Shakespeare

Writer: William Shakespeare Director: Elle While Reviewer: Maryam Philpott Sir John Falstaff is one of comedy’s greatest characters; a bawd, a drunk and a rogue, Falstaff’s friendship with and subsequent betrayal by the young Prince Hal on his way to kingship has had audiences flocking to the theatre for centuries. Falstaff was so popular that he even earned the sixteenth-century ...

Writer: William Shakespeare Director & Adaptor: Erica Schmidt Reviewer: Adrienne Sowers The politics of being a preteen girl are dark, complex, and can feel like life-or-death stakes are involved. Whispers and rumors fuel hormone-charged energies and create tension and high drama. So it stands to reason that Red Bull Theater’s production of MacBeth, ably adapted and directed by Erica Schmidt, ...

Writer: William Shakespeare Director: John Haidar Reviewer: James Garrington All too often productions which label themselves “innovative” and “revelatory” turn out to be anything but that – simply a recycling of old ideas with a relatively minor tweak here and there. While, as they say, there’s nothing new in theatre, this production of Richard III by Headlong could certainly never be ...

Writer: William Shakespeare Director: Paul Burbridge Designers: Sean Cavanagh, Anna Gooch Music/Sound: Patrick Burbridge Reviewer: Ron Simpson York certainly does Shakespeare proud, with the return of the Shakespeare’s Rose season at the end of June preceded by the York International Shakespeare Festival from May 9 to 19. There are a whole series of short-run productions/performances at the new pop-up space, ...

Writer: William Shakespeare  Director: Conrad Nelson Reviewer: Jo Beggs If there was ever a worry that Northern Broadsides would lose its Broadsides-ness after the departure of founder and true actor-manager Barrie Rutter, then their production ofMuch Ado About Nothing is here to remind us all of just what they stand for. After twenty-five years at the helm, Rutter departed the ...

Writer: William Shakespeare Director: Adam Nichols Reviewer: Karl O'Doherty Though it touches on some very nice ideas, and finishes with an extremely strong idea executed well, the production as a whole feels scrappy, rushed and unbalanced. Wrapping in contemporary music throughout, with some strong vocal performances, gives it a freshness and some life but isn’t enough to revive it completely. ...

Writer: Shakespeare via Magnificent Bastard Productions Reviewer: Maryam Philpott Being drunk on stage is rarely an asset, but productions have been famously derailed by inebriated actors, the trick is to make a virtue of it. The company behind the Sh!t-Faced Shakespeare series have been doing just that for the best part of a decade by deliberately sending one cast member ...

Composer: Giuseppe Verdi Text: Francesco Maria Piave and Andrea Maffei, after Shakespeare Conductor: Gerry Cornelius Director: James Dacre Designer: Frankie Bradshaw Reviewer: Ron Simpson English Touring Opera has, in recent years, built a formidable reputation for the quality of its productions of baroque opera, but the company’s Spring 2019 tour offers operas by Verdi, Mozart and (though not in York) ...