SIMON CALLOW: SHAKESPEARE, THE MAN FROM STRATFORD & BEING SHAKESPEARE REVIEWS
Posted on 29 June 2011
Reviews of Simon Callow's wonderful performance as William Shakespeare in BEING SHAKESPEARE at Trafalgar Studios
THE GUARDIAN
Being Shakespeare
★★★★
“We've had some fine one-man shows about Shakespeare from John Gielgud, Ian McKellen and Michael Pennington. But Simon Callow's is among the very best.”
“A memorably multidimensional picture of Shakespeare, steeped in scholarship and love.”
THE SUNDAY TIMES
★★★★
“Callow revels in Falstaff and Bottom”
“It’s a fine introduction for a novice, as well as a treat for those who know the plays.”
THE TIMES
Man from Stratford
No.1 Critic’s Choice
★★★★
“CALLOW AND SHAKESPEARE: A BRILLIANT COMBINATION”
Being Shakespeare
★★★★
“Jive Bunny mastermix of some of the Bard’s best bits”
“A lecture with knobs on, it’s a success”
“Callow gives us his Macbeth, his Polonius, his Lear, his Romeo and his Juliet, his rude mechanicals from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, his Rosalind and his Orlando.”
“It’s a hell of a party piece. Callow earns a hell of an ovation.”
DAILY MAIL
Man from Stratford
"★★★★
FANTASTIC MR CALLOW IS BARD TO THE BONE. A GENUINE TOUR DE FORCE”
“A wonderful flight of fancy, requiring an actor of versatility and charisma. And cometh the hour, cometh Simon Callow”
Being Shakespeare
★★★
“engaging, informative, admirable one-man show”
“Jonathan Bate’s clever script”
“Mr Callow, rapt, wrings every droplet of drama from it all. My dears, a hit, a palpable hit.”
“Verdict: Go if you’re mad about the bard”
MAIL ON SUNDAY
Man from Stratford
★★★★
“Bursts at the seams with Shakespeare and the world he came from”
DAILY EXPRESS
Man from Stratford
★★★★
“The audience were on their feet applauding this singular triumph”
Being Shakespeare
★★★★
“Simon Callow gives us a lively, informative and in-depth masterclass in what it was like being William Shakespeare.”
“Highly enjoyable”
“A tribute to his versatility as an actor”
“A moving reminder of how exquisite is Shakespeare’s use of imagery and indeed of English”
“Highly enjoyable show”
TELEGRAPH
Being Shakespeare
★★★
“Callow’s enthusiasm is infectious, and Bate’s script offers real illumination into both the life and the work.”
“As an introduction to both the writer and his work, this show has much to recommend it, Callow’s passion for Shakespeare shines through.”
THE INDEPENDENT
Being Shakespeare
★★★★
“Callow hands out the speeches with a fine care and observation, as beautifully as he has ever done”
LONDONTHEATRE.CO.UK
Being Shakespeare
★★★★★
“Jonathan Bate’s excellent play”
“Simon Callow is mesmerising. It’s a hugely compelling performance”
“Conversational, intimate & engrossing”
“Tom Cairn’s elegant direction”
“Holds the audience spellbound for just shy of 2 hours”
THE ARTS DESK
Being Shakespeare
“The whole has the effect of really excellent BBC documentary or perhaps a guest lecture at a prominent university”
“Bate’s fluent and surprisingly relaxed writing”
“Shakespeare one-stop shoppe”
THE STAGE
Being Shakespeare
“Callow’s show is a treat and a marvel, and just as impressive and enjoyable as the Shakespearean solos of Ian McKellen and Michael Pennington”
WHATSONSTAGE
★★★★ “Callow takes a more modest mediating role, elucidating Jonathan Bate’s careful text with sudden infusions of poetry.”
“There are revelatory, grief-stricken speeches from King John and Venus and Adonis, the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet, an extract of Falstaff (the “honour” speech), a taster of a more overall splendour in the role, and even Sir Thomas More’s speech in defence of immigrants from a disputed play in the canon.”
