Dvd
Shakespeare: Comedy, Romance, Tragedy (Shakespeare’s Globe)
Adetomiwa Edun (Romeo (Romeo and Juliet)); Ellie Kendrick (Juliet (Romeo and Juliet)); Naomi Frederick (Rosalind (As You Like It)); Jack Laskey (Orlando (As You Like It)); Philip Cumbus (King of Navarre (Love's Labour's Lost)); Trystan Gravelle (Berowne (Love's Labour's Lost));
"Naomi Frederick's superb Rosalind is a woman of wit and intelligence...Laskey's Orlando is equally bewitched, bothered and bewildered, and the playfulness between the two is a pleasure." (The Guardian - As You Like It)
Shakespeare: Coriolanus (Royal Shakespeare Company)
Sope Dirisu (Coriolanus); James Corrigan (Aufidius); Paul Jesson (Menenius); Haydn Gwynne (Volumnia); Charles Aitken (Cominius); Ben Hall (Titus Lartius); Martina Laird (Junius Brutus); Hannah Morrish (Virgilia); Katherine Toy (Valeria);
"Strongly performed modern reframing of one of Shakespeare’s most political plays Dirisu is a formidable stage-filling presence striking visual moments strong support from Haydn Gwynne as his [Coriolanus'] intelligent, ambitious mother Volumnia and James Corrigan’s Aufidius, who reveals unexpected levels of affection and warmth towards Coriolanus that serve to make the ending all the more powerful." (The Stage)
Shakespeare: Cymbeline (Royal Shakespeare Company)
Gillian Bevan (Cymbeline); Bethan Cullinane (Imogen); Hiran Abeysekera (Posthumus); Doreene Blackstock (Cornelia); Marcus Griffiths (Cloten); Oliver Johnstone (Iachimo); Kelly Williams (Pisanio); Graham Turner (Belarius); Natalie Simpson (Guideria); James Cooney (Arviragus); Byron Mondahl (Philario); Eke Chukwu (Caius Lucius);
"It’s the strength of the performances that really make this production, and the cast's ability to draw out the underlying humour in every situation goes a long way to negating the flaws in the original text. Oliver Johnstone is brilliant as the suave, silver-tongued Iachimo, strutting about the stage and wearing all of his sexual potency on his sleeve. Some of the best scenes come when he focuses his scheming charm on the faithful Innogen, skilfully played by Bethan Cullinane. Marcus Griffith also manages to find much comic absurdity in the overblown ego of the otherwise contemptible Cloten. But these are compelling performances among many. It may not be one of the best-loved of the Bard’s canon, but this production is full of passion and humour, and is riotous fun." (The Radio Times)
Shakespeare: Great Comedies Box Set (Shakespeare's Globe)
Stephen Fry (Malvolio (Twelfth Night)); Johnny Flynn (Viola (Twelfth Night)); John Light (Oberon (A Midsummer Night's Dream)); Matthew Tennyson (Puck (A Midsummer Night's Dream)); Simon Paisley Day (Petruchio (The Taming of the Shrew)); Sarah MacRae (Bianca (The Taming of the Shrew)); Mark Rylance (Olivia (Twelfth Night));
"Although this is ensemble theatre at its finest, it’s Rylance’s contribution that puts the production among all-time Shakespeare greats. Frankly unmissable." (The Daily Telegraph - Twelfth Night)
Shakespeare: Hamlet (Royal Shakespeare Company)
Paapa Essiedu (Hamlet); Marcus Griffiths (Laertes); Cyril Nri (Polonius); Natalie Simpson (Ophelia); Clarence Smith (Claudius); Tanya Moodie (Gertrude); Hiran Abeysekera (Horatio ); James Clooney (Rosencrantz); Bethan Cullinane (Guildenstern); Theo Ogundipe (Marcellus/Lucianus/Fortinbras); Ewart James Walters (Ghost/Gravedigger); Eke Chukwu (Voltemand);
"It is an utterly engaging performance by Paapa Essiedu." (The Times ★★★★)
Shakespeare: Hamlet (Shakespeare's Globe Theatre)
Catrin Aaron (Horatio); James Garnon (Claudius); Colin Hurley (Ghost); Bettrys Jones (Laertes); Richard Katz (Polonius); Jack Laskey (Fortinbras); Nadia Nadarajah (Guildenstern); Pearce Quigley (Rosencrantz); Shubham Saraf (Ophelia); Helen Schlesinger (Gertrude); Michelle Terry (Hamlet);
"Terry is the fourth female Hamlet I have seen and she brings to the role all the qualities one might expect. She speaks the verse intelligently, initially conveys a sense of bereft solitude – her voice cracks on the implication that she “seems” to be affecting grief – and is very good at suggesting bottled rage. " (The Guardian)