Important components for a really good production of Richard III:

Richard should be a) played by an actor who is themself visibly disabled[1], b) especially early on really damn charming and sexy

Buckingham should be in blatant unrequited love with Richard

Elizabeth should be FRICKING AWESOME and absolutely outwitting Richard towards the end, not giving into him

there should be at least a few moments that make able-bodied audience members really rather uncomfortable and make physically disabled audience members laugh our arses off :D

Which is why the 2021 RSC version starring Arthur Hughes, Jamie Wilkes, and Kirsty Bushell is the best, I note. :D But if you know of any other productions that tick all of those boxes I'd love to hear about them. :-)

[1] Invisible and non-physical disabilities are So Fricking Valid and I have some myself, but when it comes to R3 the visibility is important. <3

Dick Moves

RICHARD III Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Thursday 15th August, 2022 Perhaps more than most plays, Shakespeare’s Richard III depends on the charisma of its leading man, who in this case happens to be the villain of the piece.  Through soliloquies and asides, the scheming Duke of Gloucester lets us in on his nefarious plots.  Richard needs to be more than a pantomime villain, enjoyable though it is…

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A View From The Bridge- Chichester 2023

Review of Arthur Miller’s A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE at Chichester Festival Theatre. (FOLLOW LINK TO REVIEW). This one is a joint production with Headlong, Octagon Bolton and Rose Kingston. It features Jonathan Slinger and Kirsty Bushell as Eddie and Beatrice Carbone, both great RSC stalwarts over the years. Its a play I know extremely well, and this is the best version I’ve seen from the acting…

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Murder In Provence cast🍷🥐

Kirsty Bushell

Ruth Roots

ANDREW KREPS GALLERY22 CORTLANDT ALLEYNEW YORK, NY 10013TEL (212) 741-8849FAX (212)741-8863WWW.

ANDREWKREPS.COMRUTH ROOT Born 1967, Chicago, IL. Currently lives and works in New York City.

Education2003Yaddo1994 Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture1993 MFA, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago 1990Brown UniversityAwards1996 National Endowment for the Arts, Mid-Atlantic Grant in Painting1996 New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship in Painting Solo Exhibitions2019Forum, Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, PA2017356 Mission, Los Angeles, CA2016Marta Carvery Gallery, Madrid2015Old, Odd & Oval, The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield, CT Andrew Kreps Gallery, Nailery Nikolaus Ruziicka, Salzburg, Austria2014The Dartmouth Experiment, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH2011The Suburban, Oak Park, IL2009Galerie Nikolaus Ruziicka, Salzburg, Austria Maureen Paley Gallery, London2008Gallery Minmi, Tokyo2007Andrew Kreps Gallery, New Yorkdale Marta Carvery, Madrid2005Galerie Nikolaus Ruzicska, Salzburg, Austria2004Maureen Paley Interim Art, LondonGaleria Marta Carvery, Madrid2003 Andrew Kreps Gallery, New York2001 Andrew Kreps Gallery, New York2000Galleria Franco Nero, Turin, Italy1999Andrew Kreps Gallery, New YorkMuseumExhibitions2018Inherent Structure, Wexner Centerport the Arts, Columbus, OH Surface/Depth, Museum of Arts and Design, New York, NY2015New York Painting, Kunst museum Bonn, Bonn, Germany2008Unique Act, Dublin City Gallery, The Hugh Lane,Dublin2007Don’t Look.

Contemporary Drawings from an Alumna’s Collection Martina Yamen, class of 1958, Davis Museum at Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA2005Extreme Abstraction, curated by Claire Schneider and Louis Gracchus, Albright Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY2004City Maps, ArtPlace, San Antonio and TX.

