Review: Playing Shakespeare by John Barton

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Playing Shakespeare: An Actor's Guide by John Barton


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book is largely a transcription of the 1984 television series, Playing Shakespeare. It's really best read as a companion to the series, which has recently been released on DVD. In the book form, you get all of the analysis and instruction, but don't actually get the experience of seeing and hearing the actors playing the lines. Experiencing the actual performances makes the points that Barton makes so much more vivid. (Really, I think the DVDs are essential viewing for anyone who is interested in Shakespeare, or even in acting in general.)

However, there are some advantages to having the material in book form - if you want to read the Shakespearean passages yourself at leisure, and think about the discussion at greater length, the book lends itself to that much more than the DVDs do.

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