King Lear With Audio CD (Sourcebooks Shakespeare) [Paperback]

Shakespeare (Author)

Book Description

Series: Sourcebooks Shakespeare | Publication Date: July 1, 2007

This remarkable edition features a newly edited text of King Lear based on the earliest printed text of the play, along with detailed notes and performance annotations. An integrated audio CD showcases the deeper understanding and enjoyment from the power of performance.

Hear…Read…See:
-- Hear recordings of great contemporary and historical performances of key scenes from the play.
-- Read about a modern production, from the director's point of view.
-- See production notes and photos alongside the text that takes you inside the stage experience.
-- See photos from contemporary stage productions and movie adaptations.
-- Read and see how a modern cast approaches the play, from interviews with the actors.
-- Hear and read about how a legendary voice coach (previously from the RSC) approaches the text and works with actors on “Speaking Shakespeare.”

Narrated by Sir Derek Jacobi

Text Editor: Douglas Brooks (Texas A&M)

Editorial Reviews

Review

'First there are accessible and interesting essays about how the plays have been performed and interpreted over the years. Then there is the text, with helpful notes on the facing pages. Finally - and most innovatively - there is a CD at the back, which provides many and various extracts from the play. Useful to anyone studying or teaching Shakespeare at secondary school or college level.' The Stage, (12 April 2007) 'This intriguing series focuses on Shakespeare in performance... The books themselves are packed with information - photographs of key performances, essays on productions, and interviews with actors and directors. Opposite each play text an extensive glossary explains unfamiliar words, and the audio clips are marked alongside corresponding scenes... The CDs reinforce the beauty and power of the language in performance, and will undoubtedly enhance anyone's understanding and enjoyment of Shakespeare's plays, as they were meant to be experienced.' The Good Book Guide, (May 2007) 'This new Shakespeare book and CD brings Shakespeare's plays leaping to life. This innovative format contains text, audio and illustration... This is a revolutionary resource.' Bookseller, Back to School (8 June 2007) [Review of Richard III] 'A complete package for anyone wanting to study the play itself, and the performance dimension... It is complemented by an excellent CD which includes narrative by Derek Jacobi set alongside contrasting performances from major productions of the play with some of the greatest stage interpretations of the Bard's work.' Publishing News, Back to School (1 June 2007) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

The Sourcebooks Shakespeare

More than 60 minutes of audio on the CD including over 20 classic scenes and excerpts from famous performances past and present

--Photographs from great performances
--CD audio indexed by line
--Glossary and production notes
--Newly edited text of the play

The Sourcebooks Shakespeare brings King Lear to life in a revolutionary new book and audio CD format

In the Book:
Photographs from notable productions including:
--James Earl Jones as Lear, Paul Sorvino as Gloucester, and Rene Auberjonois as Edgar from 1973 at the Public Theater in New York City
--The Royal Shakespeare Company in 1999 (directed by Yukio Ninagawa) and 2007 (directed by Trevor Nunn)
--Set designs from the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre (1959) and Charles Kean’s production (1858)

Hear 21 great scenes on audio CD:
Memorable performances by Paul Scofield, Donald Wolfit, and Laurence Olivier all as Lear, Kenneth Branagh and John Hurt as The Fool, and Simon Russell Beale and Toby Stephens as Edmund

Narrated by Sir Derek Jacobi

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks MediaFusion (July 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402208308
• ISBN-13: 978-1402208300
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #950,316 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in April 1564, and his birth is traditionally celebrated on April 23. The facts of his life, known from surviving documents, are sparse. He was one of eight children born to John Shakespeare, a merchant of some standing in his community. William probably went to the King's New School in Stratford, but he had no university education. In November 1582, at the age of eighteen, he married Anne Hathaway, eight years his senior, who was pregnant with their first child, Susanna. She was born on May 26, 1583. Twins, a boy, Hamnet ( who would die at age eleven), and a girl, Judith, were born in 1585. By 1592 Shakespeare had gone to London working as an actor and already known as a playwright. A rival dramatist, Robert Greene, referred to him as "an upstart crow, beautified with our feathers." Shakespeare became a principal shareholder and playwright of the successful acting troupe, the Lord Chamberlain's Men (later under James I, called the King's Men). In 1599 the Lord Chamberlain's Men built and occupied the Globe Theater in Southwark near the Thames River. Here many of Shakespeare's plays were performed by the most famous actors of his time, including Richard Burbage, Will Kempe, and Robert Armin. In addition to his 37 plays, Shakespeare had a hand in others, including Sir Thomas More and The Two Noble Kinsmen, and he wrote poems, including Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece. His 154 sonnets were published, probably without his authorization, in 1609. In 1611 or 1612 he gave up his lodgings in London and devoted more and more time to retirement in Stratford, though he continued writing such plays as The Tempest and Henry VII until about 1613. He died on April 23 1616, and was buried in Holy Trinity Church, Stratford. No collected edition of his plays was published during his life-time, but in 1623 two members of his acting company, John Heminges and Henry Condell, put together the great collection now called the First Folio.