespeare productions is in decline Theatre critic Michael Billington has criticised the standard of Shakespearean acting and directing in British theatre, claiming current practitioners do not exhibit the same appetite for the genre as in previous decades: www.thestage.co.uk/news/2019/michael-billington-standard-shakespeare-productions-decline/ . [Above: Billington and Judi Dench]
Posted 17.09.2019: 'When Milton met Shakespeare: poet's notes on Bard appear to have been found' : Hailed as one of the most significant archival discoveries of modern times, text seems to show the Paradise Lost poet making careful annotations on his First Folio edition of Shakespeare’s plays: www.theguardian.com/books/2019/sep/16/when-milton-met-shakespeare-poets-notes-on-bard-appear-to-have-been-found .
Posted 17.09.2019: A woman who overcame breast cancer has defied the predictions of medical experts by becoming the first person to swim the Channel four consecutive times.Setting off just after midnight on Sunday, Sarah Thomas, 37, swam night and day for more than 54 hours, battling exhaustion and the currents for 84 miles. The strong tide meant her journey was equivalent to swimming 130 miles.
She arrived on Shakespeare Beach in Dover at 6.30 this morning with her support crew consisting of her husband, mother and three friends.
There are numerous references to Dover in King Lear and in one famous episode the disguised Edgar has led his blind father, Gloucester, and deceives him that he is at the top of a high cliff in a remarkable piece of perspectival description that creates a mental picture of the beach at a great distance below them. [See Act 4 Scene 6].
Posted 09.09.2019 : "Grandmother May Have Found a Ring Owned by Shakespeare" - err - maybe... : www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/posy-ring-0012534 .
Posted 06.09.2019 : Venice Film Festival 2019: The King review – Shakespeare’s game of thrones : www.standard.co.uk/go/london/film/the-king-review-venice-film-festival-2019-netflix-a4227601.html ; www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/a28565350/the-king-timothee-chalamet-netflix/ .
Posted 06.09.2019 : Othello, Shakespeare Company of Japan and Pirikap, dir. Kazumi Shimodate and Debo Akibe. Tara Arts, London. 7 August 2019 : bloggingshakespeare.com/reviewing-shakespeare/othello-shakespeare-company-japan-pirikap-dir-kazumi-shimodate-debo-akibe-tara-arts-london-2019/?utm_source=Blogging+Shakespeare+RSS-Email&utm_campaign=cf0bc9e367-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_9b7c91aee0-cf0bc9e367-274586381 .
Posted 17.09.2019: A woman who overcame breast cancer has defied the predictions of medical experts by becoming the first person to swim the Channel four consecutive times.Setting off just after midnight on Sunday, Sarah Thomas, 37, swam night and day for more than 54 hours, battling exhaustion and the currents for 84 miles. The strong tide meant her journey was equivalent to swimming 130 miles.
She arrived on Shakespeare Beach in Dover at 6.30 this morning with her support crew consisting of her husband, mother and three friends.
There are numerous references to Dover in King Lear and in one famous episode the disguised Edgar has led his blind father, Gloucester, and deceives him that he is at the top of a high cliff in a remarkable piece of perspectival description that creates a mental picture of the beach at a great distance below them. [See Act 4 Scene 6].
Posted 09.09.2019 : "Grandmother May Have Found a Ring Owned by Shakespeare" - err - maybe... : www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/posy-ring-0012534 .
Posted 06.09.2019 : Venice Film Festival 2019: The King review – Shakespeare’s game of thrones : www.standard.co.uk/go/london/film/the-king-review-venice-film-festival-2019-netflix-a4227601.html ; www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/a28565350/the-king-timothee-chalamet-netflix/ .
Posted 06.09.2019 : Othello, Shakespeare Company of Japan and Pirikap, dir. Kazumi Shimodate and Debo Akibe. Tara Arts, London. 7 August 2019 : bloggingshakespeare.com/reviewing-shakespeare/othello-shakespeare-company-japan-pirikap-dir-kazumi-shimodate-debo-akibe-tara-arts-london-2019/?utm_source=Blogging+Shakespeare+RSS-Email&utm_campaign=cf0bc9e367-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_9b7c91aee0-cf0bc9e367-274586381 .
