Dvd
Shakespeare: Three Tragedies (Royal Shakespeare Company)
Paapa Essiedu (Hamlet (Hamlet)/Edmund (King Lear)); Marcus Griffiths (Laertes (Hamlet)); Cyril Nri (Polonius (Hamlet)); Natalie Simpson (Ophelia (Hamlet)); Antony Sher (King Lear (King Lear)); Nia Gwynee (Goneril (King Lear)); Natalie Simpson (Cordelia (King Lear)); Hugh Quarshie (Othello (Othello)); Joanna Vanderham (Desdemona (Othello)); Lucian Msamati (Iago (Othello)); Jacob Fortune-Lloyd (Cassio (Othello));
"It is an utterly engaging performance by Paapa Essiedu." (The Times - Hamlet ★★★★)
Shakespeare: Timon of Athens (Royal Shakespeare Company)
Kathryn Hunter (Timon of Athens); Imogen Slaughter (Lucia); Salman Akhtar (Lucillius); James Clyde (Sempronius); Sam Pay (Ventidius); Debbie Korley (Alcibiades); Nia Gwynne (Apemantus); Patrick Drury (Flavius); Rosy McEwen (Flaminia); Riad Richie (Servilius); David Sturzaker (Lucullus); Anton Cross (Caphis);
"A searing central performance flips the gender dynamics as Shakespeare’s study of greed gets a ravishing revival" (The Guardian ★★★★)
Shakespeare: Titus Andronicus (Royal Shakespeare Company)
Nia Gwynne (Tamora); Stefan Adegbola (Aaron); Hannah Morrish (Lavinia); Patrick Drury (Marcus Andronicus); Martin Hutson (Saturninus); Dharmesh Patel (Bassianus); Tom McCall (Lucius); Luke MacGregor (Chiron); Sean Hart (Demetrius); Jon Tarcy (Alarbus); David Troughton (Titus Andronicus); Kristen Atherton (Nurse);
"There’s fantastic work, throughout, from Troughton, grizzled, grey-faced, buttoned-up and stiff-limbed – a loyal old warrior surviving battles abroad only to be betrayed at home, driven to clarifying madness by his blind adherence to a heartless state. He catches Titus’s rasping, ramrod arrogance, his crumpling up with agony, and the particular macabre pathos too of his wildly empathetic raving in defence of a slain fly: “How if that fly had a father and a mother?...”" (The Daily Telegraph ★★★★★)
Shakespeare: Titus Andronicus (Shakespeare’s Globe)
William Houston (Titus Andronicus ); Indira Varma (Tamora ); Obi Abili (Aaron ); Flora Spencer-Longhurst (Lavinia ); Ian Gelder (Marcus Andronicus ); Matthew Needham (Saturninus ); Stefan Donnelly (Bassianus/Clown); Dyfan Dwyfor (Lucius );
"You leave the theatre feeling both harrowed to the marrow and disconcertingly elated." (The Daily Telegraph)
Shakespeare: Troilus and Cressida (Royal Shakespeare Company)
Gavin Fowler (Troilus); Amber James (Cressida); Adjoa Andoh (Ulysses); Theo Ogundipe (Ajax); Ewart James Walters (Priam); Andy Apollo (Achilles); Oliver Ford Davies (Pandorus);
"Sweeping and confident production of Shakespeare's rarely performed tragedy." (The Evening Standard ★★★★)
Shakespeare: Twelfth Night (Royal Shakespeare Company)
Dinita Gohil (Viola); Kara Tointon (Olivia); Adrian Edmondson (Malvolio); Esh Alladi (Sebastian); Nicholas Bishop (Orsino); Vivien Parry (Maria); Giles Taylor (Antonio); Michael Cochrane (Sir Andrew Aguecheek); John Hodgkinson (Sir Toby Belch);
"Sumptuous romp is a festive season treat ... Heavens, this does look lovely. The RSC has gone all-out on a sumptuous design (three cheers for Simon Higlett). An unending delight; John Hodgkinson is a deliciously mercurial Sir Toby and Michael Cochrane’s Sir Andrew is cherishable." (Evening Standard ★★★★)