wed 16/05/2012

Reviews

Felicity Kendal's Indian Shakespeare Quest, BBC Two

Veronica Lee

It's a truism of modern television that a programme rarely gets made without a celebrity being attached, but in this case there was a very good reason for Felicity Kendal being on board. Her parents, Laura and Geoffrey Kendal, founded Shakespeareana, a travelling theatre troupe that performed Shakespeare in India in the postwar decades; many will know their story from Merchant Ivory's 1965 film about the company, Shakespeare Wallah.Like her parents, Kendal has a deep love of both Shakespeare...

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Falstaff, Royal Opera House

Igor Toronyi-Lalic

I didn't know whether to sigh or to yawn. Another opera. Another 50s set. At least it started well. In an obsessively wood-panelled hunting lodge, fat Falstaff (Ambrogio Maestri) lies in his bed in filthy long johns amid a sea of empty silver platters, working out a way to pay his bills and satisfy his lust. Not a 50s cliché in sight - yet. The banter between him and his sidekicks is focused and easy. And what singing from Maestri: effortless and clear and delivered in a parlando manner of...

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Detroit, National Theatre

David Benedict

The competition for best dramatic use of a coffee table is won hands down by the wagon-wheel one that prompts a major argument in When Harry Met...

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Silk, Series Two, BBC One

Adam Sweeting

How delightful to welcome the return of Peter Moffat's skilful legal series. Yes alright, sceptics may contend that the law firm drama has already...

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The Dictator

Bruce Dessau

Is this a sophisticated satire or a dumb, laugh-out-loud, nothing-is-sacred comedy? That is the question which pings around your head Sacha Baron...

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56 Up, ITV1

Jasper Rees

Life is slowing down for the 7 Up generation who are still pursuing hopes and dreams

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The Raid

Emma Simmonds

Martial arts mayhem and majesty from Welsh director Gareth Evans

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Globe to Globe: Henry VI, Parts 1, 2 and 3, Shakespeare's Globe

Igor Toronyi-Lalic

A slick Serb Part 1, an effective Macedonian Part 3 and a very very Albanian Albanian Part 2

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Writing Britain: Wastelands to Wonderlands, British Library

Jasper Rees

A splendid national narrative moves from Anglo-Saxon latitudes to platform 9 and three quarters

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Little Dogs, National Theatre Wales/Frantic Assembly

Dylan Moore

Warts-and-all snapshot of Swansea nightlife is a feast of the senses lacking a beefy script

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Brighton Festival 2012: Interiors, Motor Show, Land's End

Bella Todd

Vanessa Redgrave tells the story of an Arab woman. Elsewhere it's all about voyeurism

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Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Jansons, Barbican Hall

Geoff Brown

The conductor looked exhausted, but his Amsterdam orchestra still make beautiful music

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Reissue CDs Weekly: My Bloody Valentine, Loose Tubes, Fela Kuti

theartsdesk

Seminal sonic voyagers, magnificent Brit jazz captured live and Nigeria's master of musical stagecraft

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Brigham Young University Singers, St John's Smith Square

Alexandra Coghlan

American choral classics brought to life by an all-American ensemble

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Episodes, Series 2, BBC Two

Graeme Thomson

Matt LeBlanc, Stephen Mangan and Tamsin Greig return in Golden Globe winning culture-swap comedy

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Classical CDs Weekly: Bruckner, Mahler, Pärt

Graham Rickson

Orchestral heavyweights and Estonian minimalism

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Globe to Globe: The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Shakespeare's Globe

Jasper Rees

Two Zimbabweans people Shakespeare's Italy with a few props and a lot of comedic skill

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