Posted 30.08.2019: French to 're-write' Shakespeare's history of Agincourt : www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47427608 .
Posted 30.08.2019 : Eric Cantana baffles audience by (mis-)quoting from King Lear, before concluding: ‘I love football’ : www.theguardian.com/football/2019/aug/30/eric-cantona-eternal-war-crime-king-lear ; www.euronews.com/2019/08/29/eric-cantona-steals-show-with-shakespeare-at-champions-league-draw ; www.indy100.com/article/eric-cantona-speech-king-lear-shakespeare-uefa-presidents-award-9084866.
Posted 22.08.2019 : A centuries-old altar cloth from a rural English church part of the ‘lost dress’ of Elizabeth I : www.countrylife.co.uk/news/altar-cloth-lay-unnoticed-centuries-actually-lost-dress-elizabeth-set-go-public-display-201351 ; www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/08/11/elizabeth-lost-dress-go-display-athampton-court-thousand-hours/ .
Posted 09.08.2019 : Angela Merkel's holiday reading includes Stephen Greenblatt's Tyrant: www.archynewsy.com/the-tyrant-angela-merkel-reads-stephen-greenblatts-power-customer/ ; www.thetimes.co.uk/article/angela-merkel-seeks-tyranny-tips-in-macbeth-r66cvdm7s .
Posted 07.08.2019 : Clive Anderson: Me, Macbeth and I, review: a masterful strut upon the stage : www.telegraph.co.uk/theatre/what-to-see/clive-anderson-macbeth-review-masterful-strut-upon-stage/ .
Posted 07.08.2019 : Clive Anderson: Me, Macbeth and I, review: a masterful strut upon the stage : www.telegraph.co.uk/theatre/what-to-see/clive-anderson-macbeth-review-masterful-strut-upon-stage/ .
Posted 02.08.2019 : King Lear, dir. & libretto by Joke Hoolboom. Holland Opera, Jong Nederlands Blazers Ensemble and “155” dance group. Utrecht, Fort Rijnauwen, 12 July 2019 : bloggingshakespeare.com/reviewing-shakespeare/king-lear-dir-libretto-joke-hoolboom-utrecht-fort-rijnauwen-july-2019/?utm_source=Blogging+Shakespeare+RSS-Email&utm_campaign=5e455ad467-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_9b7c91aee0-5e455ad467-274586381 .
Posted 21.07.2019 : 'Rejection didn’t hurt my pride – I had none left': confessions of a failed actor : Profile of Rhik Samadder - author of I Never Said I Loved You: www.theguardian.com/stage/2019/jul/20/rhik-samadder-confessions-of-a-failed-actor .
Posted 20.07.2019 : Romeo and Juliet review, Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre, Blenheim Palace: Emilio Iannucci shines in a zesty, rough-and-tumble production : www.telegraph.co.uk/theatre/what-to-see/romeo-juliet-review-shakespeares-rose-theatre-blenheim-palace/ . YouTube Trailer: www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7z8FzNhF5Q .
Posted 20.07.2019 : Romeo and Juliet review, Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre, Blenheim Palace: Emilio Iannucci shines in a zesty, rough-and-tumble production : www.telegraph.co.uk/theatre/what-to-see/romeo-juliet-review-shakespeares-rose-theatre-blenheim-palace/ . YouTube Trailer: www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7z8FzNhF5Q .
Posted 17.07.2019 : Measure for Measure review – the best RSC show of the summer : www.theguardian.com/stage/2019/jul/08/measure-for-measure-review-royal-shakespeare-theatre-gregory-dorant ; www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/2019/measure-for-measure-review-at-royal-shakespeare-theatre-stratford-upon-avon-oppressively-bleak/ .
Posted 17.07.2019 : Wildest dreams: two midsummer nights with Shakespeare's fairies: The sun shines on the revels at Shakespeare’s Globe, while cruelty and creepiness rule at Regent’s Park Open Air theatre : www.theguardian.com/stage/2019/jul/08/a-midsummer-nights-dream-review-shakespeares-globe-london-regents-park-open-air-theatre .