ANDREW KREPS GALLERY22 CORTLANDT ALLEYNEW YORK, NY 10013TEL (212) 741-8849FAX (212)741-8863WWW.ANDREWKREPS.COM2003Permanent Collection On View, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles The ContemporaryArtProject Collection, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA2002Emotional Rescue: The ContemporaryArtProject Collection, Curated by Linda Farris, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WAS am collect –contemporary art project, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA2000Greater New York, Duplex solo installation, Curated by Klaus Eisenach and Laura Hauptman, PS1 Contemporary Art Centre, New York Group Exhibitions2019Painters Reply: Experimental Painting in the 1970s and now, curated by Alex Glauber and Alex Logsdail,Lisson Gallery, New York, NY2018Twist,fused/Jessica Silverman Gallery, San Francisco, CA2018 Invitational Exhibition of Visual Arts, American Academy of Arts and Letters, New York, NY 2017Man Alive, Mariana Mercier, Brussels2016Looking Back, The 10thWhite Columns Annual –Selected by Matthew Higgs, White Columns, New York Life Eraser, Brand New Gallery, Milan Shapeshifters, Luring Augustine, New York The Congregation, Jack Hanley Gallery, New York 2014Les Plaisirs Démodé (The Old-Fashioned Way), Galerie Nikolaus Ruziicka, Salzburg, Austria2013Wit, The Painting Centre, New York2012To the Venetians II: Chris Martin, Matt Rich and Ruth Root, curated by Carrie Moyer and Dennis Congdon, RISD Painting Department Providence, RI2011-12The Indiscipline of Painting, Tate St. Ives, Cornwall, UK, touring to the Mead Gallery, University of Warwick, UK2009Trail Blazers in the 21st Century, The David and Ruth Robinson Eisenberg Gallery, New Brunswick, NJ Print, Mushroom Works, Newark upon Tyne, United Kingdom2008Take Me There Show Me The Way, Haunch of Venison, New York David Reed Studio, New York Gallery Minmi, Japan2007 NE integrity, Derek Eller Gallery, New York Bushels, Bundles & Barrels, Superfund Investment Centre, New York The Painting Show-Slipping Abstraction, Mead Gallery, Coventry, United Kingdom2006Untitled (for H.C. Westermann), The Contemporary Museum, Honolulu, HI Ruth Root, Alex Brown, Cameron Martin, Sally Ross, Gallery Minmi, Tokyoite is, “what is it”, Andrew Kreps Gallery, New York2005The Early Show, White Columns, New York Trade, White Columns, New York2004Painting & Sculpture, Mark Moore Gallery, Santa Monica, CA2003Greetings from New York: A Painting Showalterian Thaddaeus Ropak, Salzburg, Austria20thAnniversary, Welcome Home, Gavin Brown’s Enterprise, New York2002Jump, Curated by Ross Nether, The Painting Centre, New York-Beam, Cynthia Brogan Gallery, New York Inheriting Matisse: The Decorative Contour in Contemporary Art, Curated by MichelleGrabner, Rocket Gallery, London Acme Gallery, Los Angeles Abstract Redux, Danes Gallery and New York.

ANDREW KREPS GALLERY22 CORTLANDT ALLEYNEW YORK, NY 10013TEL (212) 741-8849FAX (212)741-8863WWW.

ANDREWKREPS.COMState of the Gallery, Andrew Kreps Gallery, New York2001The Approximative, Galerie Ghislaine Huss not, Paris Painting show, Curated by Laura Owens, Chicago Project Room, Los Angeles2000 Fuel Serve, Curated by Kenny Schachter, Kenny Schachter/Rove, New York Salty Salute, Westing Art Space, Toronto Perfidy -Exhausted Embrace, Curated by Martyn Simpson and Daniel Sturgis, Convent Sainte Marie de La Tourette, Evreux, FranceKosmobiologie, Curated by Nancy Chaykin, Bellwether Gallery, Brooklyn, NY1999Fifteen, Deutsche Bank, Curated by Walter Robinson, New York Free Coke, Greene Naftali Gallery, New York1998Home and Away, Curated by Kirsty Bell, Gavin Brown’s Enterprise, New York Son-of-a-Gusto, Curated by Nina Bovisa, Clementine Gallery, New York Cambio, Part 2, Curated by Kenny Schachter, Museo Universitario Del Choop, Mexico City Sassy Nuggets, Andrew Kreps Gallery, New York New Museum Benefit Auction, Pierogi 2000 Portfolios, New York Superfreaks: Part II, Odyssey, Greene Naftali Gallery, New York1997Cambio, Curated by Kenny Schachter, 526 West 26th St., New York Wrong Place, Right Time, Curated by Giovanni Garcia-Fenech, Temporary Space, New York Vague Pop, Curated by Giovanni Garcia-Fenech, View room, New York1996The Experimenters, Curated by Kenny Schachter, Lombard-Fried Fine Arts, New York Taking Stock, Curated by Kenny Schachter, 25 Broad Street, New York Texas Meets New York, Curated by Kenny Schachter, Arlington Museum of Art, Arlington, Texas Bump, The Greene County Council on the Arts, Catskill, NY The Death of the Death of Painting, Curated by Kenny Schachter, New York1995Lookin’ Good, Feeling’ Good, 450 Gallery, New York Eat or Be Eaten/ Painting, Not Painting, Anderson Gallery, Buffalo, NYX-Sightings, Anderson Gallery, Buffalo, NY1994Crash, Thread Waxing Space, New YorkBibliography2017Gerwin, Daniel.

