Month: May 2017

PTS 03/017: Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes …

BH DavidBowie-portrait
Is it me, or would Bowie have made a terrific Richard?

Henry VI part III, Act III

RICHARD: ‘I can add colours to the chameleon,

Change shapes with Proteus for advantages’  (III.ii.191-192)

I’ll come back to Bowie’s song when I finally hit Richard III in August, because when I revisited the lyrics, I couldn’t avoid staring thoughtfully for a while.  I will remind Richard that:

‘And every time I thought I’d got it made,

It seemed the taste was not so sweet.’

Like Bolinbroke in RII, like Macbeth – like almost everyone in Shakespeare, let’s face it – the anticipation, the chase, is far better than the conquest, when it comes to the crown.

In the meantime, nothing seems to stay the same in Act III …

Continue reading “PTS 03/017: Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes …”

Crimes Against Shakespeare 001

BH Crimes Against Shakespeare 001

First in a series, I suspect.

Thanks BBC. Oh, the sweet, sweet irony of your copy … I said I was a big fan of yours – on this blog – only this morning!

Next week:  Can you guess which character says this line in Romeo & Juliet?

‘Lend me your ears’ … BBC Audio

BH BBC Macbeth image
By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes …

For someone who almost famously doesn’t watch TV, I’m a remarkably big fan of the BBC.  What I DO spend is an awful lot of time listening to the radio – for news, sport, and entertainment.  I’m always dazzled by the quality of the drama they produce, and I really enjoy their Science Fiction adaptations – another obssession of mine.

But, it’s also an absolute treasure trove of radio programming about Shakespeare … both factual stuff and performances.

Continue reading “‘Lend me your ears’ … BBC Audio”