#shakespeare challenge

[nowtoboldlygo]

full year calendar of shakespare poems & plays + my post tag

can't believe it, but i'm catching up on my 'Shakespeare in a year'!!!

JULY (in November)

merchant of venice dir michael radford (2004) - a notably ambivalent play that explores antisemitism with a very compelling cast. also recommend this webinar with contemporary thespian & academic perspectives, super interesting.

king lear dir edwin sherwin (1974) - shakespeare really does love mad kings!!! jones was amazing, and i really loved the filming. it's a recorded outdoor performance, very well done! overall not a fan of the story itself.

the tempest dir connor kendall (2024) - crazy cool costuming & set design for this stage recording! unfortunately i was not at all interested in the story, script, or acting. i did check out adès' opera adaptation as well, but it's just not for me!

AUGUST (in November)

taming of the shrew dir sam taylor (1929) - went back to my favorite style of adaptation, black & white films! apparently this cut down significantly from the text, but it wasn't funny/interesting enough to source another adaptation for a rewatch.

[nowtoboldlygo]

schedule of all plays + my tag

DECEMBER

timon of athens dir ken holmes (1999) - it was hard to care about this one after the last shakespeare play (the absolute banger love's labour lost). unmemorable.

henry viii dir mary ann jung (2018) - i think this is officially the least popular shakespeare play by terms of stage productions published to youtube! that said, it was okay. only an hour, loved their lil feather hats.

winter’s tale dir beth lopes (2018) - serious!!! lovely costuming, terribly boring story. the characters & plot were distinctly uninspired, which imo would've been redeemed by truly funny comedic acting.

hamlet dir rhodri huw, robert icke, & ilinca radulian (2018) - recorded stage production, my love! super modern costuming & set design, you were so fun! andrew scott you were an excellent hamlet!!

[nowtoboldlygo]

order is almost completely arbitrary. the henriad is vaguely bundled together, and there's a general mix of popularity & genre. some are associated with holidays, which was kept. comedy* tragedy† history‡

JANUARY

twelfth night * on or around January 5th romeo and juliet † second week january all's well that ends well * third week king john ‡ fourth week

FEBRUARY

macbeth † first week february much ado about nothing * second week narrative poem time! A Lover's Complaint: third week corionalus † fourth week

MARCH

sonnets 1-25: first week march julius caesar † on or around March 15 measure for measure * third week march henry vi part one ‡ fourth week

APRIL

henry vi part two ‡ first week april comedy of errors * second week narrative poem Venus and Adonis: third week titus andronicus † fourth week

MAY

sonnets 26-50: first week may two gentlemen of verona * second week henry vi part three ‡ third week richard iii ‡ fourth week

JUNE

sonnets 51-75: first week june othello† second week narrative poem The Passionate Pilgrim: third week a midsummer night’s dream * (north hemisphere, on or around the summer solstice) or hamlet † (south hemisphere)

JULY

sonnets 76-100: first week july merchant of venice * second week king lear † third week tempest * fourth week

AUGUST

sonnets 101-125: first week august taming of the shrew * second week narrative poem The Rape of Lucrece: third week troilus and cressida † fourth week

SEPTEMBER

sonnets 126-154: first week september richard ii ‡ second week henry iv part one ‡ third week merry wives of windsor * fourth week

OCTOBER

narrative poem The Phoenix and the Turtle: first week october henry iv part two ‡ second week henry v ‡ on or around October 25 (st crispin's day) as you like it * fourth week october

NOVEMBER

antony and cleopatra † first week november cymbeline † second week pericles ‡ third week love's labour lost * fourth week

DECEMBER

timon of athens † first week december henry viii ‡ second week winter's tale * third week a midsummer night’s dream * (south hemisphere, on or around the summer solstice) or hamlet † (north hemisphere)

here's my tag for all write-ups & recommendations!