“Ruth Root” Artform, September2016 Hodari, Susan. “

Painting Overtakes Pixels in Aldrich Museum Exhibition.”

The New York Times, 18 February2015Biswas, Allie. “

Ruth Root: ‘I love to see how artists create such a joy from colour’ “Studio International, December 17. Campbell, Andriana.

“Ruth Root.” Artforum.com, 13 July Pfeiffer, Produce. “Ruth Root.” Artform, October Vogel, Wendy. “The Lookout: Ruth Root” Art in America Online, 2 July Vogel, Wendy. “Ruth Root” Art in America, September Hawley, Anthony. “Ruth Root” The Brooklyn Rail, 8 September Yau, John. “Two Ways of Making Painting in the 21stCentury” Hyperallergic, 19 July The New Yorker, 27 JulySchwendener, Martha.

“Review: Ruth Root, Minimal and Opulent, at Andrew Kreps Gallery, The New York Times, 2July2009James, Nicholas, “Between Painting and Sculpture,” artslant.com, 25 January 2009.

ANDREW KREPS GALLERY22 CORTLANDT ALLEYNEW YORK, NY 10013TEL (212) 741-8849FAX (212)741-8863WWW.ANDREWKREPS.COMNickas, Bob.

“Colour and Structure.” Painting Abstraction: New Elements in Abstract Painting. London, UK. Phaedo Press. 2009Carrier, David. "Ruth Root.” aruspices 24/24 Fall -Winter2008McKeon, Belinda.

“Taking Root on Gallery Walls.” The Irish Times, March 11Maine, Stephen.

"Brand Boosters.” The New York Sun, March 6Ruth Root. The New Yorker, March 3Rosenberg, Karen.

"Ruth Root. “The New York Times, February 222007 “The Painting Show -Abstracts at Warwick University Mead Gallery.”24 Hour Museum.org. Kmart 15 Jannuzzi, Waldemar.”

The pleasures of undescriptive colour. “Times Online, February 182005Huntington, Richard. "A sampling of all things abstract—old and new.

“The Buffalo News, August 13 Flynn, Barbara. “Exhibition round-up: New York. “Artform. 546Rimanelli, David. "Greater New York 2005.” Artforum,MayColes, Alex. "Ruth Root.

“Modern Painters, May, p.112.De Chasse, Eric. "Painting (Cont'd).” art press, n310, March 2004Campagnola, Sonia.

"Ruth Root. “Flash Art, Summer Pozuelo, Abel H., "Ruth Rote Cultural, May Carpio, Francisco. "Ruth Root. “

ABC Cultural, June Pardo, Taneal. "Ruth Root. “Exit Express, June Boyce, Roger. “Ruth Root at Andrew Kreps Gallery.”

Art in America, February 2003Richard, Frances “Ruth Root: Andrew Kreps Gallery.”

Artforum,September Kerr, Merrily. “New York New York: Art Fragments from the Big Apple. “Flash Art, July-September Burton, Johanna. “Ruth Root. “Time Out New York, May 15-22“Ruth Root.”

www.flavorpill.com,May 10Smith, Roberta. “Ruth Root. “The New York Times, May 92002Pagel, David. “

Some Things Old, Some Things Mewls Angeles Times, May 102001Isé, Claudine. “Coughlan, Reeder, Root, Weatherford.” Team Celeste, September/October Schmirler, Sarah. “Gallery Beat. “

