twilightdawning

A writer's thoughts – mainly about music, sport and theatre. Shakespeare, Bob Dylan, live shows, New York Yankees

Revisionist Shakespeare is off with the fairies

Posted on July 9, 2025 by twilightdawning

Where: The Bridge Theatre, London Bridge, London

When: July 1-3 2025

What: A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare

Today’s productions of William Shakespeare’s plays tend to fall into two categories. There are those which are archly modernist and revisionist. Then there are those which try to retain the spirit and art of the original manuscript – not in a hidebound sense, nor always in Elizabethan dress.

An example of the former would be most of the output of the Royal Shakespeare Company over recent years. Many reviews of their work can be found here on this site¹. An example of the latter would be the Cambridge Shakespeare Festival:

“… no knee-bending to trendy revisionism… but rather a tour de force of Elizabethan drama”²

So, where would the current production at the Bridge Theatre fall? In the former or the latter?

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More Than Cool Reason Ever Comprehends – The Lunatic, the Lover, The Poet

Posted on March 11, 2024 by twilightdawning

What: A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare

Where: The Royal Shakespeare Theatre (RST), Stratford-Upon-Avon

Who: The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC)

When: February – March 2024

So, when I come to assess a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, I am considering a play that I have acted in, directed and produced on a professional level. Whatever else this means, it means that I am coming to view a play that I have strong opinions about. I consider that I have a firm understanding of the play’s strengths.

This I think is important to establish in the critique I offer – not least because I think that Eleanor Rhodes’ direction of the play is remarkably uneven.

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Macbeth – Double, double toil and trouble;

Posted on September 7, 2023 by twilightdawning

O, full of scorpions is my mind

What: Macbeth by William Shakespeare

Where: Royal Shakespeare Theatre (RST), Stratford Upon Avon

Who: Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC)

When: August-September 2023

Could things get any worse?

An old record by the Who echoed with the words:

“Meet the new boss
Same as the old boss”

Here at the RSC, the same problems that have haunted recent productions look like they are going to be around in the new era. Gregory Doran’s time at the helm was rather mixed. Now as we come out of an interim period, with Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey as co-artistic directors, things have really not changed. This production of Macbeth is diabolical, and I don’t mean devilish.

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What air’s from home. Haply this life is best

Posted on May 19, 2023 by twilightdawning

What: Cymbeline by William Shakespeare

Where: The Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-Upon-Avon (RST)

When: 22nd April-27 May, 2023

Who: The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC)

An excellent production!!

But that does need some explanation and clarification.

What do we have here?

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For Thou Mayest See a Sunshine and a Hail in me at once

Posted on September 1, 2022 by twilightdawning

What: All’s Well That Ends Well by William Shakespeare

Where: The Royal Shakespeare Theatre (RST), Stratford-upon-Avon

When: August 22-28 2022 (runs until late October 2022)

Who: The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC)

William Shakespeare’s “All’s Well That Ends Well” is, they say, a problem play. Having read all the main literature on that subject, I’m still not convinced on that subject, but this I do know – the RSC’s current production of it makes it more of a problem than it needs to be.

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The King’s Name is a Tower of Strength

Posted on July 9, 2022 by twilightdawning

What: Richard III by William Shakespeare

Where: The Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-Upon-Avon

When: Late June to early July 2022

Who: The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC)

This is a very good RSC production. It fades a little in the final third but on the whole, it has much to offer. And frankly, if you look through my recent reviews of the Stratford-Upon-Avon-based theatre, it hasn’t been too often I have been able to say that in the last 5 years.

Of course, the shutdown because of the pandemic has affected the percentages, but some productions have been a real struggle.

The recent Much Ado Nothing had some good sections. Measure for Measure and the Comedy of Errors were absolutely excellent, and far, far beyond my expectations. But, most often the RSC seems to have been embroiled in experimentation, tricky notions and slightly bizarre shapes for their own shape.

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…Doth Indeed Show some Sparks of Wit…

Posted on February 21, 2022 by twilightdawning

What: Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare

Where: Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-Upon-Avon

Who: The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC)

When: Viewed week of 14th February to 18th of February (runs until 12th March 2022)

Attempts to evoke some sparks of negativity around the principles of the RSC’s productions do become a little tired. The artistic director of this production spoke of a “racist backlash” to the casting of this play. I cannot speak to this directly but having spoken to various audience members, over the days that I attended the show, nobody seemed to be particularly concerned about the casting although some did have other axes to grind.

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Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf – a tribute

Posted on February 1, 2022 by twilightdawning

Less than a year ago I was going to take some time to write a tribute to Jim Steinman, who was one of those songwriters I never quite go away from. He was a big influence in my teenage years and then his music re-entered my life when I was in my late-twenties and again, more recently.

The tribute for the songwriter (who passed away in the early Spring of 2021) never got finished. I guess my excuse has something to do with the pandemic and the fact that it seemed to be more relevant to be concentrating on the present than considering the past.

And then this month (January 2022), just as I had finished a day thinking about the current touring production of “Bat out of Hell – The Musical”, I heard the news that his sparring partner, Meat Loaf had also died. This time it seemed to be much more pertinent to reflect on the past than think about the present and if I hadn’t have been obliged to submit a report on the musical. I don’t think it would ever have got completed. You can find the part of that report which is for public consumption here:

https://twilightdawning.com/2022/01/26/out-of-hell-and-back-into-hell-again/

So, time for the tribute – well, a guide to their essential work really:

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Out of Hell… And Back into Hell Again

Posted on January 26, 2022 by twilightdawning

Bat out of Hell – The Musical, touring version

January – November 2022 (various venues)

If I have seen the show before (during its two West End stints), what differences will I notice?

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Your Jest is Earnest… I familiarly sometimes do use you for my fool and chat with you.

Posted on July 27, 2021 by twilightdawning

What: The Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare

When: July 21 and 22, 2021

Where: The Lydia and Manfred Gorvy Garden Theatre, Stratford-Upon-Avon

Who: The Royal Shakespeare Company

William Shakespeare’s play “The Comedy of Errors” is a better play than many believe and the Royal Shakespeare Company current production of it is better than I expected…

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