As a huge fan of Shakespeare's plays, I cannot just choose one work. Here are my five favourites (in no particular order), and some brilliant productions I've seen:
MACBETH: His most theatrically thrilling work, as dark and chilling as midnight. Catch Ian McKellen and Judi Dench's seminal RSC staging -- one of the best productions of a Shakespeare play, ever.
KING LEAR: It's his most potent and emotional tragedy, IMO. Some of the lines strike at the heart:
Gloucester: Let me kiss that hand!
Lear: Let me wipe it first; it smells of mortality.
It wasn't until I was in university and caught Ian Holm's National Theatre production on video that I fully appreciated the devestating power of this play. A thrilling performance.
HAMLET: I'm putting this on the list less so for its effectiveness as a piece of theatre (I have yet to see a thrilling production of this mammoth text) and moreso for its psychological depth, its iconic characters and existential exploration. I think Kenneth Branaugh did a fantastic job with his 1996 unabridged film version -- he made this 4-hour piece absolutely riveting to watch (and Kate Winslet makes a heartbreaking Ophelia).
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM: Just pure fun. As if the lampooning of romantic love through the four lovers wasn't delightful enough, there are the players' troupe, who bring this comedy to a new level of hilarity.
AS YOU LIKE IT: This is my "university play"; I've written three or four essays on it in the past four years. The best production I've seen of it is actually the University of Toronto's Hart House production in 2003, which smartly balanced the high and low forms of pastoral comedy that informs the play.
BlueWizard's blog: The Rambling Corner
HEDWIG: "The road is my home. In reflecting upon the people whom I have come upon in my travels, I cannot help but think of the people who have come upon me."
Updated On: 1/14/05 at 10:16 PM
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