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Archive for April, 2021

The Winter’s Tale, RSC 2021 review

My first RSC theatre review in many, many months! The Winter’s Tale, shown on BBC4 and now available on iPlayer. We had tickets to see this which was cancelled just before lockdown. A year on they’ve re-asembled the 2020 cast and filmed it in three days on the stage as a theatre production. The feature they’re pushing is that Sicilia is 1953, and sixteen years later, Bohemia is 1969. Relieved as we were to be back in one of our favourite places, the review is critical. But decide for yourself. you can catch it on iPlayer.

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A Feast of Shakespeare – link

To celebrate the anniversary Shakespeare’s baptism on 26 April, and also to celebrate ten years of theatre reviews on this blog. I’ve chosen one production of each play to illustrate with a link to the original reviews. The pictures alone show the breadth and variety of Shakesperean production over the last ten years. Link to the full set of pictures and choices HERE.

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Little Joe

Little Joe (LINK TO MY REVIEW) is a late 2019 / early 2020 film, much acclaimed by some, much reviled by others. Stars Emily Beecham (who received Best Actress at Cannes for it) and Ben Whishaw. Horror? Well it’s not frightening. Sci-fi light with a touch of pandemic prediction? I am very critical, so watching it so you don’t have to!

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Are rugby songs actually folk music?

A new one on AROUND AND AROUND. It started with a discussion on a half-remembered rude ditty and turned into an article on BAWDY BALLADS, LEWD LYRICS, RUGBY SONGS AND FOLK (LINKED). A light-hearted question: Is this sort of thing truly “folk music,” BEWARE lots of quotes from rude lyrics!

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Romeo & Juliet, NT 2021 review

Review added of the National Theatre’s new “Film for TV” of Romeo & Juliet (SEE LINK), starring Jesse Buckley as Juliet and Josh “The Crown” O’Connor as Romeo. Filmed in 17 days during the pandemic in the empty theatre. Definitely a film, not a streamed play, though it remains tightly in a theatre. 5 star reviews from The Guardian and Telegraph too. Repeated on 5th April and 8th April on Sky Arts in the UK (Freeview Channel 11). Coming to PBS in the USA on 23 April for Shakespeare’s birthday.

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