#MindTheBard: Leprosy (Henry VI, part 2)

Ah, leprosy. A disease (along with gout, syphilis & rabies) that for some reason makes me snigger, despite how terrible it would actually be to have it. It’s mentioned in a few of Shakespeare’s plays, but as the Henry VI Henriad is such a rarity, I thought this was the one to go for. This part […]

#MindTheBard: Leech (Henry V)

To kick off the week, we go once more unto the leech… Giant Microbes aren’t just about ‘germs’, as we shall see over the course of this week, with worms, organs & various other biomedical critters making up the collection. The humble leech has been sucked out of one of Shakespeare’s most well-known histories: Henry V. […]

The Show Must Go Online: Henry VI, part two

Exit Joan of Arc and enter Jack Cade, as The Show Must Go Online barrels from Henry VI, part one straight into Henry VI, part two. Commonly viewed as the best instalment of this particular trilogy, and with the largest collection of characters in all of Shakespeare’s plays, the production was billed with this description: “Illicit affairs. […]

Play by Candlelight 2019/20: preview

With the summer season over, we now retreat into the cosier confines of the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse for the next winter season at Shakespeare’s Globe: She Wolves and Shrews. As well as several offerings from the Bard, there will also be a contribution from one of his close collaborators, plus a couple of pieces of […]