We recently released three new podcast episodes about Shakespeare productions: The RSC’s 2016 production of Hamlet starring Paapa Essiedu, the Bridge Theatre’s 2018 Julius Caesar starring Ben Whishaw, and the Stratford Festival’s current production of Coriolanus directed by Robert Lepage. (Ralph Fiennes film of Coriolanus was one of our favourite films of the decade.)
The 21st Folio is an (approximately) bi-weekly podcast about modern Shakespeare productions of stage and screen. Each episode explores one or more productions — film adaptations, recorded theatre productions, and everything in between — and how it changes the way we look at Shakespeare’s text. We also explore issues related to adapting Shakespeare for the screen, how best to capture live theatre productions for posterity, and more. Most discussions are divided into two parts.
Ep. 21 & 22: Paapa Essiedu plays Hamlet at the RSC
In this episode, we discuss the Royal Shakespeare Company’s 2016 production of Hamlet directed by Simon Godwin and starring the 25-year-old Paapa Essiedu. Our episode is based on the recording of the production, which is now available on DVD and on DigitalTheatre; one of our guests, Lesley Peterson, had seen the play live in Stratford, UK. For more details on the episode and production, visit our show notes page here.
https://soundcloud.com/21st-folio/ep-21-hamlet-starring-paapa-essiedursc-2016
https://soundcloud.com/21st-folio/ep-22-hamlet-starring-paapa-essiedu-rsc-2016-part-2
Ep. 23: Nicholas Hytner’s Julius Caesar starring Ben Whishaw
In this episode, we discuss the Bridge Theatre’s 2018 production of Julius Caesar, which was broadcast to cinemas worldwide via NTLive. The production was directed by Nicholas Hytner and stars Ben Whishaw as Brutus, David Morrissey as Mark Antony, Michelle Fairley as Caius Cassius, and Adjoa Andoh as Casca.
The production was performed in the round, with a constantly shifting stage, and a standing audience in the stalls who also helped served as the Roman mob. We discuss the modern interpretation of the text, its gender-swapped casting (Casca, Cassius, and several others are now women), the way the production works as immersive theatre (and its limits), and more.
For detailed show notes, visit the episode page here.
https://soundcloud.com/21st-folio/ep-23-nicholas-hytner-julius-caesar
Podcast ep. 24 and 25: Robert Lepage’s Coriolanus at the Stratford Festival
Québécois director and set designer Robert Lepage makes his Stratford Festival debut this year with a modern dress production of Coriolanus. André Sills stars as Coriolanus and Stratford Grand Dame Lucy Peacock plays Volumnia. Known for mixing film elements (through projections) with theatre, Lepage creates a series of stunning backdrops and sets to make the settings feel almost as real as if it were film. There’s a lot of stage magic involved that’s an impressive achievement. Lepage plans to remount the production in Montreal next year in French with a new francophone cast.
For detailed show notes, visit the episode page here.
https://soundcloud.com/21st-folio/ep-24-pt-1-robert-lepages-coriolanus-at-the-stratford-festival
https://soundcloud.com/21st-folio/ep-25-robert-lepage-coriolanus-stratford
