Recounted with Dame Judi Dench's characteristic twinkling wit, this endlessly fascinating volume finds the legendary actress reflecting on every Shakesperean performance in her stellar career.
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.
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
ISBN: 9780241632178
Number of pages: 400
Weight: 615 g
Dimensions: 242 x 162 x 30 mm
Wonderfully inspiring. A delightful spell in the company of one of our greatest and most thoughtful actresses - Daily Mail, Books of the Year
A magical love letter to Shakespeare - Kenneth Branagh
A wonderful mixture of appreciation and anecdote - Financial Times, Books of the Year
It’s a mark of Dench’s impish genius and O’Hea’s deftness that it genuinely feels like you’re sitting at her kitchen table with her. It’s companionable and compelling – if you love Judi Dench or Shakespeare (and most of us do), look no further - Guardian
An utterly delightful book…there can be few higher pleasures in civilised life than hearing Judi Dench recite the poetry of Shakespeare. What emerges is a wealth of unpretentious horse sense – Shakespeare from a great actor’s perspective – that repeatedly strikes to the heart of the matter with a sharp instinctive intelligence that puts fancy-pants literary critics to shame - Telegraph
This is a gloriously entertaining tour through the canon in the company of perhaps the most experienced living Shakespearean actor; reading it feels like a chat with an old friend. - Observer
The book is pure enchantment. It swirls and dances with brilliance and mischief, so forget traditional Shakespearean criticism and analysis. Sack the Eng. Lit. professors. As never before, this book brings the subject to wild, authentic life. - Daily Mail
A wonderful ode to the bard - I
Riveting, revealing and witty - Gazette and Herald
Loved it .Funny ,entertaining ,witty and full of theatrical anecdotes.I have already recommended it to friends .A real gem .
I share Judi’s love of Shakespeare and I love reading about an actor’s approach to the plays as it is very different to a teacher’s view of the plays. I loved her mischievous sense of humour (apart from the... More
I loved the book and could hear her splendid voice, cracking occasionally as it does, speaking through every page with the occasional giggle.
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