Home Books Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent

Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent

Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent

by Judi Dench, Brendan O'Hea

St. Martin's Press ·2023 ·400 pages ·Memoir
Top of the Pile
Top of the Pile
I Index
90/99
Top of the Pile

86/99

Critics

Top of the Pile

94/99

Readers

n/a

Scholars

88/99

Rating

84/99

Volume

96/99

Rating

91/99

Volume

Sign in to add to your shelf, rate, or review this book.


About This Book

Discover the work of the greatest writer in the English language as you've never encountered it before by ordering internationally renowned actor Dame Judi Dench's SHAKESPEARE: The Man Who Pays The Rent—a witty, insightful journey through the plays and tales of our beloved Shakespeare. Taking a curtain call with a live snake in her wig... Cavorting naked through the Warwickshire countryside painted green... Acting opposite a child with a pumpkin on his head... These are just a few of the things Dame Judi Dench has done in the name of Shakespeare. For the very first time, Judi opens up about every Shakespearean role she has played throughout her seven-decade career, from Lady Macbeth and Titania to Ophelia and Cleopatra. In a series of intimate conversations with actor & director Brendan O'Hea, she guides us through Shakespeare's plays with incisive clarity, revealing the secrets of her rehearsal process and inviting us to share in her triumphs, disasters, and backstage shenanigans. Interspersed with vignettes on audiences, critics, company spirit and rehearsal room etiquette, she serves up priceless revelations on everything from the craft of speaking in verse to her personal interpretations of some of Shakespeare's most famous scenes, all brightened by her mischievous sense of humour, striking level of honesty and a peppering of hilarious anecdotes, many of which have remained under lock and key until now. Instructive and witty, provocative and inspiring, this is ultimately Judi's love letter to Shakespeare, or rather, The Man Who Pays The Rent.


Preview


Reviews

"Dench's memoir of the roles she has loved is a witty, thoroughly entertaining romp through the Shakespearean world."

Kirkus Read review ↗ Top of the Pile

"Part intimate memoir, part insightful commentary, the book shows how the Dame and the Bard make a winning combination ..."

Malcolm Forbes· The Washington Post Read review ↗ Top of the Pile

"[Dench's] passion for Shakespeare shines through every conversation reproduced here ..."

Stephanie Merritt· The Guardian Read review ↗ Top of the Pile

"Alongside all this fresh and subtle commentary comes an unstoppable stream of anecdotes, recollections and asides."

Rupert Christiansen· The Telegraph (UK) Read review ↗ Top of the Pile

"Mischievous and convivial, Dench delights in sending up O'Hea whenever his questions become too probing or pretentious ..."

Michael Simkins· The Guardian Read review ↗ Top of the Pile

"Serious and thoughtful without being stuffy, this work shows Dench's terrific sense of fun as she relates hilarious anecdotes that will make readers laugh out loud."

Penelope J. M. Klein· Library Journal Read review ↗ Top of the Pile

Reader Reviews

0 reviews

Sign in to write a review.

No reader reviews yet. Be the first!