Posted 17.07.2019 : Theatre ushers now wear body-cameras to record growing number of aggressive incidents : www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/07/16/theatre-ushers-now-wear-body-cameras-record-growing-number-aggressive/ .
Posted 17.07.2019 : Theatre ushers now wear body-cameras to record growing number of aggressive incidents : www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/07/16/theatre-ushers-now-wear-body-cameras-record-growing-number-aggressive/ .
Obituary: Freddie Jones - "one of Britain’s most treasured character actors".
"Jones joined the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Aldwych, playing Cucurucu in Peter Brook’s production of Marat/Sade, reprising the part on Broadway and in the film version of 1967. But he did not relish his time at the RSC – “I was marked down, along with people like Tim West and John Nettleton, as a BCM – a bad company member” – and turned down an offer to rejoin them in 1980": www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2019/07/10/freddie-jones-one-britains-treasured-character-actors-played/ ; www.theguardian.com/film/2019/jul/10/freddie-jones-obituary .
"Jones joined the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Aldwych, playing Cucurucu in Peter Brook’s production of Marat/Sade, reprising the part on Broadway and in the film version of 1967. But he did not relish his time at the RSC – “I was marked down, along with people like Tim West and John Nettleton, as a BCM – a bad company member” – and turned down an offer to rejoin them in 1980": www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2019/07/10/freddie-jones-one-britains-treasured-character-actors-played/ ; www.theguardian.com/film/2019/jul/10/freddie-jones-obituary .
Posted 25.06.2019 : Following its highly acclaimed inaugural season in York, Europe’s first-ever pop up Shakespearean theatre arrives at Blenheim Palace for summer 2019 [8th July - 7th September] :
Four of William Shakespeare’s most popular plays - Macbeth, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Richard III and Romeo & Juliet will transport audiences to the intimate atmosphere of an Elizabethan playhouse, with plenty of breath-taking, spine-tingling and heart-stopping moments : www.blenheimpalace.com/whats-on/events/shakespearesrt/ .
Posted 25.06.2019 : Mark Rylance - "With its links to BP, I can’t stay in the Royal Shakespeare Company" : www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jun/21/royal-shakespeare-company-rsc-bp-sponsorship-climate-crisis ; www.thestage.co.uk/news/2019/mark-rylance-resigns-as-rsc-associate-artist-over-bp-sponsorship/ .
Posted 20.06.2019 : Intermission: the theatre troupe changing young lives with 'remixed' Shakespeare : www.telegraph.co.uk/theatre/what-to-see/intermission-theatre-troupe-changing-young-lives-remixed-shakespeare/ - young prisoners 'saved'by Shakespeare.
Four of William Shakespeare’s most popular plays - Macbeth, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Richard III and Romeo & Juliet will transport audiences to the intimate atmosphere of an Elizabethan playhouse, with plenty of breath-taking, spine-tingling and heart-stopping moments : www.blenheimpalace.com/whats-on/events/shakespearesrt/ .
Posted 25.06.2019 : Mark Rylance - "With its links to BP, I can’t stay in the Royal Shakespeare Company" : www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jun/21/royal-shakespeare-company-rsc-bp-sponsorship-climate-crisis ; www.thestage.co.uk/news/2019/mark-rylance-resigns-as-rsc-associate-artist-over-bp-sponsorship/ .
Posted 20.06.2019 : Intermission: the theatre troupe changing young lives with 'remixed' Shakespeare : www.telegraph.co.uk/theatre/what-to-see/intermission-theatre-troupe-changing-young-lives-remixed-shakespeare/ - young prisoners 'saved'by Shakespeare.
Posted 12.06.2019 : Review of A Midsummer Night's Dream at The Bridge Theatre, London: www.telegraph.co.uk/theatre/what-to-see/midsummer-nights-dream-review-bridge-theatre-erotic-enchanting/ ; www.theguardian.com/stage/2019/jun/11/a-midsummer-nights-dream-review-bridge-theatre-london-gwendoline-christie-nicholas-hytner ; www.londontown.com/LondonEvents/A-Midsummer-Nights-Dream/262e9/ .
