Theatre: Shakespeare 1. Romeo and Juliet (RSC). 2. King Lear (RSC). 3. As You Like It (West Yorkshire Playhouse). 4. Measure for Measure (Almeida). 5. The Winter’s Tale (RSC/Roundhouse). 6. Henry IV part 2 (Globe). 7. Macbeth (Globe). 8. Antony and Cleopatra (RSC). 9. Antony and Cleopatra (Liverpool Playhouse). 10. Hamlet (The Crucible, Sheffield). 11.…
When I saw Antony and Cleopatra in Stratford, I felt that Artistic Director, Michael Boyd’s vision of the RSC ensemble and how it should be put into reality seemed to come to fruition in the production. The house lights are up for most of the production creating a real awareness of the audience watching. The vomitaria are used a lot…
Outside in the town of Stratford it was raining every day. Inside, the Courtyard Theatre, there is a promise of sunshine as the sun streams through the doors and windows across a dimmed stage and auditorium. The play will commence in the dusky light of the moment when the day begins to turn to night and will…
Read more Twelfth Night (The Courtyard Theatre, w/c 9th November 2009)
This is becoming the As You Like It summer. I’ve already blogged about the Curve production, RSC production, and the Globe production, but felt that I had make mention of the RSC one again after seeing Mariah Gale go on as understudy for Rosalind. On this occasion, there were no press releases or reports of…
Wow, this is a production that as well as being entertaining, is also very political and makes you think. Superb casting of Antony Sher as Prospero and John Kani as Caliban really emphasises the postcolonial themes in the play. The play makes us think about the Caliban and Propsero relationship in terms of relationships…
Read more The Tempest (The Courtyard, 26th, 27th, 28th February 2009)
Romeo and Juliet is not my favourite play and I think that it is because I get so frustrated with Romeo and the way he constantly changes his mind. It’s this lack of focus which ends up with Metruchio being killed. I found this production a little too fussy. Firstly, there was a sense of…
Read more Romeo and Juliet (21st and 22nd January 2009) Courtyard Theatre
Julie Raby 