I thought that the RSC’s idea to pair Love’s Labour’s Lost with Much Ado About Nothing was an interesting one, and provided an opportunity to explore the two plays together. The rationale behind this decision was that Much Ado About Nothing must be the lost play, Love’s Labour’s Won, and so the RSC called it’s production of Much…
Read more Much Ado about Love’s Labour’s Lost and Won (RST, September 2014 to March 12th 2015)
The post contains spoilers, so if you haven’t seen this production yet and don’t want to know about some of the production’s surprises, then it is best not to read this post. Having seen this production again in Stratford after the Previews had taken place and then at the Barbican, I have had more time…
Read more ‘…all hail!’ to me? So Judas did to Christ..’ (Revisiting Richard II, RST and Barbican, October 27th to Wednesday 8th January 2014).
The Summer RST Company have left, and the barriers have appeared around the stage door. Tweeters twitter about how wonderful David Tennant’s performance is. It’s an ‘enthralling performance’, ‘just extraordinary’ and ‘mesmerising’ they say. Richard II enters the stage and is at the centre of his court with his flatters whispering in his ear. The casting of David Tennant…
Read more Richard II (RST, Preview performances 10th, 11th, 12th October 2013)
All’s Well That Ends Well isn’t performed very often, so it is always really a refreshing change from the normal schedule when a production comes along. After seeing Marianne Elliot’s stunning fairy tale version at the national a few years ago, it is hard to envisage how the play might be staged without the fairy…
Read more All’s Well That End’s Well (Royal Shakespeare Theatre, 25th July 2013)
The Heart of Robin Hood took a different twist on the traditional story, but this approach isn’t new and so having a strong Marian and wayward Robin was not a surprise. There were some good things. For example, I really liked the way the actors presented animals using musical instruments. The problem I had with…
Read more Heart of Robin Hood (Royal Shakespeare Theatre, 6th January 2012)
23rd February 2011. The RSC are coming home. There is no fanfare or long speeches, but there is an energetic buzz moving across the audience for the Royal Shakespeare Company’s first night in the new Royal Shakespeare Theatre. This was what they called a soft opening. Nearly 7:15 pm Edgar (Charles Aitken) is already on stage. I…
Read more The RSC comes home
Julie Raby: A Dyslexic Writer 