About:
Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rentby Judi Dench and Brendan O’Hea is a memoir, in the form of an interview, where the award-winning actress opens up about her Shakespearean performances. Mr. O’Hea is an actor and a friend of Ms. Dench.
- 12 hours and 5 minutes
- Publisher : Macmillan Audio
- Language :English
- ASIN : B0C3P39VNK
- Narrator s: Barbara Flynn, Brendan O’Hea, Judi Dench
My rating for Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent – 5
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More books by Judi Dench*
Thoughts:
This is an excellent memoir by the famous British actress of her roles in Shakespeare’s plays. Interviewed by Brendan O’Hea and using her incredible memory, we get a glimpse into life in the theatre, as well as a better understanding of Shakespearean characters and plays.
I listened to the audiobook in which Ms. Dench reprises some of her lines, but her part is played by Barbara Flynn, and it’s difficult to tell the difference. I enjoyed listening to it very much, to the point where if I couldn’t concentrate on the audiobook (for example: when driving long distances), I just listened to something else.
Naturally, some of the most interesting aspects of any memoir are what the subject didn’t like. In this case, it’sThe Merchant of Venice, which Ms. Dench seems to despise. I agree with her assessment, even though I’m just a schmo, that the play didn’t age well, full of horrible people without any redeeming qualities. But as is noted, maybe that’s just what the people wanted at the time. After all, Shakespeare’s first and foremost job was to sell tickets.
Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rentdiscusses about 30 characters in 20 plays, along with Ms. Dench’s experience in different troupes and behind-the-scenes anecdotes. I especially enjoyed the discussions about Lady Macbeth, probably the best character created by The Bard, and the following discussion about how to say the lines, which led me to a rabbit hole of iambic pentameter, which my uneducated ear can still barely hear but a least appreciate more.
Buy Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rentfrom Amazon.com*
More books by Judi Dench*
Zohar — Man of la Book
Disclaimer:I bought this book.
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