English Shakespeares: Shakespeare on the English Stage in the 1990s [Paperback]

Peter Holland (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 13, 1997

This book, which explores the full extent of Shakespeare performances in England over the past decade, invites a broad readership of playgoers and students. As a regular theater reviewer, Holland has examined the variety, the strengths and the problems of English productions and companies. They are charted chronologically here, and compared with productions elsewhere. Peter Holland's reviews are individually thoughtful, provocative and illuminating; cumulatively they show that there is no one English Shakespeare style but a rich and often bewildering variety.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Directors, actors, and academics familiar with the canon will relish the sensitive analyses, photographs, and excellent notes. Highly recommended for upper-division undergraduates through faculty." Choice

"Directors and dramaturgs will find Holland particularly useful, while theater lovers--scholars or not--will enjoy his insights." Studies in English Literature 1500-1900

"...English Shakespeares is most enjoyable and most informative...Holland's book is most useful as a historical snapshot of the era..." Essays in Theatre

Book Description

This book, which explores the full extent of Shakespeare performances in England over the last decade, invites a broad readership of playgoers and students. As a regular theatre reviewer, Holland has examined the variety, the strengths and the problems of English productions and companies. They are charted chronologically here, and compared with productions elsewhere. Peter Holland's reviews are individually thoughtful, provocative and illuminating; cumulatively they show that there is no one English Shakespeare style but a rich and often bewildering variety.

Product Details

• Paperback: 310 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (November 13, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 052156476X
• ISBN-13: 978-0521564762
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,411,389 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Possibly the best book since the First Folio, September 27, 2005

By 

Cedric LaFarge (Newport, Rhode Island) - See all my reviews

This review is from: English Shakespeares: Shakespeare on the English Stage in the 1990s (Paperback)

OK, so he has a bad hairstyle much like Shakespeare's. But man he can write -- this book contains some of the best prose about live Shakespeare since Ken Tynan took his last spanking. A rich, appreciative book that shows why Shakespeare still matters and how his plays are best used, and a priceless document of theatre history.

5.0 out of 5 stars A New Standard for Shakespeare Studies, July 20, 2009

By 

T C (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: English Shakespeares: Shakespeare on the English Stage in the 1990s (Paperback)

If one wishes to know why Shakespeare matters and how Shakespeare has been performed in England over the past decade, one would do well to read this book, and read it again and again. If nothing else, one also learns a great deal from the book's beautiful prose and lucid arguments.

0 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars impersonating Shakespeare: a bastardisation of the Bard, January 16, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: English Shakespeares: Shakespeare on the English Stage in the 1990s (Hardcover)

Spawning forth from the new breed of cloned critics, Peter Holland IS William Shakespeare. Working alongside the man who gave the world Dolly the Sheep, Holland has altered his genetic code to that of Shakespeare, gleaned from the first folio of one Shakey's toenails. Holland (hereafter known as Shax90) tours around various theatre bars and gives the definitive account of what it is like to be the reborn Bard in fin-de-siecle Nineties Britain. Foreword by Tony Blair.