Art on Paper,July-AugustJohnson, Ken. “Ruth Root. “The New York Times, April 27Mahoney, Robert. “Ruth Root. “Time Out New York, May 10-17Naves, Mario. “These Paintings Are Watching You. “

The New York Observer, May 7Wehr, Anne. “Cigarette break. “Time Out New York, April 19-262000Cibulski, Dana Mouton. “New York. “Art Papers Magazine, November / December Conti, Tatiana. “Ruth Root. “Team Celeste, November Adult, Gary Michael. “Salty Salute at the West Wing Art Space.” The Globe and Mail, September 30Orange, Mark. “Greater New York.” Untitled,AutumnKino, Carol. “The Emergent Factor. “Art in America, July Hunt, David. “Symbiology. “Time Out New York, July 27Shave, Stuart. “Man Made.” idrapril Sumpter, Helen. “Ruth Root.” Hot Tickets, March Cook, Mark. “Ruth Root. “The Big Issue, March Cotter, Holland.

“New York Contemporary, Defined 150 Ways. “The New York Times, March 6Turner, Grady. “Beautiful Dreamers. “Flash Art, January-February 1999Cotter, Holland. “Ruth Root.”

Art in Review, The New York Times, March Pinchbeck, Daniel. “Ruth Root. “The Newspaper of New York and March.

ANDREW KREPS GALLERY22 CORTLANDT ALLEYNEW YORK, NY 10013TEL (212) 741-8849FAX (212)741-8863WWW.ANDREWKREPS.COMSchmerler, Sarah. “Ruth Root.” Time Out New York, March Sapid, Sue. “Met Life.” The Village Voice, March Turner, Grady.

“Son of a Gusto.” Flash Art, January1995“Eclectic Exhibition Opens at the Anderson Gallery. “Metro Weekend, November Huntington, Richard. “The Expected and Unexpected -A Fun Mix from Near and Far.”

The Buffalo News, July Huntington, Richard. “Nasty at Times. “The Buffalo News, December Victor, Mathieu. “Eat or Be Eaten.” Artvoice, NovemberCatalogues2015Smith-Stewart, Amy. Ruth Root: Old, Odd, and Oval.

The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum. Ridgefield, CT2014Artist-in-Residence Spring 2014: Ruth Root Paintings. Jaffe-Frieda Gallery, Hopkins Centre for the Arts, Dartmouth College.

Hanover, NH2005Schneider, Claire and Gracchus, Louis. Extreme Abstraction. Albright Knox Gallery. Buffalo, NY. The Buffalo Fine Arts Academy Reddy Young, Tara.2002Sam Collects Contemporary Art Projects.

Seattle Art Museum. Seattle, WA2001Dailey, Meghan and Gingers, Alison M. The Approximative. Mink Ranch Productions. Paris, France2000Groom, Simon. Perfidy: Surviving Modernism.

Kettle’s Yard. Cambridge, UK1999European Galleries. Art Forum Berlin. Berlin, Germany Swenson, Susan (ed.). Pierogi Press. vol. 3, New York, NY1997Schachter, Kenny. Cambio. Mexican Cultural Institute of New York.

New York, NYLectures2001Conversations with Contemporary Artists, MoMA, New York, NY Public Collections Austin Museum of Art, Austin, TX Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Hirschhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington D.C.Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, MA Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA Whitney Museum of American Art, New York and NY.

Est Professional Practice- wk 7: Favourite costumes

For the final online task of Establishing professional practice, we were asked to illustrate our favourite costume(s) that inspired us to study costume design. With coming from a majorly theatre background, switching from predominantly acting to design during college, I felt it’d be more fitting to include 3 costume designs that helped me to transition and give me motivation to push my skills.

For the first one, I drew Anastasia’s regal gown, designed by Linda Cho and worn by Christy Altomare for Anastasia which opened on Broadway in 2017. The moment Anastasia steps out onto the stage in the beautiful red satin gown with dazzling jewelled embellishments is a sight to behold. Linda Cho somehow turned a plain silhouette into something extraordinary. The stunning golden crown headpiece adorned with ruby red jewels immediately establishes Anastasia as the reunited real Anastasia Romanov, a real russian princess. For the jewels, I tried to quickly mark on the red jewels first, then blue, then gold, this made it easier for the different jewels and sections to be distinguishable. I feel I managed to perfectly capture Christy’s strained facial expression.

