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Hamlet – RSC 2016

Hamlet
by William Shakespeare

Scan-160326-0001

Directed by Simon Godwin
Designed by Paul Wils

Royal Shakespeare Company
Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
Friday 25th March 2016, 19.15

CAST

Paapa Essiedu – Hamlet
Natalie Simpson – Ophelia
Clarence Smith – Claudius
Tanya Moodie – Gertrude
Cyril Nri – Polonius
Marcus Griffiths – Laertes
Hiran Abeysekera – Horatio
Ewart James Walters – Ghost / Gravedigger
James Cooney – Rosencrantz
Bethan Cullinane – Guildenstern
Kevin N Golding – Bernado / Priest / Player King
Theo Ogundipe – Fortinbras / Marcellus / Lucianus
Doreene Blackstock – Player Queen
Romayne Andrews – Osric
Eke Chukwu – Voltimand
Byron Mondahl – Professor of Wittenberg / English Ambassador
Marieme Diouf – Cornelia / Player
Temi Wilkey – Player

It’s three years since the RSC last produced Hamlet, with Jonathan Slinger and Pippa Nixon in the Hamlet and Ophelia roles. In the 400th anniversary year,  Hamlet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream are a given, and the first two titles I would have written down too. A “USP” with Hamlet is expected, and this year it’s an almost entirely black ensemble, led by Paapa Essiedu. Essiedu is twenty-five (aka the right age, or slightly young), reminding us that so many career-making Hamlets were done young from David Warner to Ben Whishaw. The last time we saw him he was playing Romeo. The Telegraph review is headed “A star is born” which is the consensus.

Was Essiedu cast into the concept, or was the concept built around him? He is British born of Ghanaian descent and British born kids have described the strangeness of visiting ancesteral West Africa. I know what they mean. As a kid brought up in sunny Bournemouth, my mother’s birthplace in the mining valleys of Wales was enough of a culture shock when I was eight. Like Hamlet, I was suddenly surrounded by black relatives, though in my case the coal dust washed off. In this Hamlet, he is first seen at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio (a Simpsons reference too!), fully Westernized, then has to return to West Africa on his father’s death … you do know the plot. I often thought of a Sierra Leone friend from university during that country’s many and varied troubles since.

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The play opens with that elaborate American style Wittgenstein University graduation ceremony, and I had wondered what they’d do about lines, there not being any. Very clever. The (white) University Chancellor simply read out the title page, “Hamlet … Prince of Denmark” and up Hamlet went to get his degree. Then a procession carries the body of old Hamlet across the stage in a glass coffin before we get any lines.

A clever touch is a white Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, who were present at the graduation. They’re summoned to the African court … Guildenstern is female. They arrive with tacky gifts from the airport gift shop … Walkers Shortbread for Claudius, a telephone box teapot for Gertrude. Guidenstern gets a lot of frock changes, but on leaving for England has an ethnic shawl she’s picked up. On leaving for England, they have the side of a steamship across the whole set, something the RSC and National can afford.

Marcellus and Barnardo are both strong portrayals in traditionally dull parts, and on initial appearance have African accents (a theme not continued). They’re in full camouflage gear with the light blue berets of the UN, as so often seen in pictures of African conflict. The “battlements”are a searchlight tower and a metal caged sentry post … very effective. The team of Hamlet with Horatio and the two soldiers, watching for the ghost, worked outstandingly well, though they had a lot of lines in full which are often cut, so had space to make the roles come out. Marcellus and Barnardo did great reactive terror. The ghost was in African robes, and emerged from below, centre stage, wreathed in mist and smoke, and gradually became visible as the fans above cleared it. Another major plus. On the other hand, my companion felt the long battlement scenes delayed the play’s take off, and longed for a touch of Michael Grandage’s cutting early on.

