Henry VIII is one of Shakespeare’s final plays, a political thriller based on the power struggle between the Tudor court and the eponymous king’s ambitious first minister, Cardinal Wolsey. Though famous in its own time as the most extravagant of the playwright’s creations, the work is hardly performed today; Mark Rosenblatt’s spectacular 2010 production was the Globe Theatre’s first staging of the historical drama since 1613 and, featuring stellar performances from Dominic Rowan, Miranda Raison and Anthony Howell, it bursts with intrigue.

Reviews

"A joyous spectacle." (The Sunday Telegraph)

"Oustanding." (The Guardian)

King Lear has three daughters, but no sons. Boldly he makes a decision to divide his country among his children, but fails to anticipate the consequences of his actions. His generosity is cruelly repaid and Lear finds himself adrift, wandering homeless and destitute. As he comes to realize the false values by which he has lived, he finally encounters his own humanity. King Lear’s tempestuous poetry is shot through with touches of humor and moments of heart-rending simplicity, as the notion of familial love is questioned and torn apart. With Kevin R McNally in the title role, Nancy Meckler’s production has ‘an underlying through-line of intelligence and sensitivity, and strong supporting performances abound’ (The Telegraph). Spoken in Shakespeare’s English.

REVIEW:

Nancy Meckler’s staging is clear, swift and compelling. It gathers to a moving finale, with McNally’s piteous Lear holding the stage, and delivers forcefully the lesson that power should always be allied with care. The Financial Times

‘What a piece of work is a man…' Encompassing political intrigue and sexual obsession, philosophical reflection and violent action, tragic depth and wild humor, Hamlet is a colossus in the story of the English language and the fullest expression of Shakespeare’s genius. Learning of their father’s death, Hamlet comes home to find their uncle married to their mother and installed on the Danish throne. At night, the ghost of the old king demands that Hamlet avenge their ‘foul and most unnatural murder.’

Reviews

"Terry is the fourth female Hamlet I have seen and she brings to the role all the qualities one might expect. She speaks the verse intelligently, initially conveys a sense of bereft solitude – her voice cracks on the implication that she “seems” to be affecting grief – and is very good at suggesting bottled rage. " (The Guardian)

"Terry is fiercely intelligent and wonderfully funny and has a great wealth of experience at playing Shakespeare – at the Globe and elsewhere (she portrayed Henry V in Regent's Park). She intuitively understands how to release the stellar power of the language. " (The Independent ★★★★)

"The prospect of Michelle Terry playing Hamlet is immensely exciting. She has shown herself to be a Shakespearean actor of great delicacy and intelligence in numerous roles...It’s a production that places clarity of verse and emotion over directorial fireworks." (The Stage)

One of Shakespeare’s best-loved comedies, Twelfth Night was ‘blissfully reborn’ (The Daily Telegraph) for the 2012/13 season at London’s Globe Theatre, under the direction of Tim Carroll. The hilarious tale of misdirection and deception is performed here by an all-male cast, as it would have been in Shakespeare’s day, with Mark Rylance playing Olivia and Roger Lloyd Pack as the hapless Sir Andrew Aguecheek. The production also marks Stephen Fry’s triumphant return to the stage as the pompous Malvolio, ridiculous in his yellow stockings. Filmed in High Definition and true surround sound. Spoken in Shakespeare’s English with English and German subtitles.

REVIEWS:

"…no single actor dominates this radical yet perfectly balanced production at the Globe" (The Guardian)

"The irony is that Fry's performance – intelligently pondered, generous to the other actors, and almost studiedly not a "star turn" by a celebrity guest artiste – is exactly the opposite in tendency" (The Idependent)

"Although this is ensemble theatre at its finest, it’s Rylance’s contribution that puts the production among all-time Shakespeare greats. Frankly unmissable." (The Daily Telegraph ★★★★★)