A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Civil Brawl Theatre Company, directed by Richard Nunn at Number 1 Shakespeare Street, Stratford upon Avon, 18 July 2017 Reviewed by Sara Marie Westh “A sad tale’s best for winter”, says Mamillius, which implies that merry tales, such as Dream are perfect for summer. Civil Brawl’s production in the upper floor at […]
Titus Andronicus at The RST, dir. Blanche McIntyre, 1/7/2017. Reviewed by Sara Marie Westh The red warning posters warns prospective audience members at the RST that the play they are about to see is Shakespeare’s bloodiest, and that it contains “bad language”. The former statement is undoubtedly true, while the latter appears to pass judgement of […]
Twelfth Night, Watermill, dir. Paul Hart, York Theatre Royal. 19 May 2017. Reviewed by Sarah Olive This production was one of two offerings from Watermill Theatre at the second York International Shakespeare Festival (Romeo and Juliet was the other). Both traded heavily on the incorporation of live music into the productions: Romeo and Juliet with […]
The Cardinal by James Shirley, directed by Justin Audibert for Troupe at Southwark Playhouse, 2 May 2017 Reviewed by Peter Malin References to the play are to James Shirley, The Cardinal, ed. by E. M. Yearling, Revels Plays Series (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1986) Conventionally-staged productions of early modern plays, in period costume, have […]
Tamburlaine by Christopher Marlowe. Adapted and directed by Ng Choon Ping for Yellow Earth Theatre at the Old Fire Station, Oxford, 13 April 2017. Reviewed by Peter Malin All textual references are to Christopher Marlowe, Tamburlaine the Great: Parts I and II, ed. by John D. Jump, Regents Renaissance Drama Series (London: Arnold, 1967). […]
Henry V dir. John-Robert Partridge for Tread the Boards Theatre Company at the Attic Theatre, Stratford upon Avon, England, April 2017. Reviewed by Sara Marie Westh, University of Birmingham. I should begin this review by admitting that Henry V is my favourite Shakespeare play. In the current political climate, a highly jingoistic tale about English […]
Pamela Schermann’s Othello: Iago’s Capitalist Tragedy, Time Zone Theatre Company @ Waterloo East Theatre, London, 10 March 2015. Cast: James Barnes (Othello), Trevor Murphy (Iago), Charlie Blackwood (Desdemona), Ella Duncan (Emilia), Denholm Spurr (Cassio). Reviewed by Charlene Cruxent One table. Three chairs. Five actors. White curtains. That’s all it takes for Pamela Schermann to create […]
Edward II by Christopher Marlowe. Directed by Charlotte Vickers for Oxford University Dramatic Society et al., Oxford Playhouse, 28 January 2017. Reviewed by Peter Malin References to the play are to Christopher Marlowe, Edward the Second, ed. by Martin Wiggins and Robert Lindsey, New Mermaids, 2nd edn (London: A. & C. Black, […]
The Dark Horse by Rosemary Anne Sisson, FRED theatre, Directed by Robert Ball at The Shakespeare Institute, May 2016 Reviewed by Sara Marie Westh I always wondered why Shakespeare left Henry VII out of the histories. My peers jokingly claim that the playwright detested Henry for being the dullest king ever. During his brief appearances […]
King Lear at the Old Vic, dir. Deborah Warner, Friday 28th October 2016 Reviewed by Ronan Hatfull, University of Warwick During the interval of the Old Vic’s current production of King Lear, which is directed by Deborah Warner and significantly marks two-time Academy Award winner Glenda Jackson’s return to the stage after serving as an […]