93554241_Hamlet_performed_by_the_Royal_Shakespeare_Company_Paapa_Essiedu_as_Hamlet_Natalie_Simps-large_trans++KkzUGe8q7_A35DWV6BPUcTX9ZRPxSht4j994FhxuVhg

3589

Hamlet (Paapa Essiedu) and Ophelia (Natalie Simpson)

Paapa Essiedu is a vibrant, lively, continually moving Hamlet, but also articulates beautifully and weights lines in interesting ways, drawing big laughs as he did a split second pause to survey the audience on the line about guilty people watching a play. He is very flexible in his dancer-like body moves, and can use his voice to bring a sneer, or a mocking tone, or blatant irony to lines. He will indeed be a major star. He starts out black suited, formal, but once he decides to adopt the antic personna, he’s in a hand-painted (and splattered) white suit, spraying graffiti, painting signs, fixing his ‘n’ hers toilet signs to the twin African thrones of his uncle and mother. A first rate Hamlet, and the “young” interpretation makes him radically different to the late 30s / 40 contigent of established actors who have played the role.

Hamlet-production-photos_-March-2016_2016_Photo-by-Manuel-Harlan-_c_-RSC_187338

There may be outstanding lead roles as the prince, but an outstanding production to me rests on how good Ophelia, Laertes, Claudius and Gertrude are. Ophelia is a part you can do very little to save from its text, but Natalie Simpson was one of the best recent ones. Her first appearance with Laertes was beautifully done by both … it felt like watching siblings, and her “mad” scene was outstanding. Marcus Griffiths was also an outstanding Laertes, both in the early scene with Polonius, exchanging knowing smiles with his sister as the old boy rambles on, and also when he returns. He arrives winched down from a helicopter, and is powerful and genuinely threatening. The Family Polonius is an important part of the concept. Ophelia brings the very jolly Polonius (Cyril Nri) his slippers. Ophelia and Laertes might grin at the old boy, but they exude happy family. In fact, Ophelia and her dad share one pair of slippers. It serves as a counterfoil to the miserable royals and also brings out Laertes grief at both deaths more emotionally than usual.

3973-1

Claudius (Clarence Smith) and Gertrude (Tanya Moodie)

Claudius and Gertrude?  A West African despotism is a good setting, and Claudius first appears in a suitably ornate green uniform. Tanya Moodie says in an interview that Gertrude is the observer, the only non-university educated one in this African elite, forcing a smile as it all unfolds around her, unable to accept that Hamlet is mad. She looks imposing too … great costumes. Claudius also gets multiple bright costumes and is suitably weasely. A good pair, but given the resources available, I thought Claudius needed more henchman, rather than relying on Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and a couple of red suited servants. He needed more trappings of power, though I loved the rather badly painted official portrait on the wall, and especially his face on the cover of Time magazine.

The players arrived in a swirl of bright colour and drumming and dancing … the vibrant colour palette of the whole production was a refreshing contrast to the dull Danish crime thriller palette the last time the RSC did the play. With an all-black cast, strong colours and lighting is beneficial. However, I found Hamlet’s instructions to the players and the actual players scene disjointed and messy. The costumes, music and colours overwhelmed the players’ scenes and the Murder of Gonzago itself.

They took the interval at 1 hour 45 minutes, making a long first part. It was as Hamlet aims his pistol at the praying Claudius. Black out, then they restarted at the same point after the interval. It was the “Macbeth freeze frame” so often done at the banquet, but I’ve never seen the device used in Hamlet, nor at that point. Actually, I don’t think it was a good idea.

Hamlet-RSC-RST-3591

Gertrude (Tanya Moodie)and Hamlet, Polonius is behind that red array!

Aimed his pistol? What? This was a sword free production. Hamlet was armed with a pistol, and shot Polonius through the arras – oddly getting some laughs, which are inappropriate at the point, maybe it was the instant collapse of the very tall arras, or maybe a handful who didn’t know the plot.  Then the sword fight at the end was done with twin staffs, one of which could be unscrewed to reveal a pointed metal end. It was a great fight too, with Hamlet and Laertes both stripped to the waist in maroon pantaloon wrestling trousers with silver boots. One of Hamlet’s staffs went into the front row, and he had to retrieve it. After his bows, Essiedu went straight to the section to check that they hadn’t been hurt.

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Hamlet (Paapa Essiedu) and Gravedigger (Ewart James Walters)

The gravediggers’ scene was introduced with calypso rhythms and Ewart James Walters (doubling with the ghost of old Hamlet) was superb, introducing a lilting Caribbean accent … let’s not ask how that got to West Africa … but it assisted comedy.

