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Brush up your Shakespeare
Aug. 5th, 2019 07:18 pmMy reading list is full of Shakespeare, and who am I to see a bandwagon and not jump?
All's Well That Ends Well - neither seen nor read
Antony and Cleopatra - studied for A-level. Saw the Talawa Theatre Company's all-black production at the Bloomsbury Theatre in 1991, which seemed to go on for several years.
As You Like It - studied at university, saw an RSC production a few years ago.
The Comedy of Errors - this was the play some friends of mine took to the Fringe in 1995, just after we'd graduated from university. I saw the original production in Warwick Arts Centre and went up to Edinburgh to lend moral support, hang out, drink too much, smoke too much and eat junk food. Possibly the only production of Shakespeare ever to include a character saying "And your little dog too!" in the style of the Wicked Witch of the West, though I wouldn't place bets on that.
Coriolanus - studied at university; RSC in 1994 with Toby Stephens, and Ralph Fiennes's film version.
Cymbeline - RSC production a couple of years ago with a female Cymbeline and a definite eye to Brexit in the interpretation.
Hamlet - studied at university; RSC productions with David Tennant and Paapa Essiedu, Olivier's film and a very gory production with a tiny cast at (IIRC) Basingstoke Technical College in the 1980s, which was the first Shakespeare I ever saw. I also stage-managed an all-female production when I was at university, my one and only venture into theatricals.
Henry IV, Parts I and II - RSC with Antony Sher as Falstaff
Henry V - RSC, following on from the Henry IV plays; also the Olivier and Branagh films
Henry VI, Parts I, II and III - neither seen nor read
Henry VIII - neither seen nor read
Julius Caesar - pretty sure I studied it at university, and saw an RSC production a few years ago.
King John - neither seen nor read
King Lear - studied at university; RSC production in 2010
Love's Labour's Lost - neither seen nor read
Macbeth - studied for GCSE and at university. Have seen the Roman Polanski film and the recent version with Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard, the livestream of the recent RSC production with Christoper Eccleston and a touring production with James Bolam in Farnham, Surrey in 1989.
Measure for Measure - neither seen nor read
The Merchant of Venice - saw an RSC production with Patrick Stewart as Shylock a few years ago
The Merry Wives of Windsor - neither seen nor read
A Midsummer Night's Dream - studied pre-GCSE and at university; saw a (very good) amateur production at my sixth form college and a 1994 RSC production with Alex Jennings and Hadyn Gwynne, among others,
Much Ado about Nothing - studied at university, I think; I've never managed to see a live production but have seen the Kenneth Branagh and Joss Whedon films.
Othello - studied at university; have seen livestreams of the National Theatre production with Adrian Lester and Rory Kinnear (except that the cinema's power went during Act 5, Scene 1, leaving us all on tenterhooks about whether or not Othello and Desdemona would be able to work things out) and the 2015 RSC production which had the first black Iago.
Pericles, Prince of Tyre - neither seen nor read
Richard II - saw the RSC production with David Tennant
Richard III - have seen the Ian McKellan film
Romeo and Juliet - fell asleep while attempting to watch the Baz Luhrmann film while off work sick in about 1999, never seen another production or read.
The Taming of the Shrew - studied for A-level and at university, saw an RSC production a few years ago which I wasn't particularly impressed with.
The Tempest - studied at university; saw the 2009 RSC production with Antony Sher and the livestream of the more recent one with Simon Russell Beale.
Timon of Athens - neither seen nor read.
Titus Andronicus - studied at university; never seen.
Troilus and Cressida - studied at university; never seen.
Twelfth Night - studied for GCSE and at university; saw a 2007 RSC production with John Lithgow as Malvolio and the livestream of the National Theatre production with Tamsin Greig. We also watched a BBC Shakespeare for Schools version with Joan Bakewell, not normally known as a Shakespearean actor, doubling Viola and Sebastian, when I was at school.
Two Gentlemen of Verona - neither seen nor read.
The Winter's Tale - studied at university; saw the livestream of Kenneth Branagh's 2015 production which I didn't think much of (a bit twee, really)
That is actually more than I thought. We managed quite a lot of RSC productions over the years, until they bumped the prices up to the level where a Saturday matinee would set us back over £100 once we'd factored in the parking (without even the petrol) and we switched to livestreams instead.
