Richard III, as portrayed by William Shakespeare, is a vile humpbacked villain. Richard III, as portrayed by Lars Eidenger of Schaubühne Berlin (and directed by Thomas Ostermeier) last night at The Brooklyn Academy of Music, is almost like an evil deformed rock star dressed in clothing more suited for bondage than for ruling. He is…
Tag: Shakespeare
The Winter’s Tale
This was a bittersweet 2016 Next Wave Festival for me this year. For numerous reasons, I missed out on many shows I wish I could have seen. Thank goodness for the BAM social media team for sharing so much about the performances I could not attend. It was kinda sorta like being there. That said, I…
Kings of War
I sat on the G train on Friday evening — headed to Brooklyn Academy of Music — wondering if I had made a big mistake. Kings of War, performed in Dutch (with surtitles) by Toneelgroep Amsterdam and directed by Ivo van Hove had seemed like a no-brainer. (His Antigone at BAM last fall was fantastic.)…
Henry V
It has been a season of endings: both for BAM’s King and Country cycle of Shakespeare’s King plays, as well as for the folding of the print magazine I designed for years. (Print is dead. Long live print!) Focusing on the job situation is the reason for this extremely late review of Henry V, and for…
Henry IV, Parts I & II
On two separate evenings, I immersed myself in the world of Shakespeare’s Henry IV, as performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company at BAM. (April 6 for Henry IV part I and last night for part II.) I must say, it’s been great to see the lively commentary about the plays on BAM’s blog. I am…
Richard II
Seeing a big name celebrity being billed does not determine whether or not I will select a play. I have to be drawn to the play itself. If it happens to have a star in the lead role, great, but that is no guarantee of a good performance. That said, I attended opening night of Richard…
Shakespeare’s Sonnets
I go to a Robert Wilson performance for all the usual reasons: lighting, costuming, his signature movements and gestures, his signature sounds and vocalizations. Therefore, I was not at all disappointed. I was thrilled to see this production. There were moments that I particularly enjoyed: When it was the aged, vain Queen Elizabeth who recited,…
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