Hamlet-RSC-RST-338

Claudius on the cover of Time magazine

ah Crompton goes for four in Overall? My two favourite critics were divided, Michael Billington on four stars, Domenic Cavendish (in spite of his A Star Is Born headline) gave it three. Sarah Crompton (A Very Palpable Hit) gives it four in the Sunday Times. I normally side with Billington on ratings, but this time the Telegraph’s short summary on Saturday had a point: “Worth seeing but not a landmark event.” Why not? Despite Hamlet, Ophelia, Laertes and Marcellus all being at the top of the game, there was a certain disjointedness overall, a few clumsy bits in spite of the fabulous drumming and costumes and colours. I know uncut it would run at four hours. Here it was three hours. Every production is cut, but in different places. I’m not sure they were the right ones. It will be a memorable production if not a landmark one … as the RSC’s first black Hamlet, and one which I agree will be a “career maker” for Paapa Essiedu. I wavered between three and four, but I’ll come down on …

THREE STARS ***

GHOSTS – AN ASIDE

This production had one of the best ghost appearances in years (see above). Early on, the soldiers gazed up into the galleries at a ghost we couldn’t see, then he rose from the depths in smoke when Hamlet was there. Later, in he Gertrude scene, the ghost is solidly there.

For some reason, I remember a GCE Physics book of fifty years ago, and a chapter on how Hamlet’s ghost worked. It was on reflection or refraction or whatever. I guess it referred to 19th century theatre, not to Jacobean theatre, but you can have a ghost you can walk through on stage. It’s all done with … yes … smoke and mirrors.  Maybe they could do it in Shakespeare’s time too, though it would have to be indoor theatre and I doubt candles cast enough light. It reminded me that we like our ghosts of old Hamlet solidly corporeal nowadays. I haven’t seen a transparent one in recent memory.

THEATRE

We have had problems affecting most Simon Godwin directed plays. Two Gentlemen of Verona was ruined by loud hissing and gurgling breathing apparatus behind us. The Beaux Stratagem had a much praised set, but as we were sitting at the side of the National Theatre and unable to see 25% of the action, I rate it “worst set design of 2015.” The first ten minutes of Richard II at the Globe were masked by a party of German tourists speaking loudly right in front of our front row seats, then departing noisily after ten minutes. I’ve seen this a few times at the Globe … tourists who find it worth £5 to look, then go away.  Here we had a twitcher directly in front. A man who scratched, bit nails, slumped down, sat up, put his head on one hand then the other, adjusted his t-shirt,  fiddled with the back of his head, adjusted his glasses, took out the programme to look at … he didn’t stop writhing about and fiddling around for more than 30 seconds in the three hours. The people next to us noticed it too. You couldn’t not! None of this is Mr Godwin’s fault, but it definitely affects our ratings.

MANY OF THE CAST FEATURE IN:

Cymbeline, RSC 2016

SEE ALSO:

Hamlet, Benedict Cumberbatch, 2015
Hamlet – Globe 2014
Hamlet RSC 2013 with Jonathan Slinger
Hamlet Young Vic 2011 with Michael Sheen
Hamlet National Theatre 2010 with Rory Kinnear
Hamlet, Maxine Peake, Manchester, 2014
Hamlet, Almeida 2017 / BBC 2018, Andrew Scott as Hamlet

PREVIOUS PRODUCTIONS REVIEWED ON THIS BLOG:

SIMON GODWIN
Two Gentlemen of Verona, RSC 2014
The Beaux Stratagem, National Theatre, 2015
Man & Superman, National Theatre, 2015
Richard II, Globe 2015
Twelfth Night, National Theatre, 2017

PAAPA ESSIEDU
Racing Demon, Bath 2017
King Lear, RSC 2016 (Edmund)
Hamlet, RSC 2016  Stratford, (Hamlet)
A Midsummer Night’s Dream – BBC TV SCREEN version 2016 (Demetrius)
Romeo & Juliet – Tobacco Factory, 2015, at Winchester Theatre Royal (Romeo)
The Merry Wives of Windsor, RSC 2013 (Fenton)

TANYA MOODIE
King John, Globe, 2015
Fences, Bath, 2013

NATALIE SIMPSON
Measure for Measure, Young Vic, 2015
Cymbeline, RSC 2016 (Guideria)

