King Lear
Mad for it
The longest interval in theatre history continues. Last week the National Theatre livestreamed a 2018 version of The Madness of…
If we offer Ian McKellan a peerage, will he promise not to inflict his King Lear on us again?
Gandalf, also known as Ian McKellen, has awarded himself another lap of honour by bringing King Lear back to London.…
Understated and heartbreaking: BBC2’s King Lear reviewed
I recently came across a theory of the American poet Delmore Schwartz’s that Hamlet only makes sense if you assume…
I once worshipped ‘freedom fighters’ but Mugabe just looked like a teacher
At the top of Machu Picchu last week, I saw two wide-winged condors swoop over Sacred Valley through a rainbow…
Keeping it in the family
A new orthodoxy governs the casting process in Hollywood. An actor’s ethnicity must match the character’s. If you extend this…
Shakespeare’s crowning glory
In the 18th century, as Shakespeare began to take on classic status, editors began to notice differences between the texts…
Get thee to a notary
Given this year’s 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, there was always going to be a slew of new publications; few,…
Death and the Bard
How did Shakespeare kick the bucket? Lloyd Evans considers the evidence
Existential threat
In the endless game of word association that governs vocabulary, the current favourite as a partner of existential is threat.…
Lear for masochists
Directors appear to have two design options when approaching a Shakespeare tragedy. Woodstock or jackboot. Woodstock means papal robes, shoulder-length…
Defying type
Lloyd Evans meets the ever-versatile David Haig
