This past Sunday I went to Salisbury Cathedral for their famous Advent service. This is the Church of England at its ceremonial grandest, a procession of clergy and choirs, with the staffs and crosses, even the embroidery on the gonfalons* sparkling in the candlelit darkness, designed for maximum impact. As the clock struck, the lights … More It was a very cultured week
On Friday evening, the Cabinet Office released the list of the Queen’s Birthday Honours, and we fans of Penelope Wilton finally had something to celebrate – she had been made a Dame, at long last. It was an honour well deserved, and much overdue. Wilton is one of those actresses who never seem to attract … More In praise of… Penelope Wilton
If I be waspish, best beware my sting. I confess: The Taming of the Shrew is probably my least favourite of Shakespeare’s comedies. In fact, it probably hovers pretty near the bottom in my overall order of preference. Strangely enough, it is my earliest Shakespeare memory – I must have been in primary school when … More Shakespeare Saturday: The Taming of the Shrew
The Bodleian Library’s Shakespeare exhibition, Shakespeare’s Dead, is now open till 18th September. To commemorate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, the focus is on death in his plays, and in the literature of his time. On display is of course the First Folio, the first playbook (Romeo and Juliet), the first edition of Venus … More I’m not even going to pretend to be cool about this
This being the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, Oxford too is hosting a festival, organised by a consortium of local institutions like the university, Bodleian Libraries, the OUP, Blackwell’s and a number of local arts organisations and festivals. Weston Library, one of my favourite spaces in Oxford, has an exhibition called Shakespeare’s Dead and the … More Shakespeare Oxford 2016
I read fom somewhere that two years ago, when the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse was opened, Eileen Atkins in character as Ellen Terry spoke the first words of Shakespeare on its stage. She did another run of this play, written by herself and based on the Shakespeare lectures Terry started giving after her acting career has … More On theatregoing
Shakespeare for absolute beginners 