CYRIL NRI
Julius Caesar, RSC 2012 (Cassius)

HIRAN ABEYSEKERA
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, BBC TV 2016 (Puck)
Cymbeline, RSC 2016 (Posthumus)

MARCUS GRIFFITHS
Volpone, RSC 2015
Love’s Sacrifice, RSC 2015
The Jew of Malta, RSC 2015
Julius Caesar, RSC 2012
Cymbeline, RSC 2016 (Cloten)

 

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        • The Manfreds – 2016
        • The Manfreds 2011
        • The Manfreds, P.P. Arnold 2003
        • The Manfreds, P.P. Arnold, Zoot Money, Nov 2016
        • The Mastersons, Hymn For Her
        • The Mavericks
        • The palmer james group
        • The Platters
        • The Searchers
        • The Transports
        • The Unthanks 03.11
        • The Unthanks 04.2012
        • The Unthanks 10.2012
        • The Unthanks 12.11
        • The Unthanks 2.2015
        • The Unthanks 2019
        • The Unthanks 2022
        • The Unthanks 5.2017
        • The Waterboys
        • Thea Gilmore
        • Tom Jones
        • Van Morrison
          • Van Morrison 1998
          • Van Morrison 1999
          • Van Morrison 2000
          • Van Morrison 2001
          • Van Morrison 2002 Jan.
          • Van Morrison 2002 Oct.
          • Van Morrison 2003 Jul.
          • Van Morrison 2003 Sep.
          • Van Morrison 2005 Mar.
          • Van Morrison 2005 Nov.
          • Van Morrison 2007
          • Van Morrison 2012
          • Van Morrison 2013
          • Van Morrison 2019
        • Ward Thomas, Hyde Park
        • Zawinul Syndicate
        • Zoot Money
      • Gigs, venues and prices
      • HMV. His Master’s Voice silenced?
      • Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams
      • Music From Big Pink – 50th anniversary
      • Names, Scribble & Numbers
      • Nancy Sinatra
      • Note of Hope (Woody Guthrie)
      • Phil Everly RIP
      • Rock pictures
      • RoseAnn Fino
      • Shadows In The Night
      • Thank You For The Muzac
      • The Band reviews & pictures
      • The Beautiful Old
      • The Village Green Preservation Society
      • The Weight – covers
      • Twelve Songs For Christmas 2013
    • rants
      • 100 Days Plus and Counting …
      • A Fishy Story
      • A Post-Brexit Vision
      • Agatha Christie: Deduction in a dell’arte mask
      • Allergies … and lawyers
      • Baby Boomer v Wokeperson
      • Barcodes
      • Beaujolais Nouveau …
      • Best of 2011
      • Best of 2012
      • Best of 2013
      • Best of 2014
      • Best of 2015 – music
      • Best of 2015 – Theatre
      • Best of 2016 – Music
      • Best of 2016 – Theatre
      • Best of 2017 – Music
      • Best of 2017 – Screen
      • Best of 2017- Theatre
      • Best of 2018 – Music
      • Best of 2018 – theatre
      • Best of 2019 – Concerts
      • Best of 2019 – Theatre
      • Best of 2019- Music
      • Best of 2020
      • Best of 2020- Music
      • Cars are cars
      • Chorizo is Vile
      • Christmas Markets
      • Christmases long past …
      • Civil Wars & Statues
      • Climate Change: my rant
      • Communication skills: Leaders TV debate 2015
        • Opposition Leader’s Debate, 16 April 2015
      • Crisis at the Cash Register
      • Culture Shock Bourbon Street
      • Encounter: Saul Bellow
      • Eurovision 2022
      • Fawlty Towers and Tall Poppies
      • Flags and anthems
      • Football nicknames
      • Free Broadband in Every Packet!
      • Guilt and innocence
      • Hail, hail, the first of May
      • Howards End is a blur
      • In the April Garden …
      • In The Days of Covid-21
      • In the May Garden
      • Jangle Bells: shopping for Christmas
      • Jumble Sales
      • Land Of My Mother’s
      • London-centric theatre
      • Mail v Guardian
      • Matinees
      • Not an amazing grace
      • On The Road: Information overkill
      • Parent and child spaces
      • Poppies
      • Princely Names
      • Quaint hotels
      • Remember, remember …