[nowtoboldlygo]

biggest surprises after watching every shakespeare play in a year thru stage recordings & film adaptations:

it's crazy easy to understand the language with good acting. like literally the impenetrable or unfunny text becomes genuinely so relatable, funny,, clever,,, powerful!!!

i didn't like many of the most popular plays like at all!! macbeth, what the hell!!!

blah blah blah frequency illusion but straight up i see shakespeare everywhere now, and it's awesome! it's like joining one of the biggest and longest-lasting fandoms in the world.

why are there so few youtube videos of stage recordings from the uk? just about every play had an american college production, but i saw barely any shakespeare in the park or amateurish uni productions from the uk at all.

also twelve months was too much time for a watch project!! i got distracted halfway thru & only caught up with the holiday/slow season.

[nowtoboldlygo]

full list for the year & my tag for wrap-ups

OCTOBER (in December)

the phoenix and the turtle, still bored by the poetry.

an age of kings 5: the new conspiracy & 6: uneasy lies the head dir michael hayes (1960) - henry iv part two. i'll be honest, super tired of english lordlings.

an age of kings 7: signs of war & 8: the band of brothers dir michael hayes (1960) - henry v! we're very late for st crispin’s day BUT!!! i'm done with it!!! could see a rewatch in the future of this series but not a favorite.

as you like it dir thea sharrock (2009) - felt a lot like stratford's king john production that i watched much earlier this year, especially the brothers! the costumes!! also a lot like twelfth night for obvious reasons. genuinely so funny, entertaining, enjoyable. made my top ten for the year!!!!! maybe top five?!

NOVEMBER (in December)

antony and cleopatra dir iqbal khan (2017) - boring which is insane because cleopatra was the coolest person in the world?!

cymbeline dir sue best & phil bowen (2021) - what a cool set!! not the best acting but mostly watchable. though fr why were the songs so terrible.

pericles at murdoch university (2016) - actually launched into this project after watching cymbeline & pericles last year!!! watched another version (dir ken holmes (2022)). more awful songs if you can believe it!!

love’s labour lost dir antoni cimolino & anita gaffney (2025) - a high quality stage recording!!! i really liked this one!!! realizing i'm weak to most of shakespeare's romance plots. also. and you won't believe this. MORE AWFUL SONGS. (but not all the songs were awful!)

[nowtoboldlygo]

one year calendar of all plays + my challenge tag

AUGUST (in November)

troilus and cressida dir jessica meyer (1996) - found this to be the easiest watch out of all adaptations on youtube, but i'll admit didn't watch it like a hawk. love the camera work, the jokes landed well, great costuming. hard to hear, had some difficult time keeping the characters straight (there's like a million?). overall an enjoyable three hours!!

SEPTEMBER (in November)

richard ii dir michael bogdanov (1990) - this..... is a slog. some obviously great wordplay etc but i found it impossible to care. this production is part of a series including the next few king plays but i chose another source for the rest.

an age of kings 1: the hollow crown & 2: the deposing of a king dir michael hayes (1960) - didn't even want to rewatch richard ii but it was only a couple of hours & very okay!!! this series reminds me a lot of war of the roses dir peter hall & john barton (1965) from earlier this year, which i really loved. not as good, but significantly more watchable than the above.

an age of kings 3: rebellion from the north & 4: the road to shrewsbury dir michael hayes (1960) - continuing the series, henry iv part one! things are happening!!!!!!

merry wives of windsor dir andrew clarendon (2015) - a wonderful break from the age of kings series!! playful, energetic, fun!!!

[nowtoboldlygo]

ok ok ok finally back on my shakespeare in a year!!!!!

[nowtoboldlygo]

full year calendar + monthly update tag

JUNE

othello dir tony richardson (1955) - a lovely play! othello and desdemona were gorgeous. overall a very simple plot but wonderful execution & thespian talent. also a wonderfully dramatic death scene.

a midsummer night’s dream dir michael hoffman (1999) - this movie blew me away!!! excellent acting, gorgeous set design and costumes. a fun comedy, wonderfully adapted. truly an absolute favorite so far. 🧚✨

also listened to mendelssohn's overture produced by my beloved frankfurt radio symphony (2020) AND watched the opéra national de paris ballet production (2017).