Moving onto the second drawing, I used promarkers to create the Cherry Red 1903 dress that Lyuba Ranyevskya wears at the beginning of The Cherry Orchard, worn by Kirsty Bushell and designed by Tom Piper for Cherry Orchard, written by Anton Chekhov, directed by Michael Boyd and shown in the Royal Exchange theatre, Manchester, 2018. At the start of Act 1, Lyuba returns from Paris to her beloved family estate in Russia, 1903. The dress includes beautiful period details, such as the cinched wasp waist, fitted bodice and leg o mutton sleeves. Lyuba is from an aristocratic old-money family but is beginning to lose her beloved estate and cherry orchard. This can be seen in the cherry red silk crepe de chine, a fine and fashionable silk popular in early 1900s Paris= conveys her extravagance and in denial about her finances, choosing to still look fashionable despite her economic decline. 

For the third and final drawing, I again used promarkers to create the colourful chaotic jacket that Hamlet wears at the beginning of his mental downfall in the 2016 RSC production of Hamlet, worn by Paapa Essiedu and designed by Paul Willis. Instead of replicating the coloured chalk used on the original jacket, I used a few different coloured promarker pens as working the chalk into the paper wouldn’t create the intended effect of rough brushstrokes, as it’d smooth out and lose its effect. The crown and skull drawings on the back of the jacket help create the strained relationship between royalty and brutal death that encapsulates the play, and the head of costume painting and dyeing at the RSC, Helen Hughes included the rough colour splats and childish motifs, inspired by certain elements of Basquiat’s artistic work.

Damien Molony fans!

Ian McKellen Fans!

Win a King Lear programme signed by Damien, Sir Ian and the ENTIRE CAST!

Click on the link for info and more pics! 

DMF Christmas Charity Prize Draw: WIN rare KING LEAR programme signed by DAMIEN MOLONY & ENTIRE CAST

or, in other words, why i am 100% against the critics.

What did Shakespeare know about love?

Photo: Katy Owen as Malvolio in Twelfth Night, 2017, photo by Hugo Glendinning

Ahead of her course this August, Jane Kingsley-Smith from The University of Roehampton wanted to ask - what did Shakespeare know about love?

Shakespeare’s work seems to epitomise romantic love in popular culture. Teenage passion is modelled on Romeo and Juliet; sexual jealousy finds its echoes in Othello; the blindness of infatuation is defined by the Sonnets. But to what extent was Shakespeare’s imagining of love determined by his culture?

This course will examine the various theories that shaped the experience of love in Shakespeare’s time. Love was imposed by a mythological deity, Cupid; it was a humoral imbalance in the body that caused literal sickness; a poetic tradition through which one might achieve political aims; a myth that facilitated marriage and population growth. By understanding these competing theories, we can gain some sense of Shakespeare’s own philosophy of love, as developed in the plays, and how it influenced his contemporaries.  

Photo: Kirsty Bushell as Juliet and Edward Hogg as Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, 2016, photo by Robert Workman

Whilst Shakespearean love is created by language, it is also something to be enacted on a stage. Shakespeare worked with a set of theatrical conventions for performing love which might include the use of physical space, gesture, music and stage effects. Workshops with Globe professionals will enable participants on this course to explore how the illusion of love was created on stage, with particular focus on Romeo and Juliet, Twelfth Night, and Much Ado About Nothing.

Finally, we will examine the notion of Shakespeare himself as a lover. From the eighteenth century onwards, Shakespeare’s capacity to feel love has been one of his most praised qualities, and biographical hints in the Sonnets have led to poems, plays, novels and latterly films which re-imagine Shakespeare as a lover. But why are we so concerned with the way in which Shakespeare loved, and how is this perception of Shakespearean desire changing in the modern world?  

Photo: Joshua Lacey as Orsino and Anita-Joy Uwajeh as Viola in Twelfth Night, photo by Hugo Glendinning

This course promises to enrich our understanding of the value placed on love in Shakespeare’s work, in early modern culture, and in our own lives.

The course Shakespeare On Love takes place this August and places are still available. 

