REVIEW: The Winter’s Tale, Garrick Theatre ✭✭✭✭✭✭

Judi Dench in The Winter's Tale

Dench’s verse speaking is unrivalled. She picks each word and gives it full, accurate weight, landing the sense, purpose and exact emotion of every glittering phrase. She is wily, wise and wonderful. Her pained berating of Leontes when she tells him Hermione is dead is one of the greatest moments in theatre I have ever witnessed. So powerful, it knocks the breath from your body.

REVIEW: Of Thee I Sing, Royal Festival Hall ✭✭

Of Thee I Sing Royal Festival Hall

The comic performance of the night, and the source of most consistent pleasure, came from the very talented Tom Edden who made an acting masterclass out of the portrayal of the reluctant Vice President, Alexander Throttlebottom (is there a character in a Broadway musical with a better name?). Taking his cue from that name, Edden presented a neurotic, chaotic, frantic but ambitious, character: he stole every scene he was in and even some he was not in. Superb.

Kenneth Branagh Company Further Casting Announced

Kenneth Branagh Company announces further casting for The Winter's Tale and Harlequinade

Tom Bateman, Jimmy Yuill, Kathryn Wilder, Jessie Buckley, John Shrapnel, Miranda Raison, Jack Colgrave Hirst, Hadley Fraser, and Michael Pennington will join the casts of The Winter’s Tale and Harlequinade being presented by the Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company. The tow productions will play in repertory from 17 October 2015 to 16 January 2016. Kenneth Branagh said: “This is a formidable group of actors – they combine fantastic experience in Shakespeare and comedy, with a youthful energy and brilliance that I’m excited to welcome to our season.” Tom Bateman will play Florizel and Jack Wakefield, Jessie Buckley will play Perdita and Muriel Palmer, Jack Colgrave Hirst will play the Clown and Tom Palmer, Hadley Fraser will play Polixenes and First Halberdier, Michael Pennington will play Anitgonus, Zoe Rainey will play Emilia, Miranda Raison will play Hermione and Edna Selby, John Shrapnel will play Camillo and George Chudleigh, Kathryn Wilder will play … Read more