Lie still and dream

I think Shakespeare must have been a man after my own heart. By which I don’t just mean the fart jokes and the humanity, but also that he was clearly a man who knew the splendid weirdness of dreams. Not everyone does – I have friends who swear they never dream, and those who think an unusual dream is one where they go back to school and have a history lesson – but taught by their old geography teacher (the horror!). I on the other hand belong to that group of humanity who nightly gets vivid technicolour spectacles which have all the plot of the latest Hollywood blockbuster, and almost as many dinosaurs. And I suspect Shakespeare was too.

I’ll read it first by your favour

Is the first always the best?

Richard III (on film)

The BFI

I don’t know how I managed it miss this when it first came out (I’ll chalk it down to being technically underage for the rating – but that was 20 years ago), but I’ve heard so much about it since that finally managing to see Ian McKellen’s Richard III felt like an event.

I Capuleti e I Montecchi

The London Museum of Water and Steam

 

Well this is rather tentatively Shakespeare-related – Bellini’s opera is based on the same story, but not on Shakespeare’s version of the tale. Nevertheless, it’s such a good show I just had to rave about it somewhere!

Shakespeare: The Complete Walk

23^rd April 2016

 

I’ve been hyping this up for some time, and rightly so. Making, and then screening, short films which capture the essence of all 37 plays. Making them free to the public, and putting them up on screens outdoors on the Southbank. This was a major undertaking.

Much Ado About Nothing

The Rose Playhouse

 

I’m not sure whether to review this as a play, or what it really was – a joyous celebration.