Richard Madelaine explains how the challenging complexity of Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra has at different times inhibited or promoted its success on the stage, and accounts for the remarkable resurgence of performances in the past twenty years. His introduction and commentary, presented alongside the New Cambridge edition of the text, provide the most detailed, extensive and up-to-date history of the play on stage and screen, in and beyond Britain. In the process he reveals not only the rich plurality of possible readings of the play, but also changing attitudes to Shakespeare.

The shortest of Shakespeare's tragedies, Macbeth is compressed, complex and ambiguous and has been interpreted in various ways. This Introduction describes major productions and performers that include David Garrick, Sarah Siddons, Henry Irving, Ellen Terry and Laurence Olivier. A detailed commentary accompanying the play's text describes how specific episodes and passages have been interpreted in the theater.

This volume describes the theatrical fortunes of A Midsummer Night's Dream on the British stage, from the 1590s to the 1990s. A substantial introduction traces the rise of the play from theatrical neglect in the eighteenth century through the spectacular productions of the nineteenth century to its current high status. The authoritative Cambridge text of the play is accompanied by detailed notes on actors' interpretations, settings, textual alterations, and the conceptions of individual directors from David Garrick to Robert Lepage. It will be invaluable to students of Shakespeare in...

This is the first stage history of Shakespeare's King Henry V to cover the play's theatrical life since 1599. Staging this play is a political act, and the substantial Introduction traces its theatrical interventions into conflicts from the Napoleonic Wars to Vietnam and the Falklands. The stage and film history raises interpretative questions--is Henry V an epic of English nationalism, a knowing and cynical piece of power politics, or an anti-war manifesto? The volume also includes the play text, illustrations and detailed footnotes about major performances.

This is the first stage history of Shakespeare's King Henry V to cover the play's theatrical life since 1599. Staging this play is a political act, and the substantial Introduction traces its theatrical interventions into conflicts from the Napoleonic Wars to Vietnam and the Falklands. The stage and film history raises interpretative questions--is Henry V an epic of English nationalism, a knowing and cynical piece of power politics, or an anti-war manifesto? The volume also includes the play text, illustrations and detailed footnotes about major performances.

This edition of Much Ado About Nothing focuses wholly on the play in performance. Shifting trends in the production of this popular drama are analyzed in relation to the culture of each period since Shakespeare's time, with particular attention to gender issues. A commentary alongside the New Cambridge edition of the text recreates in lively detail interpretations of each passage in a variety of British, American, Canadian stage, film and TV productions. An essential resource for students, teachers and performers, this is also an illuminating book for theatergoers.

The story of Katherina and her marriage to Petruchio has been popular in the theater for four centuries, but the joke of taming an unruly woman has long been growing increasingly controversial. This edition examines how theater directors and performers have explored the complexities of Katherina's story and that of Christopher Sly, the poor man whose story frames hers. It surveys productions in the English-speaking world, reviewing precise details of the stage action in a social and political context.

The Merchant of Venice has had a rich and varied stage history. It has aroused controversy for over four hundred years. The introduction to this edition challenges many of the preconceptions associated with the play, showing how historical events and cultural attitudes have influenced actors' interpretations and audience responses. The commentary describes how actors, directors and designers have approached the play from the first performances in the 1590s to the present.

Providing a detailed history of the play in production, both on stage and on screen, this volume's introduction demonstrates how changing conceptions of gender roles have affected the portrayal of Rosalind. The striking differences between the British tradition and the freer treatment the play has received abroad are discussed, as well as the politics of "court" versus "country." Printed alongside the New Cambridge edition of the text, the commentary draws on primary sources to illuminate how costuming, stage business, design, and directorial choices have affected the play's performance.

Providing a detailed history of the play in production, both on stage and on screen, this volume's introduction demonstrates how changing conceptions of gender roles have affected the portrayal of Rosalind. The striking differences between the British tradition and the freer treatment the play has received abroad are discussed, as well as the politics of "court" versus "country." Printed alongside the New Cambridge edition of the text, the commentary draws on primary sources to illuminate how costuming, stage business, design, and directorial choices have affected the play's performance.