      • Secondhand Christmas
      • Shrink wrapping albums
      • Sloppy fiction?
      • Someone will call you back …
      • Sound … and Fury… at The Globe
      • SS-GB – Mumbling soundtracks
      • Surveys
      • Testing in schools
      • The “Poldark” Effect
      • The 2019 watershed?
      • The 70s were crap
      • The Building Behind Me …
      • The Cheerful e-bay seller
      • The Curse of The Crawleys: Downton Abbey Series 10
      • The Decline of Bournemouth
      • The End of Deference …
      • The Famous Five – by Paul F. Newman
      • The four day week?
      • The Great War
      • The Hacking Cough
      • The Long & The Short Of It
      • The March of The Halloumi Fries
      • The Shakespeare Cod-Piece
      • The Stitch Up
      • View From The Queue
      • What happened to car CD players?
    • stage
      • ‘Tis Pity She’s A Whore – Cheek by Jowl
      • ‘Tis Pity She’s A Whore – Wanamaker
      • 8 Hotels
      • A Damsel in Distress
      • A Little Hotel On The Side
      • A Mad World My Masters
      • A Midsummer Night’s Dream – BBC TV 2016
      • A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Bridge 2019
      • A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Filter 2011
      • A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Globe 2013
      • A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Globe 2016
      • A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Grandage 2013
      • A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Propellor 2013
      • A Midsummer Night’s Dream – RSC 2011
      • A Midsummer Night’s Dream – RSC 2016
      • A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Selladoor 2013
      • A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Watermill 2018
      • A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Watermill Tour 2019
      • A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Young Vic
      • A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Bath 2016
      • A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Globe 2019
      • A Midsummer Night’s Dream- Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
      • A Midsummer Night’s Dream- Headlong
      • A Midsummer Night’s Dream- Sh!t-Faced Shakespeare
      • A Midsummer Nights Dream – Handspring 2013
      • A Midsummer Night’s Dream RSC 2016 Revisited
      • A Number
      • A Streetcar Named Desire NT Live
      • A Taste of Honey
      • A Very Very Very Dark Matter
      • A View From The Bridge
      • A Woman of No Importance
      • Abigail’s Party 2013
      • Absolute Hell
      • Ah, Wilderness!
      • Albion
      • All My Sons
      • All New People
      • All’s Well That Ends Well – RSC 2013
      • All’s Well That Ends Well- 2018
      • Amadeus – 2014
      • Amadeus – NT 2017
      • American Buffalo
      • An Enemy of The People
      • An Ideal Husband 2018
      • An Ideal Husband- 2014
      • Antony & Cleopatra – RSC 2013
      • Antony & Cleopatra – RSC 2017
      • Antony and Cleopatra – Globe
      • Antony and Cleopatra 2012
      • Arcadia
      • Arden of Faversham
      • Around The World in 80 Days
      • As You Like It – Globe 2015
      • As You Like It – Globe 2018
      • As You Like It – National 2015
      • As You Like It – RSC 2019
      • As You Like It RSC 2013
      • Awful Auntie
      • Bakkhai
      • Balletboyz: The Talent
      • Barber Shop Chronicles
      • Bartholomew Fair
      • Beauty & The Beast (Ballet Theatre UK)
      • Before The Party
      • Birthday
      • Bitter Wheat
      • Black Comedy
      • Blithe Spirit
      • Blithe Spirit – Bath 2019
      • Blood Wedding
      • Boudica
      • Bring Up The Bodies
      • Broken
      • Candida
      • Cardenio
      • Carmen Disruption
      • Caroline or Change
      • Comedy of Errors – Globe
      • Comedy of Errors – RSC, 2021
      • Comedy of Errors NT 2012
      • Comedy of Errors RSC ’12