Find out more >>

Directed By: Jonathan Munby

Cast:

King Lear- Ian McKellen Countess of Kent- Sinéad Cusack Earl of Gloucester- Danny Webb Edmund- Damien Molony Fool- Phil Daniels Oswald- Michael Matus Curan, Doctor- John Hastings Goneril- Dervla Kirwan Duke of Albany- Dominic Mafham Regan- Kirsty Bushell Duke of Cornwall, Albany’s Man- Patrick Robinson Cordelia- Tamara Lawrance Edgar- Jonathan Bailey King of France, British Captain- Caleb Roberts Duke of Burgundy, Lear’s Knight, Mosieur La Far- Jake Mann Gentleman Informer, Old Man- Richard Clews

Nothing will come of nothing: speak again

As a dedicated English student, studying a module completely devoted to Shakespeare, there is nothing more satisfying then being able to sit in the theatre and watch one of his plays in action, after a day devoted to the bard himself.

If you have read my reviews before you will know that I have already seen Hamlet three times (once with Benedict Cumberbatch in and twice with Andrew Scott in) as well as visiting the Globe Theatre (briefly) on a trip with the university last year. It is safe to say in that aspect that I am no stranger to a Shakespearean performance. This time, however, the play of choice we went and saw was King Lear at the Minerva Theatre staring the wonderful Sir Ian McKellen.

Synopsis

The elderly King Lear decides to abdicate his power and divide his land between his 3 daughters, Goneril, Regan and Cordelia. He plans to give the largest piece of his land to the daughter who proclaims they love him the most. Regan and Goneril’s proclamations are over exaggerated and excessive as they are full of corruption and just want his power. Lear, however, is certain that his favourite daughter (I know right… how can you have a favourite child!!! #unfair) Cordelia will win this challenge but is disheartened when she refuses to do so, simply stating that she should love him how a daughter should love her father. Lear does not find this suitable and disowns her there and then. The Early of Kent, a dear friend of Lear’s, attempts to speak on her behalf but ends up finding himself banished from the land all together!

While Lear is not impressed by Cordelia’s attempts to win his love, the King of France is and proposes to her (hurray! some happiness!) Cordelia leaves with the King of France, leaving Lear with her evil sisters. Kent, although banished, manages to disguise himself and becomes Lear’s trusted servant. After all this, Lear decides to go and live with Goneril but she later reveals that she plans on treating him like the old man that he is. Hurt by this, he sends Kent with a letter to Regan, asking her to prepare for his arrival. When Lear eventually arrives, he is shocked to see that Kent has been put in the stocks! Before he is able to find out who did this, Goneril arrives and all is revealed that the two sisters are working together against him.

Gloucester arrives just in time to hear what is happening. He has a letter drafted to be sent to Kent to inform him of the danger and that he should get the king to Dover for safety. They all leave immediately but Goneril and Regan find out that Gloucester is behind the Kings sudden departure. As punishment for ruining their plan, Regan’s husband, Cornwall, gouges out Gloucester’s eyes.

They, being Goneril and Regan, are later informed that Cordelia has raised an army of the French and proceed to raise their own army to meet them at Dover. Kent hears of this news and heads of with Lear to try and reunite the pair. Gloucester follows blindly and on the way, is reunited with his lost son Edgar. Lear sleeps through the battle between the sisters but awakes to find that Cordelia has been defeated naively thinking that their punishment will be mere imprisonment when actually an order arises for Cordelia to be killed. Goneril and Regan, despite being victorious and set in their evil ways, end up destroying each other. Mad with love for Gloucester’s other son, Edmund, Goneril poison’s Regan. When discovering that Edmund has been fatally injured, she kills herself.

To end, Lear appears, carrying Cordelia’s lifeless body. He leans to attempt to find a sign of breath but is unable and falls down dead, heartbroken. Kent announces that he will follow Lear into the afterlife and that Edgar will take the place as ruler of Britain.

The theatre as a whole is a fairly intimate one containing no more than 285 seats in total compared to a larger theatre that you might attend in the West End. The Minerva Theatre is a peculiar one in comparison to its sister theatre, the Chichester Festival Theatre as there is no raised stage and it is rounded. Upon entering the auditorium, you actually enter by walking on the stage. During this performance, however, there is a rounded raised platform in the centre of the stage which was used as the main performance area. The seating was comfortable with plenty of leg room to be able to stretch out. Our seats were situated above one the stage exists which is used during the play. This was interesting as we were able to see the actors remain in character right up until they were no longer in sight, plus there was no worry about kicking anyone in the back during the play!

