Playing Shakespeare

August 20, 2001
With the help of Judi Dench, Ben Kingsley, Ian McKellen and other actors, associate director of London's Royal Shakespeare Company John Barton presents Playing Shakespeare: An Actor's Guide. With over 50 of the Bard's plays and numerous U.K. and U.S. theater workshops under his directorial belt, the eminently qualified Barton provides a record of nine Royal Shakespeare Company workshops conducted on television in 1984 with the actors listed above. "Acting is built upon specifics," he writes, and proceeds to give specific advice to modern actors on performing these old but not antiquated texts. This thoughtful guide will be embraced by actors and directors alike.

November 1, 2001
Walking the boards in a play by the Bard can be one of the most rewarding and frightening experiences of an actor's life. Drawing on 35 years' experience as associate director of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), Barton here offers advice on tackling Shakespeare as a performer. Along with assistance from fellow RSC players, including Ian McKellan, Judi Dench, Ben Kingsley, and Patrick Stewart, Barton offers tips on replicating the often tongue-twisting prose, exploring the characters, understanding the language, handling speeches and soliloquies, and more. A welcome handbook for any theater collection both public and academic.

Copyright 2001 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.