The new playhouse is the thing!

‘if it were done …”

Article first published as <a href='http://technorati.com/entertainment/article/the-new-playhouse-is-the-thing/'>The New Playhouse is the Thing</a> on Technorati

If anyone should ever dare wonder - even for a nano-second - why the Royal Shakespeare Company exists, he need only watch a few moments of this clip.

I’ve been revelling in all the words and pictures about the reopening of the theatres, but those enthusing over the blend of old and new must be the most apposite as not only is this is how best to capture the spirit of Shakespeare’s universality, it is a mix which always touches the heart.

Moreover, if there were ever a reason for me to return to the U.K. – and by ‘eck there’d have to be a good one – then it would be to visit the RSC’s revamped theatre to watch  The Merchant of Venice  directed by Associate Director, Rupert Goold during this 50th anniversary year.

Watching the above clip is to see Kenneth Branagh at his superb best and I was reminded of this only last week when I happened on his 1993 film version of Much Ado About Nothing.

Seventeen years ago, the main actors were in their youthful prime and the production – as I saw it again on our new, wall-mounted  flat screen television – still exudes effortless beauty, energy and vitality by the bucket.

Wouldn’t it be great if the oh-so politically correct U.K. literati could be persuaded to bring the RSC on tour to Israel and give us their best in the current production of The Merchant …?

Technorati Tags: Royal Shakespeare Company,Kenneth Branagh,Hamlet,The Merchant of Venice,Rupert Goold,U.K.,Israel,Stratford,Much Ado About Nothing,Film,Flat Screen Television

msniw