      • Communicating Doors
      • Comus
      • Copenhagen
      • Coriolanus – NT Live
      • Coriolanus – RSC
      • Curiosity Shop
      • Cymbeline – RSC
      • Cymbeline – Wanamaker
      • Dancing At Lughnasa
      • Death Of A Salesman
      • Deathtrap
      • Dedication
      • Dido, Queen of Carthage
      • Dinner With Saddam
      • Doctor Faustus
      • Don Carlos
      • Don Juan in Soho
      • Don Quixote
      • Doubt – a parable
      • Dream
      • Dunsinane
      • Echo’s End
      • Educating Rita
      • Edward II
      • Electro Kif
      • Endgame / Rough for Theatre II
      • Eyam
      • Fallen Angels
      • Fantastic Mr Fox
      • Far
      • Farinelli and The King
      • Fences
      • First Light
      • Flare Path
      • Follies
      • For Services Rendered
      • Forests
      • Fortune’s Fool
      • Forty Years On
      • Fracked! Or Please Don’t Use The F-Word.
      • Frankenstein – NT Encore
      • French Without Tears
      • Funny Girl
      • Future Conditional
      • George’s Marvellous Medicine
      • Girl From The North Country
      • God of Carnage
      • Gypsy
      • Hairspray, The Musical
      • Half A Sixpence
      • Hamilton
      • Hamlet – Cumberbatch
      • Hamlet – Globe 2014
      • Hamlet – Maxine Peake
      • Hamlet – NT 2010
      • Hamlet – RSC 2016
      • Hamlet RSC 2013
      • Hamlet- Almeida / BBC 2107
      • Hamlet- Young Vic 2011
      • Hangmen
      • Harlequinade / All On Her Own
      • Harlequinade / All On Her Own – review
      • Hay Fever
      • Hecuba
      • Hedda Gabler
      • Hedda Tesman
      • Henry IV Parts 1 & 2 RSC
      • Henry V – 2018
      • Henry V – Jude Law
      • Henry V – RSC 2015
      • Henry VI – Rebellion
      • Henry VI – Wars of The Roses
      • Henry VI: Three plays
      • Hobson’s Choice
      • Hogarth’s Progress
      • Home
      • Home, I’m Darling
      • Hysteria
      • Imogen (Cymbeline) – Globe 2016
      • Importance of Being Earnest 2010
      • Importance of Being Earnest – Suchet, 2015
      • Importance of Being Earnest – Watermill
      • Importance of Being Earnest 2014
      • Importance of Being Earnest- 2018
      • Inala
      • Institute
      • Into The Hoods – Remixed
      • Ivanov
      • Jeeves and Wooster
      • Jerusalem
      • Jerusalem – 2018
      • Julius Caesar – Globe 2014
      • Julius Caesar – RSC 2012
      • Julius Caesar – RSC 2017
      • Ka
      • King Charles III
      • King John – Globe 2015
      • King John – Rose, 2016
      • King John – RSC 2019
      • King Lear Frank Langella
      • King Lear – Antony Sher, RSC 2016
      • King Lear – Barrie Rutter
      • King Lear – David Haig
      • King Lear – Globe 2017
      • King Lear – McKellen 2017
      • King Lear – Russell-Beale
      • Kiss Me Kate
      • Kunene and The King
      • La Bête
      • Lady Windermere’s Fan
      • Leopoldstadt
      • Life of Galileo
      • Little Shop of Horrors
      • Long Day’s Journey Into Night
      • Love
      • Love For Love
      • Love’s Labour’s Lost
      • Love’s Labour’s Lost – 2018
      • Love’s Labour’s Lost- 2016
      • Love’s Labour’s Won
      • Love’s Sacrifice
      • Love, Love, Love
      • Macbeth – Globe 2016
      • Macbeth – McAvoy 2013
      • Macbeth – National Theatre 2018
      • Macbeth – Tara Arts
      • Macbeth – Young Vic
      • Macbeth RSC 2018
      • Macbeth, RSC 2011
      • Macbeth, Watermill 2019
      • Macbeth- Chichester 2019
      • Macbeth- Wanamaker 2018
      • Mack & Mabel
      • Malory Towers
      • Man and Superman
      • Mary Poppins
      • Me and My Girl
      • Measure for Measure – Globe 2015
      • Measure for Measure – Young Vic
      • Measure for Measure RSC 2012
      • Measure For Measure- RSC 2019
      • Medea NT live
      • Miss Julie / Black Comedy
      • Miss Littlewood
      • Mojo
      • Monsieur Popular
      • Much Ado About Nothing – Globe 2014
