My second day at Stratford was devoted to Shakespeare, although not “classic” versions of plays.

Simon Callow’s one-man reading of the Sonnets, There Reigns Love, is a short run closing on August 3.  Rarely do we hear this poetry performed as a connected work, yet here we can wallow in both the text and in the thrill of watching a master actor at work.

Peter Hinton’s version of The Taming of the Shrew attempts to blunt some of this difficult play’s  misogyny.  Hinton is moderately successful, but the sweet context he wraps around the plot cannot hide the bitter sexual politics at its core.  (This review will appear in part 3.) Continue reading →