Twelfth Night (RSC 2017): Music & Speeches

One of the great things about the RSC is that they regularly release mementos of their productions, by way of both DVD and CD. I was glad to see that their recent Twelfth Night (starring Adrian Edmondson and Kara Tointon) became part of this collection, saving several musical performances and songs for eternity. Set around […]

Stratford-upon-Avon: a guide

If you want to get a bit more of a flavour of Shakespeare’s personal life, there really is only one place you should visit: Stratford-upon-Avon. Not that it’s the most well-connected place in the country, but it definitely is worth the effort – whether you take two trains from London, drive yourself, or whatever, the […]

Shit-faced Shakespeare: The Merchant of Venice

After eight years, you might think that a concept was on the verge of running out of steam – not Shit-faced Shakespeare! Since they began in 2010, they’ve enjoyed many sell-out runs at both Edinburgh and Brighton fringe festivals, also playing in Australia and, since 2015, performing in Boston, USA. The team also has regular […]

Emma Rice at the Globe: top 10

It’s officially into Emma Rice’s last week at Shakespeare’s Globe, and I’m fully expecting to have a meltdown come Saturday evening… So while I’m still functioning, I thought it would be great to celebrate some of my favourite things about her time as the artistic director of the Globe – both from her shows and […]

WILL

Countless theories persist about the identity of William Shakespeare, thanks to his humble upbringing in Stratford-upon-Avon – and the so-called “lost years” of 1585-1592, where no evidence of his career or personal life exists. It is this period of time that Will et Compagnie seek to explore (alongside Unfolds Theatre) in their production of Victoria […]

Missed The Boat: Something Rotten

The West End definitely missed a trick with this one in 2016. When everywhere else was cashing in on it being the 200th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, London’s big theatres missed the opportunity to bring Karey & Wayne Kirkpatrick’s Bard-based musical to a new audience. And, as my luck always seems to go, it closed […]

Julius Caesar (Spada Productions)

“We need bold art more than ever now, so I wanted to create a version of Julius Caesar that pushes boundaries and takes the audience and actors out of their comfort zone.” So says director (& Caesar) William Vercelli about the Spada Productions version of the Shakespeare classic that has just begun a stint at […]

Macbeth (Unfolds Theatre)

2018 is shaping up to be the year of the Scottish Play – and first up is Unfolds Theatre, with their production of Macbeth at Bankside’s Rose Playhouse. The company are always keen to innovate, draw in new audiences and provoke discussion about their work, producing both new and classic pieces. I’m sure you’re all familiar […]

Never Mind The Blog… Here’s February 2018

Missed what January had to offer? Have a quick skim over the first post if you like, and then see what’s happening in the shortest month of the year. No time to revamp the logo, so for now you’ll still have to bear with my ‘interesting’ design… There’s another slew of openings and early previews […]

Julius Caesar

Last year, New York’s Public Theater caused a stir with their production of Shakespeare’s political thriller, as they presented it in modern dress with the eponymous emperor looking remarkably similar to President Donald Trump. What followed was a series of misunderstandings, culminating in the withdrawal of Delta Airlines and Bank of America funding. Nicholas Hytner […]