      • Much Ado About Nothing – Globe 2017
      • Much Ado About Nothing – Old Vic 2013
      • Much Ado About Nothing – Rose 2018
      • Much Ado About Nothing – RSC 2014
      • Much Ado About Nothing- Northern Broadsides
      • Much Ado About Nothing- RSC 2016
      • Much Ado About Nothing- RSC 2022
      • Much Ado About Nothing- Wyndhams 2011
      • Murder On The Orient Express (stage)
      • Murder, Margaret and Me
      • My Brilliant Friend (play)
      • My Night With Reg
      • Neighbourhood Watch
      • Nell Gwynn
      • Nice Fish
      • No Man’s Land
      • Noises Off
      • Obsession
      • Oklahoma! – Chichester
      • Once
      • One Man, Two Guvnors
      • Othello – Globe 2018
      • Othello – RSC 2015
      • Othello NT 2013
      • Othello- ETT 2018
      • Othello- Wanamaker 2017
      • Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour
      • Our Man in Havana (musical)
      • People
      • People Like Us
      • Pericles
      • Peter & The Starcatcher
      • Peter and Alice
      • Peter Gynt
      • Peter Pan (pantomime)
      • Peter Pan Goes Wrong
      • Photograph 51
      • Pitcairn
      • Plastic
      • Platonov
      • Playing Cards 1: Spades
      • Plenty
      • POSH
      • Present Laughter – Chichester 2018
      • Present Laughter – Old Vic 2019
      • Present Laughter- Bath 2003
      • Present Laughter- Bath 2016
      • Pressure
      • Private Lives
      • Privates On Parade
      • Punishment Without Revenge
      • Punk Rock
      • Pygmalion
      • Quatermaine’s Terms
      • Queen Anne
      • Quiz – James Graham
      • Racing Demon
      • Ralegh: The Treason Trial
      • Relative Values
      • Richard II – Globe
      • Richard II – RSC
      • Richard III – Almeida
      • Richard III – Apollo 2012
      • Richard III – Freeman
      • Richard III – RSC 2012
      • Richard III – Spacey, 2011
      • Robin Hood (panto)
      • Romantics Anonymous
      • Romeo & Juliet – Globe 2017
      • Romeo & Juliet – RSC 2018
      • Romeo & Juliet 2014 – Box Clever
      • Romeo & Juliet, Headlong 2012
      • Romeo & Juliet- Branagh 2016
      • Romeo and Juliet – NT, 2021
      • Romeo and Juliet- Globe 2015
      • Romeo and Juliet: Tobacco Factory
      • Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
      • Ross
      • Rules for Living
      • Salomé – RSC
      • Same Time, Next Year
      • School nativities
      • Secondary Cause of Death
      • Separate Tables
      • Shakespeare in Love
      • She Stoops To Conquer – Bath 2015
      • She Stoops to Conquer – Rain or Shine
      • Skylight
      • Slava’s Snowshow
      • Snow in Midsummer
      • South Pacific
      • Spring Awakening
      • Stepping Out
      • Strife
      • Sweet Bird of Youth
      • Switzerland
      • Tamburlaine
      • Tangomotion
      • Tartuffe- RSC
      • The Alchemist – RSC
      • The Argument
      • The Beauty Queen of Leenane
      • The Beauty Queen of Leenane – 2021
      • The Beaux Stratagem
      • The Birthday Party
      • The Book of Mormon
      • The Broken Heart
      • The Canterbury Tales
      • The Captive Queen
      • The Caretaker
      • The Chalk Garden
      • The Changeling
      • The City Madam
      • The Constant Wife
      • The Country
      • The Country Girls
      • The Country Wife
      • The Cripple of Inishmaan
      • The Crucible
      • The Deep Blue Sea – 2019
      • The Deep Blue Sea-NT live, 2016
      • The Dresser
      • The Duchess of Malfi – 2012
      • The Duchess of Malfi – 2014
      • The Duchess of Malfi – RSC 2108
      • The Entertainer
      • The Fantastic Follies of Mrs Rich
      • The Ferryman (Acts 2 & 3)
      • The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk
      • The Four Seasons: A Reimagining
      • The Game of Love and Chance
      • The Ghost Train
      • The Height of The Storm
      • The Homecoming
