'This is one of those rich, rare and remarkable theatrical events, undoubtedly gruelling at times but cumulatively gripping, that will be talked about for years. It represents precisely what the RSC is for: a company that is uniquely placed to give a cohesive vision to an entire body of work and to build and nurture a tremendous acting ensemble to give it an overwhelmingly intense physical and psychological voice. While actors from Patrick Stewart and Kenneth Branagh to Ralph Fiennes once established themselves as RSC leading men before becoming film and TV stars, a whole new firmament of future stars is likely to have been launched here'
Mark Shenton, Sunday Express
'The productions have also been a breathtakingly successful experiment in the revival of ensemble theatre, with a cast of 34 virtuoso actors taking on between them 264 roles'
Comments Page, Guardian
'This is the Shakespeare total immersion experience. So many extraordinary words, so much outstanding acting, such an epic vision from the greatest writer the world has ever known, and, four centuries on, from the company that dedicates itself to his work. So let me state unreservedly that Boyd's history cycle offers some of the greatest acting, in some of the most imaginative and rigorous productions, that I have experienced in more than 30 years of professional theatre-going'
Charles Spencer, Daily Telegraph
'You are only given a few chances in a life-time for this sort of theatrical experience and what an extraordinary, enlightening one it is.'
Nicholas de Jongh, Evening Standard
'..the 34-person ensemble deserved the ovation it got at the end of the cycle, having brought such energy, commitment and variety to a barely believable 264 roles'
Benedict Nightingale, Times
'The brilliance of Michael Boyd's production lies in the same sleek ensemble acting that characterised Shakespeare's company. There are times it all resembles a superior, Shakespearean Sopranos… we will always be able to say of this once-in-a-lifetime theatrical adventure: 'I was there!'
Anthony Holden, Observer
