Reviewed by Elizabeth Sharrett (The Shakespeare Institute, University of Birmingham) The third instalment of Greg Doran’s Henriad began with a departure from the “doublet and hose” aesthetic of the two previous productions, and for a moment I thought we were in for a very different show. After a polite reminder to “switch off mobile phones”, […]
1 Henry IV, directed by Gregory Doran for the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, 16 April 2014 Review by Eoin Price Gregory Doran’s Henry IV began where his Richard II left off. As King Henry (here played by Jasper Britton, rather than Nigel Lindsay) acknowledged his guilt at deposing the anointed […]
Antony and Cleopatra at the Public Originally published on stevementz.com on 3 March 2014. Review by Steve Mentz About half a minute into the performance, when Jonathan Cake’s impossibly tall and shirtless Antony strained heavenward while commanding Rome to melt into the Tiber, my eleven-year old daughter Olivia, seeing the play for the first time, […]
Richard II directed by Gregory Doran for the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford Upon Avon and Barbican Centre, London, England (performances between October 27th 2013 and January 25th 2014). A version of this blog was published on Between The Acts, Julieraby.com Review by Julie Raby Oliver Rix’s Aumerle is a […]
Stage versus screen? Richard II (RSC) @ Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon (11 November 2013) and Renoir Cinema, London (12 November 2013) Originally posted on Erin Sullivan’s blog at digitalshakespeares.wordpress.com. Review by Erin Sullivan The other week I did something unusual, at least for me – I saw the same Shakespeare production back-to-back, going to a Tuesday […]
Originally published on The Bardathon, 30 October 2013. As a statement of intent, Gregory Doran’s launch to his tenure as RSC Associate Director is perfectly judged. Richard II is the most ‘Doranish’ production one could imagine, from the gorgeously conceived lighting design to the sensitive treatment of male-male relationships, from the meticulous attention to detail in the tiniest roles […]
Review of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet (directed by Rupert Goold for the Royal Shakespeare Company) at the Roundhouse, London, 4 December 2010 Originally published in Shakespeare, 7:2 (2011), 208-21. By B. J. Sokol, Goldsmiths, University of London. To throw the biggest bouquet first, Mariah Gale’s performance of Juliet was among the best I have seen. All of Gale’s […]
Review of Shakespeare’s King Lear (directed by David Farr for the Royal Shakespeare Company) at the Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, 30 March 2010. Originally published in Shakespeare, 7.2 (2011), 217-22. By Kate Rumbold (University of Birmingham) Halfway through a successful three-year project, the Royal Shakespeare Company remains highly committed to the principles of ensemble theatre: its website states, “We […]
Nicholas Hytner’s National Theatre production of Othello, with Adrian Lester as Othello and Rory Kinnear as Iago, was a big hit this year; it won five star reviews in the press and the live transmission played to cinema audiences around the world. Several critics noted that Hytner had reconstructed the play to make it less about racism – […]
In an interview in The Independent newspaper Maria Aberg, director of this season’s As You Like It at the RSC, acknowledged the play’s reputation as ‘lightweight and insubstantial’ and I must admit it’s one I struggle with. On paper it’s got everything; comedy, love interest and drama but all too often the comedy misfires, the love stories meander and the […]