All's Well That Ends Well - neither seen nor read
Antony and Cleopatra - studied for A-level. Saw the Talawa Theatre Company's all-black production at the Bloomsbury Theatre in 1991, which seemed to go on for several years.
As You Like It - studied at university, saw an RSC production a few years ago.
The Comedy of Errors - this was the play some friends of mine took to the Fringe in 1995, just after we'd graduated from university. I saw the original production in Warwick Arts Centre and went up to Edinburgh to lend moral support, hang out, drink too much, smoke too much and eat junk food. Possibly the only production of Shakespeare ever to include a character saying "And your little dog too!" in the style of the Wicked Witch of the West, though I wouldn't place bets on that.
Coriolanus - studied at university; RSC in 1994 with Toby Stephens, and Ralph Fiennes's film version.
Cymbeline - RSC production a couple of years ago with a female Cymbeline and a definite eye to Brexit in the interpretation.
Hamlet - studied at university; RSC productions with David Tennant and Paapa Essiedu, Olivier's film and a very gory production with a tiny cast at (IIRC) Basingstoke Technical College in the 1980s, which was the first Shakespeare I ever saw. I also stage-managed an all-female production when I was at university, my one and only venture into theatricals.
Henry IV, Parts I and II - RSC with Antony Sher as Falstaff
Henry V - RSC, following on from the Henry IV plays; also the Olivier and Branagh films
Henry VI, Parts I, II and III - neither seen nor read
Henry VIII - neither seen nor read
Julius Caesar - pretty sure I studied it at university, and saw an RSC production a few years ago.
King John - neither seen nor read
King Lear - studied at university; RSC production in 2010
Love's Labour's Lost - neither seen nor read
Macbeth - studied for GCSE and at university. Have seen the Roman Polanski film and the recent version with Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard, the livestream of the recent RSC production with Christoper Eccleston and a touring production with James Bolam in Farnham, Surrey in 1989.
Measure for Measure - neither seen nor read
The Merchant of Venice - saw an RSC production with Patrick Stewart as Shylock a few years ago
The Merry Wives of Windsor - neither seen nor read
A Midsummer Night's Dream - studied pre-GCSE and at university; saw a (very good) amateur production at my sixth form college and a 1994 RSC production with Alex Jennings and Hadyn Gwynne, among others,
Much Ado about Nothing - studied at university, I think; I've never managed to see a live production but have seen the Kenneth Branagh and Joss Whedon films.
Othello - studied at university; have seen livestreams of the National Theatre production with Adrian Lester and Rory Kinnear (except that the cinema's power went during Act 5, Scene 1, leaving us all on tenterhooks about whether or not Othello and Desdemona would be able to work things out) and the 2015 RSC production which had the first black Iago.
Pericles, Prince of Tyre - neither seen nor read
Richard II - saw the RSC production with David Tennant
Richard III - have seen the Ian McKellan film
Romeo and Juliet - fell asleep while attempting to watch the Baz Luhrmann film while off work sick in about 1999, never seen another production or read.
The Taming of the Shrew - studied for A-level and at university, saw an RSC production a few years ago which I wasn't particularly impressed with.
The Tempest - studied at university; saw the 2009 RSC production with Antony Sher and the livestream of the more recent one with Simon Russell Beale.
Timon of Athens - neither seen nor read.
Titus Andronicus - studied at university; never seen.
Troilus and Cressida - studied at university; never seen.
Twelfth Night - studied for GCSE and at university; saw a 2007 RSC production with John Lithgow as Malvolio and the livestream of the National Theatre production with Tamsin Greig. We also watched a BBC Shakespeare for Schools version with Joan Bakewell, not normally known as a Shakespearean actor, doubling Viola and Sebastian, when I was at school.
Two Gentlemen of Verona - neither seen nor read.
The Winter's Tale - studied at university; saw the livestream of Kenneth Branagh's 2015 production which I didn't think much of (a bit twee, really)
That is actually more than I thought. We managed quite a lot of RSC productions over the years, until they bumped the prices up to the level where a Saturday matinee would set us back over £100 once we'd factored in the parking (without even the petrol) and we switched to livestreams instead.
