Shakespeare News

Jonathan Forbes talks playing Hamlet in Shakespeare@ production Special By Markos Papadatos Jersey City - Actor Jonathan Forbes chatted with Digital Journal about playing Hamlet in a Shakespeare@ inaugural production, which opens on March 31, at Grace Church Van Vorst in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Review: ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’ scores in High Park with unique choices Special By Jeff Cottrill Toronto - Tanja Jacobs knows how to make Shakespeare fun. Fresh off last year’s funny, colourful production of “Twelfth Night” in Toronto’s High Park, the director scores another winner with her quick-paced take on “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”.

Review: ‘Twelfth Night’ in High Park loaded with fast-paced fun Special By Jeff Cottrill Toronto - Now this is what a Shakespeare comedy should be. Canadian Stage’s “Twelfth Night”, which opened last Friday, is so much delirious fun that it will make you forget all the boring academic blather you heard about the Bard in Grade 11 English.

Review: Strong ‘Lear’ in Toronto’s High Park brings women to forefront Special By Jeff Cottrill Toronto - It’s 2017, and it’s beyond time that the women of the acting world got to walk in the footsteps of William Shakespeare’s great tragic heroes. Canadian Stage’s new “King Lear”, with Diane D’Aquila in the lead, makes a strong case.

Review: ‘Hamlet’ in Toronto’s High Park scores with strong lead, energy Special By Jeff Cottrill Toronto - How do you scrunch “Hamlet” down to ninety minutes without killing the plot or losing too many of the great soliloquies? Sounds like an impossible task, but Canadian Stage manages to pull it off in a surprisingly solid High Park production.

Review: Fast-paced staging fires up ‘All’s Well’ in Toronto’s High Park Special By Jeff Cottrill Toronto - “All’s Well that Ends Well” is a famous title, but it’s not one of William Shakespeare’s better-known plays. This year, Canadian Stage is tackling this rarely remounted work with a wide comedic onslaught – mostly to its advantage.

Secrets of early Shakespeare theatre dug up in London By AFP London - British archaeologists raised the curtain Thursday on a 16th century theatre which staged William Shakespeare plays like "Romeo and Juliet" and where the bard himself acted in "London's first theatreland".

Weeping Poles mark Shakespeare's 400th deathday By AFP Gdansk - Four hundred weeping Poles took to the streets on Saturday in a symbolic funeral parade to mark the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare.

The play's the thing: Obama visits Globe on Shakespeare's 400th By AFP London - Barack Obama on Saturday strutted the stage of William Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London, joining in festivities to mark 400 years since The Bard's death.

All the world's a stage for Shakespeare's 400th anniversary By AFP Stratford-upon-avon - Prince Charles joined top British actors live on stage in a surprise crack at playing "Hamlet", as thousands of William Shakespeare fans packed The Bard's hometown for the 400th anniversary of his death.

SwiftKey built a keyboard to help you write like Shakespeare By James Walker Popular third-party Android and iOS keyboard SwiftKey has announced a new keyboard to mark the 400th anniversary of the revered playwright William Shakespeare's death. ShakeSpeak is a "limited edition" keyboard that lets you type in the bard's style.

What lies in Shakespeare's grave? By Tim Sandle Stratford - Of the various events scheduled this year to mark the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare, a scan of his grave is among the most unusual.

Review: T.O. gets up close and personal with top acting talent in ‘Tale’ Special By Jeff Cottrill Toronto - “The Winter’s Tale” isn’t the favourite Shakespeare play of many, but the modern-dress version at Toronto’s Coal Mine Theatre — the inaugural production of Graham Abbey’s Groundling Theatre Company — makes it seem close to a masterpiece.

Review: David Fox owns the stage in otherwise routine 'King Lear' in T.O. Special By Jeff Cottrill Toronto - As Edmund the bastard might put it, the wheel of David Fox’s association with Theatre Passe Muraille is come full-circle. A cast member of 1972’s legendary “The Farm Show”, Fox is back at the Toronto venue as the Bard’s greatest tragic hero.

Review: Fassbender is electrifying in Macbeth Special By Tim Sandle The new adaptation of William Shakespeare's Macbeth is an electrifying, battle-heavy movie complete with film noir-ish cinematography. The movie is highly recommended, especially for lovers of fine acting.