The setting itself was fairly minimalistic during the play although still effective and representing the 21st century. The backing was a wooden panelling in a blue/grey colour, which later would open out as if a set of doors as well as sliding apart to reveal the back of the stage. A deep red carpet laid on the circular platform, centre stage, which added to the overall regalness of the play.

It seems as we head towards the end of 2017, the need to modernise Shakespeare plays begin to expand more and more throughout the theatrical society. For this production of King Lear, the modernising technique was no stranger however, it was used with subtlety. Although the modernisation isn’t as up-to-date compared to some of the most recent adaptations of other Shakespeare plays, we are still shown elements of the 21st century. Suggestion’s are led to believe that this rendition is actually set during the Edwardian era however towards the end we are introduced to a very 21st century battle scene, using modern weapons as well as clothing.

The outfits which are used in the play help with these ideas. While Regan and Goneril’s dresses were a dark blue and floor length, Cordelia’s was a pure white silk gown which suggests her purity and innocence within the play. As for the King and the men of the court, they were dressed in traditional royal uniform, proudly showing any awards and badges that they have received. While the weapons were all black guns of varying sizes during the battle sequence, the outfits differed in colour ever so slightly. A lighter shade of camouflage was used to represent the French side so the audience were able to tell the difference between the British and French.

At the forefront of this rendition of King Lear, was the wonderful Sir Ian McKellen. Although McKellen has starred in a multitude of films and TV shows, such as Beauty and the Beast (2017) and Mr Holmes (2015), he is best known for the character of Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies. Having only read King Lear before, I was interested to see how McKellen would go about interpreting the main character. What we see in this rendition, is a frail old king who sadly is losing his mind. His portrayal of the elderly king is next to perfection. McKellen shows us the madness and insanity that Lear is being tormented with. The heartbreak he receives from his daughters, furthers this pushing him deeper into a hole in which he never returns from.

I have seen the day, with my good biting balchion, I would have made them skip: I am old now, And these same crosses spoil me. Who are you? Mine eyes are not o’ the best: I’ll tell you straight.

It is throughout the play that Lear is aware of his age, as he continuously mentions. However, there is no signs that he is aware of his mental illness until the last few scenes when him and Cordelia are reintroduced. In this rendition, this is done in the form of a hospital scene with Cordelia sat at the end of his bed with Kent. Lear speaks “Methinks I should know you, and know this man; Yet I am doubtful for I am mainly ignorant” Here we see that he is knowledgeable of the people in the room however his mind is unable to allow him to remember. McKellen’s version of this bought a tear to my eye. Those who have seen family members deteriorate to the point of forgetting could connect in such a way. I have not personally experienced this, but was still moved by McKellen’s heartbreaking portrayal.

One cannot do a review without mentioning the rest of the ensemble. One character in particular to mention is that of Edmund, the legitimate son of Gloucester, played by Damien Molony. Throughout the play, Edmund’s character changes drastically to suit his alliances and provide a stable fate for himself. However, this does not go to plan when his brother Edgar, finds out his cunning plan. Molony portrays what can only be described as a troubled young man. A bastard in more than one sense. At the beginning of the play we see young man loyal to his king in order to please his father. Molony is able to show us Edmunds, secretive side by using ‘asides’. At one section, he raises his middle fingers to the sky as if to be swearing at God. In such a tragic play, he is one of the characters who introduces elements of humour.

Regan, played by Kirsty Bushell, truly is the deranged and mad one in the play. Bushell portrayed the daughter drunk on power and the idea of expelling her father from the picture for good. Her characterisation and acting of Regan was amazing to see. At the beginning, we see a daughter devoted to her father but towards the end we see one who despises him which adds to the tragedy of the broken-hearted king.

  A scene which clearly stood out for me was that of the storm. The technical ability of this was truly like nothing I had seen before. Having seen plays show storms before with just lighting and sound effects, I was prepared to see something similar. However, the play truly bought something new and special to me. Although there was the traditional lighting and sound effects for the thunder and lightning, the rain was live. Yes. they were actually able to create a downpour within the Minerva Theatre without flooding it! Having never seen this used in theatres before I was astounded! However, this was short lived when I was told that a similar technique is used in Singing in the Rain… Nevertheless, it was outstanding!