      • The Hot House
      • The Hypochondriac
      • The Hypocrite
      • The Jew of Malta
      • The Knight of The Burning Pestle
      • The Ladykillers
      • The Lie
      • The Lieutenant of Inishmore- 2018
      • The Lieutenant of Inishmore-2001
      • The Lock In
      • The Lock In Christmas Carol
      • The Magistrate – NT Live
      • The Magna Carta Plays
      • The Man In The White Suit
      • The Merchant of Venice – Almeida
      • The Merchant of Venice – Globe
      • The Merchant of Venice – RSC
      • The Merry Wives – Northern Broadsides
      • The Merry Wives of Windsor – Globe 2019
      • The Merry Wives of Windsor – RSC 2012
      • The Merry Wives of Windsor- RSC 2018
      • The Misanthrope ETT
      • The Miser
      • The Nightingales
      • The Norman Conquests
        • Living Together
        • Round & Round The Garden
        • Table Manners
      • The Odyssey
      • The Painkiller (2016)
      • The Play That Goes Wrong
      • The Play What I Wrote
      • The Price
      • The Provoked Wife
      • The Recruiting Officer
      • The Rehearsal
      • The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui
      • The Rivals
      • The Roaring Girl
      • The Rover
      • The Ruling Class
      • The School for Scandal
      • The Seagull
      • The Seagull- Chichester
      • The Seven Year Itch
      • The Shoemaker’s Holiday
      • The Silver Tassie
      • The Southbury Child
      • The Spire
      • The Storm
      • The Syndicate
      • The Taming of The Shrew – RSC 2012
      • The Taming of The Shrew – RSC 2019
      • The Taming of The Shrew- Globe 2016
      • The Taxidermist’s Daughter
      • The Tempest RSC 2012
      • The Tempest RSC 2016
      • The Tempest- Wanamaker
      • The Truth
      • The Two Noble Kinsmen- 2018
      • The Two Noble Kinsmen- RSC
      • The Unfriend
      • The Upstart Crow
      • The Wars of The Roses
        • Edward IV
        • Henry VI
        • Richard III
      • The Watsons
      • The Way of The World
      • The Weir
      • The Whale
      • The White Devil – Globe
      • The White Devil – RSC
      • The Winter’s Tale – Branagh
      • The Winter’s Tale – Cheek by Jowl
      • The Winter’s Tale – Globe 2018
      • The Winter’s Tale – RSC 2013
      • The Winter’s Tale – RSC 2021
      • The Winter’s Tale- Wanamaker
      • The Witch of Edmonton
      • There and Back Again – An Odyssey
      • Thérèse Raquin
      • This Happy Breed
      • This Is My Family
      • Timon of Athens
      • Timon of Athens – RSC
      • Titus Andronicus – RSC 2017
      • Titus Andronicus- Globe 2014
      • Totem
      • Travels With My Aunt (musical)
      • Travesties
      • Tristan and Yseult 2017
      • Troilus & Cressida RSC 2018
      • True West
      • Twelfth Night – Apollo 2012
      • Twelfth Night – Globe 2017
      • Twelfth Night – NT 2017
      • Twelfth Night – RSC 2017
      • Twelfth Night – Watermill
      • Twelfth Night – Young Vic
      • Twelfth Night RSC 2012
      • Twelfth Night- ETT 2014
      • Two Gentlemen of Verona – 2016
      • Two Gentlemen of Verona – RSC
      • Two Gentlemen of Verona- 2013
      • Uncle Vanya
      • Venice Preserved
      • Vice Versa
      • Volpone
      • Vulcan 7
      • Watership Down
      • Way Upstream
      • What The Butler Saw
      • While The Sun Shines
      • Wolf Hall
      • Women On The Verge of A Nervous Breakdown
      • wonder.land
      • Worst Wedding Ever
      • Woyzeck
      • Yerma (2017)
      • Young Chekhov Season
      • Young Marx
    • video
      • A Weekend Away, A Week By The Sea
        • Sections: Weekend Away / By the Sea
      • Dennis Cook: A history
      • Drama, dialogue and video
      • Teaching with video: techniques
      • Video: non-authentic
      • Video: on location
      • Video: Peter Viney Interview
      • Video: What happened?

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