Posted 12,06.2019 : Reviews of Venice Preserved by John Otway at the Swan, Stratford : www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/may/01/venice-preservd-spectators-guild-review ; www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/2019/venice-preserved-review-at-swan-theatre-stratford-upon-avon-bold-stylish-production/?login_to=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thestage.co.uk%2Faccounts%2Fusers%2Fsign_up.popup ; www.telegraph.co.uk/theatre/what-to-see/venice-preserved-rsc-swan-review-less-tragedy-pity-actors/
Posted 12,06.2019 : Reviews of Venice Preserved by John Otway at the Swan, Stratford : www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/may/01/venice-preservd-spectators-guild-review ; www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/2019/venice-preserved-review-at-swan-theatre-stratford-upon-avon-bold-stylish-production/?login_to=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thestage.co.uk%2Faccounts%2Fusers%2Fsign_up.popup ; www.telegraph.co.uk/theatre/what-to-see/venice-preserved-rsc-swan-review-less-tragedy-pity-actors/
Posted 24.04.2019 : The Taming of the Shrew review, RST: an interesting but underpowered exercise in gender-swapping : www.telegraph.co.uk/theatre/what-to-see/taming-shrew-review-royal-shakespeare-theatre-stratford-upon/ .
Posted 24.04.2019 : Deaf actor steps in for hearing one at Royal Shakespeare Company production in theatrical first : www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/04/21/deaf-actor-steps-hearing-one-royal-shakespeare-company-production/ .
Posted 13.04.2019 : May as Polonius, Gove as Cassius: is Brexit a Shakespearean tragedy? : www.theguardian.com/books/2019/apr/12/brexit-tragedy-worthy-of-shakespeare-emma-smith .
Posted 13.04.2019 : William Shakespeare's London home 'identified by historian' : www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-47907984 .
Posted 09.04.2019 : Below is the link to Richard Lutz's review of the current production of As You Like It at the RST for the 'Birmingham Press'. See below (posted 27.02.2019) for other reviews: thebirminghampress.com/2019/04/as-you-like-it-bells-whistles-but-all-too-tricksy/ .
Posted 15.03.2019 : Sir Jonathan Bate : Oxford provost at centre of 'poison pen' campaign is to step down : www.telegraph.co.uk/education/2019/03/14/oxford-provost-centre-poison-pen-campaign-step/ ; www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6806055/SEBASTIAN-SHAKESPEARE-Oxford-University-head-Sir-Jonathan-Bate-quits-abusive-letters.html .
Posted 11.03.2019 : Richard II, Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, review: the Globe makes history with this first ever all-female, all-BAME Shakespeare : www.telegraph.co.uk/theatre/what-to-see/richard-ii-review-sam-wanamaker-playhouse-globe-makes-history/ ; www.standard.co.uk/go/london/theatre/richard-ii-review-sam-wanamaker-playhouse-shakespeares-globe-a4085026.html ; www.theguardian.com/stage/2019/mar/10/richard-ii-sam-wanamaker-globe-adjoa-andoh-alys-always-bridge-inside-bitch-royal-court-review .
Posted 27.02.1019 : In the RSC's As You Like It, Pippa Nixon gives one of the most entrancing Rosalinds Charles Spencer has ever seen : www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-reviews/10015483/As-You-Like-It-RSC-Stratford-upon-Avon-review.html ; www.theguardian.com/stage/2019/feb/21/as-you-like-it-review-royal-shakespeare-theatre-stratford-upon-avon .
Posted 09.02.2019 : All Is True review – Kenneth Branagh and Ben Elton's poignant Bard biopic : www.theguardian.com/film/2018/dec/21/all-is-true-review-ben-elton-kenneth-branagh-shakespeare .
Posted 09.02.2019 : Albert Finney obituary : www.theguardian.com/film/2019/feb/08/albert-finney-obituary .
