Best Shakespeare Productions

[aspiringactress]

Posted: 6/14/06 at 2:41am

What have been some of the best productions of Shakespeare's work that y'all have seen?

[theatreguy]

Posted: 6/14/06 at 3:15am

I saw a fantastic production of Comedy of Errors a few years ago at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. They set it in a Las Vegas casino in the 50's.

[algy]

Posted: 6/14/06 at 5:15am

My favourite *ever* production of Shakespeare was Twelfth Night at the Globe in London. It was just brilliantly acted and conceived and it was an added bonus that I was leaning on the stage, so close that I could've reached out and touched the actors.

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 6/14/06 at 6:18am

The production done at Lincoln Center three years ago of HENRY IV--with Kevin Kline, Ethan Hawke, Audra McDonald, Michael Hayden and Dana Ivey, just to name a few--is among the best I've ever seen.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 6/14/06 at 6:57am

Brian Bedford and Lynn Collins in As You Like It last summer.

[fiesta1]

Posted: 6/14/06 at 8:10am

I saw Derek Jacobi in a RSC production of 'Much Ado' that was fabulous. The RSC performed that show in rep with "Cyrano" -- and Jacobi played the title role in that as well.

Both productions were excellent

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 6/14/06 at 11:06am

Just in recent years

-- Theatre For A New Audience had a beautifully rendered production of the rarely produced "All's Well That Ends Well" back in January that was simply sublime;

-- The all-male Propeller Theatre's production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" that played BAM two seasons ago was one of the most magical and enchanting evenings I've ever spent in the theatre

-- I concur with MEF that the Lincoln Center Henry IV was thoroughly outstanding. Even caustic John Simon called it the finest American Shakespeare production he'd ever seen and he's been reviewing theatre for well over 40 years. I agree.

[robbiej]

Posted: 6/14/06 at 11:08am

Count me in the epic Henry IV production camp. Absolutely stellar.

I also adored Cheek by Jowl's MUCH ADO that played at BAM years ago.

And (and this may raise a few eyebrows), I was spellbound by R&J.

[Jamie Hat]

Posted: 6/14/06 at 11:58am

Comedy of Errors at RSC last January.

[philcrosby]

Posted: 6/14/06 at 12:04pm

We did some amazing Shakespeare productions when I was at Great Lakes Theater Festival in Cleveland ... the most memorable to me were a simply devastating KING LEAR with Hal Holbrook, and a modern-dress HAMLET with Shirley Knight as Gertrude.