'Like him that travels I return again...' (Sonnet 109)

I'm back!

This blog fell on the backburner for me over the past few months, as I've struggled with illness and a busy, busy schedule. But on reflection, this project of writing about Shakespeare and reviewing theatre is really important to me, especially as I go into an MA in Shakespeare and Theatre at the Shakespeare Institute.

Goodbye, 2017: A Round-Up

While it is true that the last couple of months have not been easy, and that I am still struggling through my illness, I nevertheless find that I still have a lot to be thankful for. 2017 has been a year of challenges, surprises, and little triumphs, and I am grateful for every experience I have had, memory I have gained, and person I have shared it with. 

(Here's to)

Review: Bridge Theatre, Young Marx

The year is 1850, and amongst the ramshackle streets of Soho, a desperate man heads to the pawnbrokers with his wife's family silver tucked under his arm...

So begins Young Marx, the debut production at the new Bridge Theatre on London's South Bank. For me, the play was an unexpected delight - not the dry, inaccessible political lecture I feared it might be, but a playful, upbeat comedy highlighting the all-too-human flaws and failings of one man, now known as the greatest intellectual revolutionary of his age. Here's my thoughts.

Shakespeare Sunday: Richard III

Welcome to 'Shakespeare Sunday', where I take an extract from one of the plays and write my thoughts. 

'Teach me how to curse...' Richard III Act 4, Scene 4

Crippled Queens: Hurting or Helping?

Shakespeare Sunday: Macbeth

Welcome to 'Shakespeare Sunday', where I take an extract from one of the plays and write my thoughts.

'Hecate, Hecate, come away' Macbeth, Act 3 Scene 5

Middleton's Additions: Worth a Second Look?

Review: Alarum Theatre, Idle Women

While we remember the men who fought to keep our country safe, let us also spare a thought for the women who toiled to keep it running... 

It's been a few weeks since I saw Idle Women of the Wartime Waterways, but now, during this time of remembrance, it is as apt a time as any to review this heart-warming show of courage and perseverance. 

Shakespeare Sunday: King Lear and Henry V

Welcome to 'Shakespeare Sunday', where I take an extract from one of the plays and write my thoughts. 

'Why, this is an arrant counterfeit rascal...' Henry V Act 3 Scene 6

Bawcock or Heart of Gold? Comparing Kent/Caius and Pistol