This play is one of the many reasons why you should consider seeing a Shakespeare play live. Whether it be at The Globe or at your local theatre, being able to explore the classical plays which shape modern English Literature is an absolute honour as well as a pleasure. As society continues to change and expand, we will often find similiarites between the worlds which Shakespeare introduce to us as well as our own modern world.

With only 16 more days left of this wonderful play, I would asbolutely recommend trying to get tickets to see it! McKellen, cast and crew honour the bard through a truly memorable performance. I would 100% see this again if given the opportunity!

★★★★★

By Natalie Midwinter.

Review Time!: King Lear 05.10.2017 (WARNING CONTATINS ‘SPOILERS’) Directed By: Jonathan Munby Cast: King Lear- Ian McKellen Countess of Kent- Sinéad Cusack Earl of Gloucester- Danny Webb…

King Lear, Ian McKellen review A review added of the second King Lear in two and a bit weeks. This King Lear is with Ian McKellen at Chichester's Minerva Theatre, (LINKED) one of the hottest theatre tickets of the year.

Kirsty Bushell and Edward Hogg in Romeo and Juliet, directed by Daniel Kramer, at Shakespeare’s Globe, London. Photograph: Tristram Kenton for the Guardian. 

Kirsty Bushell

King Lear at The Duke of York’s Theatre- Review

I was lucky enough to gain tickets to one of the one hundred performances of King Lear at the Duke of York’s Theatre on London’s West End. King Lear has been a show that I’ve used monologues from and I remember watching an incredibly odd adaptation and totally not following the plot line so I was skeptical; but my goodness, the play was an absolute masterpiece. The theatre was rather small anyway, but half of the seats of the stalls had been taken out to make a very intimate performance. Even though I was at the back of the Royal Circle, I felt incredibly close to the action and did not miss a word. It was a perfect setting for this remarkable play.

A huge part of the performance’s popularity is due to the legend that is Ian McKellen resurrecting the iconic role of Lear for his final time. He certainly lived up to his reputation. In the programme, he spoke about how he’d played many of the roles in the show before, including Lear, and had unfinished business so he was overjoyed to return to the role. His performance was absolutely outstanding (as one would imagine) and he brought Lear to life with such believability. Though many of the audience members perceived his madness comical, it was also rather upsetting to see how much his mind deteriorated from the beginning of the play. Portraying this slow descent into madness is difficult, but McKellen did it absolutely brilliantly. 

An actress I could not take my eyes of was Kirsty Bushell as Reagan. She played the role as if she almost gained some sort of high from seeing the bloodshed that pursued. She danced around as Gloucester encountered the wrath of her husband and kissed his bloodied eye sockets as if she craved blood. Another immense villain was Edmund, which was portrayed by James Corrigan. He played Edmund brilliantly, showing how evil and resentful the character is and often breaking the fourth wall in order to tell the audience of his need for vengeance. He embodied the pure evil that is Edmund’s character. Another worthy mentioned is Anita-Joy Uwajeh as Cordelia. What I loved is that Cordelia became the leader of the French army, giving her power which is often deprived from females in Shakespeare. She was powerful but also very tender, especially with her father. It was refreshing to see this unique take on the character and breaking the mould. 

Jonathan Munby did an excellent job of adapting King Lear for a modern audience. The production was set in a modern day Royal Family-esque setting which was fantastic for a modern audience and created theatre that even Shakespeare Novice’s could follow. The lighting of the performance was also exceptional. Oliver Fenwick did a brilliant job, I especially remember the battle scene in which there was strobe lighting across the stage, which made it even more believable that war had broken out upon the stage. Another astonishing moment was when the stage filled with rain. It was a unique sight to behold and was the result of some hard work down by the designers and technicians of the show. It looked absolutely amazing and what also struck me was how the actors carried on for another half an hour performing in soaking wet clothes! 

Overall, this performance of King Lear was one of the best Shakespeare performance I had seen upon the stage. The cast and crew did a fantastic job of bringing this Shakespearean classic to life and I would urge anyone to get a ticket if possible. It was a truly amazing theatrical experience. 

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