Early Shakespeare Theater Discovered

Show to arrive from London in September

(NEWSER) - Jude Law is Broadway-bound as the prince of Denmark in a production of Hamlet exported from London, the New York Times reports. The show is set for a 12-week run on the Great White Way, with previews starting Sept. 12 and the official opening Oct. 6. Before it arrives Stateside, however, the show will stop at Denmark’s Elsinore Castle. More»

Movie star's Shakespeare turn gets strong notices

(NEWSER) - Jude Law took to the stage last night for the opening performance of Hamlet in London, and newspapers were largely impressed by the actor's take on the melancholy Dane. In the Telegraph, Charles Spencer writes that Law showed "rare vulnerability and emotional openness" in Shakespeare's toughest role. Dressed in black jeans, a worn T-shirt, and often near tears, Law "joins the modern pantheon of spellbinding sweet princes." More»

RSC mounts all 8 history plays with one cast in London

(NEWSER) - Shakespeare's eight history plays cover 118 years of English royal succession, but one troop of actors is going to present the entire span in just two months. The Royal Shakespeare Company has decamped from Stratford-upon-Avon to London, where they are mounting all the plays in repertory on a single set. Bloomberg reports on the unprecedented project, which calls on a cast of 34 to master 528 roles. More»

Fans shell out for McGregor's Iago, but it's the Moor who wows

(NEWSER) - The hottest ticket in London is for a production of Othello, starring Ewan McGregor in a 250-seat theater, with the price of tickets hitting $4,000 on the secondary market. Yet the play opened this week to decidedly mixed reviews. While everyone praised Chiwetel Ejiofor as the Moor of Venice, McGregor's Iago has come in for a drubbing, with one critic sniping "I'd be reluctant to part with a tenner for his performance." More»

(NEWSER) - When the eyes of the world turn to London for the opening ceremonies of the 2012 Olympics, the land of Shakespeare and the Beatles will present ... the Spice Girls. "They stand for so much in British music history and I can’t think of a better time for them to get back together for another performance," says impresario Simon Fuller. The performance may accompany a farewell tour, he tells the Daily Mirror : "I think if they do it, it’s going to be in 2012." More»