Saturday 8th October 2022 at Corbett Theatre, London ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Reviewer: Issy Flower Writer Miriam Babooram and director Karina Aviva Benjamin’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Rape of Lucrece holds promise, but overreaches at times—this collision of the old and the new tries too hard to make its themes relevant, but in doing so produces some gorgeous... Continue Reading →
Review: Much Ado About Nothing (Tour)
Tuesday 27th September 2022 at Leeds Playhouse. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ All’s fair in love and a merry war? Ask this bunch! Much Ado About Nothing is one of William Shakespeare’s best comedies - it’s certainly one of my absolute favourites. Here, Ramps on the Moon and Sheffield Theatres have teamed up for a production of this comedic... Continue Reading →
Spotlight on: Frantic Assembly’s “Othello” – Lyn Gardner Chats to AD Scott Graham
September 2022 Interview by: Lyn Gardner Why did you change Shakespeare’s language? That’s the question that someone in the audience asked leading British theatre company Frantic Assembly after seeing its production of Shakespeare’s Othello which relocates the play from 16th century Venice to a pub on a run-down Yorkshire housing estate in a post-industrial town.... Continue Reading →
Review: Northern Broadsides’ “As You Like It”
Wednesday 23rd March 2022 at York Theatre Royal. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ As You Like It is a tricky comedy to stage. It’s rich with famous Shakespearean gems and some great characters, but it’s also labyrinthian in places and it’s certainly one of the more overly generous of Will’s plays in terms of running time, which makes it... Continue Reading →
Review: Macbeth (Leeds Playhouse)
Friday 4th March, 2022, at Leeds Playhouse. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ In Shakespeare’s epic tragedy, ambition provides the ultimate downfall for its eponymous tragic hero. In this production though, ambition finds rich rewards, and as with her 2019 Hamlet, this take on Macbeth provides a great example of Director Amy Leach’s impressive talent for staging Shakespeare’s work for... Continue Reading →
Interview: HandleBards AD Tom Dixon Talks Shaking Up Shakespeare
February 2022 The playfully irreverent HandleBards travel the land armed with lively, comic takes on Shakespeare’s plays, bringing the funny to plays in which we might least expect to find it. This inventive troupe are currently bringing a comic take on “Macbeth” to audiences, touring it until March 9th, before taking on “Twelfth Night” until... Continue Reading →
Review: The HandleBards’ Macbeth
Tuesday 25th January 2022 at York Theatre Royal. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ The HandleBards are back, and this time they’re taking on Shakespeare’s Macbeth in a loose, comic retelling. As with their recent tour of Romeo and Juliet, this production moves at a mile a minute and keeps all involved on their toes, with Emma Sampson directing three... Continue Reading →
Interview: Orla Sanders Talks Taking on “Twelfth Night” – Solo
The talented Orla Sanders returns to the Camden Fringe with a brand new and very ambitious show this year: a one woman “Twelfth Night”. You can catch this mammoth undertaking of twelve characters and 7,500 words performed by one actress in just sixty minutes at the Etcetera Theatre on August 23rd and 24th (1.30pm). Here,... Continue Reading →
Interview: Charlotte Cline & Gavin Leigh Talk All Things ‘60 Hour Shakespeare’
60 Hour Shakespeare...sounds pretty intense right? It’s not quite a case of a Shakespeare-themed lock-in, but it’s still pretty ambitious. The company’s USP is aiming to produce Shakespeare’s works within the rehearsal timeframe available to actors while the bard was alive and well. It all sounds rather unique and intriguing so I was glad to... Continue Reading →
Spotlight on Shakespeare: Top 5 Productions
April 2020 With celebrations of good old William Shakespeare’s ‘birthday’ everywhere this week, I got to thinking about some of the great Shakespeare productions I’ve seen over the years... let’s face it, there’s not much else to do these days but take various strolls down memory lane! There have been many productions, but only five... Continue Reading →