Posted 24.12.2018: Obituary Ralph Koltai - stage designer who designed sets for the RSC and the National Theatre : www.theguardian.com/stage/2018/dec/18/ralph-koltai-obituary; www.thestage.co.uk/features/obituaries/2018/obituary-ralph-koltai-the-most-influential-stage-designer-in-british-theatre-in-the-latter-half-of-the-20th-century/. [Above: Set design for As You Like It, The Old Vic, 1967]
Posted 22.12.2018 : NT LIVE: THE TRAGEDY OF KING RICHARD THE SECOND with Simon Russell Beal direct from the Almeida Theatre to a cinema near you...! www.everymancinema.com/stratford-upon-avon/film-info/nt-live-the-tragedy-of-king-richard-the-second#scroll .
Posted 24.04.2019 : Deaf actor steps in for hearing one at Royal Shakespeare Company production in theatrical first : www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/04/21/deaf-actor-steps-hearing-one-royal-shakespeare-company-production/ .
Posted 13.04.2019 : May as Polonius, Gove as Cassius: is Brexit a Shakespearean tragedy? : www.theguardian.com/books/2019/apr/12/brexit-tragedy-worthy-of-shakespeare-emma-smith .
Posted 13.04.2019 : William Shakespeare's London home 'identified by historian' : www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-47907984 .
Posted 09.04.2019 : Below is the link to Richard Lutz's review of the current production of As You Like It at the RST for the 'Birmingham Press'. See below (posted 27.02.2019) for other reviews: thebirminghampress.com/2019/04/as-you-like-it-bells-whistles-but-all-too-tricksy/ .
Posted 15.03.2019 : Sir Jonathan Bate : Oxford provost at centre of 'poison pen' campaign is to step down : www.telegraph.co.uk/education/2019/03/14/oxford-provost-centre-poison-pen-campaign-step/ ; www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6806055/SEBASTIAN-SHAKESPEARE-Oxford-University-head-Sir-Jonathan-Bate-quits-abusive-letters.html .
Posted 11.03.2019 : Richard II, Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, review: the Globe makes history with this first ever all-female, all-BAME Shakespeare : www.telegraph.co.uk/theatre/what-to-see/richard-ii-review-sam-wanamaker-playhouse-globe-makes-history/ ; www.standard.co.uk/go/london/theatre/richard-ii-review-sam-wanamaker-playhouse-shakespeares-globe-a4085026.html ; www.theguardian.com/stage/2019/mar/10/richard-ii-sam-wanamaker-globe-adjoa-andoh-alys-always-bridge-inside-bitch-royal-court-review .
Posted 27.02.1019 : In the RSC's As You Like It, Pippa Nixon gives one of the most entrancing Rosalinds Charles Spencer has ever seen : www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-reviews/10015483/As-You-Like-It-RSC-Stratford-upon-Avon-review.html ; www.theguardian.com/stage/2019/feb/21/as-you-like-it-review-royal-shakespeare-theatre-stratford-upon-avon .
Posted 09.02.2019 : All Is True review – Kenneth Branagh and Ben Elton's poignant Bard biopic : www.theguardian.com/film/2018/dec/21/all-is-true-review-ben-elton-kenneth-branagh-shakespeare .
Posted 09.02.2019 : Albert Finney obituary : www.theguardian.com/film/2019/feb/08/albert-finney-obituary .
Posted 24.12.2018: Obituary Ralph Koltai - stage designer who designed sets for the RSC and the National Theatre : www.theguardian.com/stage/2018/dec/18/ralph-koltai-obituary; www.thestage.co.uk/features/obituaries/2018/obituary-ralph-koltai-the-most-influential-stage-designer-in-british-theatre-in-the-latter-half-of-the-20th-century/. [Above: Set design for As You Like It, The Old Vic, 1967]
Posted 22.12.2018 : NT LIVE: THE TRAGEDY OF KING RICHARD THE SECOND with Simon Russell Beal direct from the Almeida Theatre to a cinema near you...! www.everymancinema.com/stratford-upon-avon/film-info/nt-live-the-tragedy-of-king-richard-the-second#scroll .