Shakespeare the stoner: Cannabis found in poet's tobacco pipes By Ocean Malandra Cape Town - Residue of marijuana found in excavated pipes from Shakespeare's garden sheds new light on the western world's most celebrated poet's source of inspiration.

Review: 'Comedy of Errors' takes simple approach in Toronto's High Park Special By Jeff Cottrill Toronto - With an implausible plot about mistaken identity and bawdy puns, “The Comedy of Errors” may be the Shakespeare play that's closest to being a “Three's Company” episode. Thankfully, Canadian Stage's new production doesn't pretend it's much more.

Review: ‘Caesar’ in High Park makes bold choices; not all of them work Special By Jeff Cottrill Toronto - There are moments in Canadian Stage’s new “Julius Caesar” that are so affecting and original, you’re tempted to ignore other moments when it misfires. Director Estelle Shook turns this classic into high spectacle, but not always to its benefit.

Shakespeare may have penned 'Double Falsehood' after all By Karen Graham Austin - A play published in 1728, allegedly wtitten by Lewis Theobald, called "Double Falsehood," has had scholars debating whether the "bard," William Shapespeare actually wrote it. New studies on the play do point to Shakespeare as the author.

The Canadian Opera Company balances old and new Special By Cate Kustanczy Toronto - The Canadian Opera Company moves into daring territory with its 2015-2016 season, announced this past week. A mix of old favorites and new works dominates a season characterized by bold new choices and old favorites.

Rare first Shakespeare edition found in French library By AFP Saint-omer - A copy of William Shakespeare's First Folio, the first-ever compilation of the Bard's plays published in 1623, has been discovered in the library of an ancient port town in northern France.

Shakespeare's Globe launches on-demand video service By Michael Thomas London - If you've ever had a hankering for some high Shakespearean drama but don't want to leave your home, Shakespeare's Globe has a solution — a new on-demand video service.

Sex, drink, food, and trouble: Verdi's Falstaff lives large Special By Cate Kustanczy Toronto - Canadian opera singer Gerald Finley says the timing’s right to make his debut as one of opera’s biggest and most beloved party boys.

Review: CanStage tries to soften 'Titus Andronicus' brutality in Toronto Special By Jeff Cottrill Toronto - Not that I'm a fan of Trigger Warnings, but if any Shakespeare play really needs to be preceded by one, it's “Titus Andronicus”. Murder, rape, mutilation, cannibalism, racism — this early Bard tragedy is a grim celebration of meaningless atrocity.

Review: Toronto's High Park is the perfect setting for 'As You Like It' Special By Jeff Cottrill Toronto - Canadian Stage's annual Shakespeare in High Park has become a respected Toronto summer tradition, and this year, the Bard's pastoral comedy “As You Like It” is a fine match for the High Park Amphitheatre's outdoor setting and young audiences.

Howie B's 'Down With The Dawn' a portrait of loss and life Special By Cate Kustanczy Scottish DJ/producer Howie B. is perhaps best-known for his work with U2, Bjork, Tricky, and Ry Cooder. But he's also a gifted artist in his own right. His latest album offers a wide range of sounds, and references deeply personal experiences.

Rights groups query wisdom of Hamlet tour in N. Korea By AFP Seoul - Human rights groups have questioned the wisdom of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London taking a production of Hamlet to North Korea, but stopped short of calling for the plan to be scrapped.The Globe will perform the play in the secretive state in Sep...

Orlando Bloom debuts on Broadway By Tim Sandle Orlando Bloom has begun his first role on Broadway, playing Romeo in a production of William Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet'.

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) at Casa Loma Special By KJ Mullins Toronto - The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) has returned to Toronto's Casa Loma by popular demand for a limited run July 18, 24 and 25.

Review: Toronto High Park production attempts to tame Shrew's misogyny Special By Jeff Cottrill Toronto - “The Taming of the Shrew” remains one of Shakespeare's most problematic and debated comedies, in its endorsement of male-dominated gender politics from four centuries ago. Is it possible to adapt the text in a way that's acceptable in 2013?

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