Globe Theatre Shakespeare DVD Collection

[BCD]

Greetings to my HLAS-mates!--after quite some time has passed.

I'd just like to recommend to y'all the DVDs being put out by Opus Arte
of many of the Shakespeare plays in productions presented at the Globe
Theatre, including *The Two Noble Kinsmen*, plus some Marlowe (*Dr.
Faustus*). I have an all-region player; if you don't, please check to
make sure you have a player that will play the disks. You can purchase
most or all of them singly, but I bought the collection titled, "William
Shakespeare The Globe Collection" (look for a baby blue box)--22 of the
plays (23 disks: R&J is split between two disks), and you can buy
several (not all!) of the "missing" ones separately (not all of the
plays have been done yet: No *Troilus & Cressida*, none of *Henry VI*,
no *Winter's Tale* nor *Cymbeline* nor *Timon of Athens*--all of which
are favorites of mine--nor *King John* and no doubt I'm forgetting a few).

These are exuberant performances--not scholarly, not reverent--live in
front of an audience and indeed most often acknowledging or even
involving the audience, and making the most of a performance space of
the nature of the original productions of the plays (it feels very
"right," as if the plays had found their way home again). The actors
are not just reciting lines but obviously have studied their meaning as
well. You will enjoy comparing them to the productions in the complete
BBC Shakespeare collection. In my estimation, sometimes the Globe
productions are much better (for instance, the BBC *Richard II* puts me
to sleep; the Globe production was engaging and touching), sometimes
comparing the two ends in a draw (for instance, in *Comedy of Errors*,
the acting in the BBC production is better, but the theatrical
presentation in the Globe production is better), I haven't yet run
across one in which the Globe production is worse (I haven't watched all
of them yet). If one must cite a problem, then the only problem I have
found with these Globe DVDs is that sometimes (rarely!) when the players
are bounding here and there onstage (or out in the audience!), their
voices are not well recorded; but still there are always the subtitles.

(Don't get confused: Opus Arte is also putting out Shakespeare
productions by the RSC, which I haven't yet assessed.)

Watch these Globe Theatre productions! Enjoy!

Best Wishes,

--BCD

[Margaret]

Post by BCD
Greetings to my HLAS-mates!--after quite some time has passed.
I'd just like to recommend to y'all the DVDs being put out by Opus Arte
of many of the Shakespeare plays in productions presented at the Globe
Theatre, including *The Two Noble Kinsmen*, plus some Marlowe (*Dr.
Faustus*). I have an all-region player; if you don't, please check to
make sure you have a player that will play the disks. You can purchase
most or all of them singly, but I bought the collection titled, "William
Shakespeare The Globe Collection" (look for a baby blue box)--22 of the
plays (23 disks: R&J is split between two disks), and you can buy
several (not all!) of the "missing" ones separately (not all of the
plays have been done yet: No *Troilus & Cressida*, none of *Henry VI*,
no *Winter's Tale* nor *Cymbeline* nor *Timon of Athens*--all of which
are favorites of mine--nor *King John* and no doubt I'm forgetting a few).
These are exuberant performances--not scholarly, not reverent--live in
front of an audience and indeed most often acknowledging or even
involving the audience, and making the most of a performance space of
the nature of the original productions of the plays (it feels very
"right," as if the plays had found their way home again). The actors
are not just reciting lines but obviously have studied their meaning as
well. You will enjoy comparing them to the productions in the complete
BBC Shakespeare collection. In my estimation, sometimes the Globe
productions are much better (for instance, the BBC *Richard II* puts me
to sleep; the Globe production was engaging and touching), sometimes
comparing the two ends in a draw (for instance, in *Comedy of Errors*,
the acting in the BBC production is better, but the theatrical
presentation in the Globe production is better), I haven't yet run
across one in which the Globe production is worse (I haven't watched all
of them yet). If one must cite a problem, then the only problem I have
found with these Globe DVDs is that sometimes (rarely!) when the players
are bounding here and there onstage (or out in the audience!), their
voices are not well recorded; but still there are always the subtitles.
(Don't get confused: Opus Arte is also putting out Shakespeare
productions by the RSC, which I haven't yet assessed.)
Watch these Globe Theatre productions! Enjoy!
Best Wishes,
--BCD

Of those Globe productions I've seen, there are some fine performances hidden among some very bad ones. Hamlet's advice to the players regarding overacting and playing to the audience in ways that hurt the play could well be taken to heart by some actors here. Just because the setting is authentic to Shakespeare's time, it doesn't mean the acting is, necessarily. But as I say, some fine performances. I'd always be happy to watch Roger Allam at work for instance. He knows his stuff.

[BCD]

Post by Margaret
Of those Globe productions I've seen, there are some fine performances hidden among some very bad ones. Hamlet's advice to the players regarding overacting and playing to the audience in ways that hurt the play could well be taken to heart by some actors here. Just because the setting is authentic to Shakespeare's time, it doesn't mean the acting is, necessarily. But as I say, some fine performances. I'd always be happy to watch Roger Allam at work for instance. He knows his stuff.

Yes, I see what you mean. I'm fresh off their *Romeo and Juliet*. I
never thought I'd see a morose Mercutio, more appropriate to Don John in
*Much Ado*. I have no idea what our Lady Capulet was trying for,
perhaps the 1950s sitcom wife aura? It was hard to take our Romeo
seriously, as he's bouncing around the stage like a ping-pong ball.
Some of the roles were delivered with professional finesse (Tybalt,
Nurse, Lord Capulet come to mind). . . but this is one production which
overall is most definitely worse than the BBC one (in which Anthony
Andrews gives us a wonderfully frenetic--and maybe gay--Mercutio).

Best Wishes,

--BCD