Tag: plays

No Holds for the Bard!

Book Review for “Shakespeare: The World as Stage” by Bill Bryson. Summary: “Bill Bryson's biography of William Shakespeare unravels the superstitions, academic discoveries and myths surrounding the life of our greatest poet and playwright.” Age Category: Adult; Type: non-fiction; Genre: historical. My regular readers know that I don’t read a whole lot of non-fiction, but … Continue reading No Holds for the Bard! →

Theatrical Turbulence

Book Review of "Hag-Seed" by Margaret Atwood. It was Felix’s dream to mount his own version of Shakespeare’s play “The Tempest” at the  (Canadian) Makeshiweg Theater festival, but before he could get started, he found himself ousted as their artistic director. That was the last blow, since came on the heels of a broken marriage, and … Continue reading Theatrical Turbulence →

Elizabethian Fury in a Modern Female

Book Review of "Vinegar Girl" by Anne Tyler. In Anne Tyler's latest book, she takes on the task of modernizing Shakespeare's play "The Taming of the Shrew." To remind you, the original story is a simple one: Baptista has two beautiful daughters, the younger one is the sweet Bianca, and the older one is the … Continue reading Elizabethian Fury in a Modern Female →

The Mystery of Christopher Marlowe

Book Review of "Tamburlaine Must Die" by Louise Welsh. During the Elizabethan era, Christopher Marlowe was a famous and popular playwright, but today when we think of that time, practically the only writer that comes to mind is Shakespeare. One reason for this could be Marlowe's untimely and early death, at the height of his … Continue reading The Mystery of Christopher Marlowe →

The Last of Will and his Testament

Book Review of "Will" by Christopher Rush. Biographies can often be terribly boring, academic tomes that find interest only to those fascinated by the subjects. Autobiographies can be terribly indulgent works that leave out anything negative about the person. In general, it is far more fun to read fiction. What makes this book different is … Continue reading The Last of Will and his Testament →