January 19, 2011
Cervantes' statue stands on a plinth in the centre of the little town square in Alcala de Henares. He is dressed in doublet and hose, and neat ruff, and holds an inordinately long quill pen. If you did not know you were in Spain, you would assume this was a statue of his contemporary, William Shakespeare.
by Greg Doran
| 1 comment
|
Read this entry
January 19, 2011
Researching any production takes you off down many interesting side roads, and can find you chasing many an odd trail and tangent. Cardenio offers a whole map of intriguing and potentially irrelevant possibilities, and who better to travel those by-ways with than the irrepressible Thomas Coryate.
by Greg Doran
| No comments yet
|
Read this entry
January 13, 2011
Why would John Downes have written out a complete fair copy of Cardenio? If he had an original manuscript copy he would not have needed to do so; unless of course he was writing out a copy of an adaptation of the play for production. So perhaps what Theobald got his hands on was not an original manuscript of Cardenio, but a version, perhaps by Davenant himself, which Betterton intended to mount?
by Greg Doran
| No comments yet
|
Read this entry
January 13, 2011
The action proceeds and the character of the eunuch Haly appears on stage. The music finishes, and he stands there ready to speak. His mouth opens but nothing comes out. He can see the King, and the Duke of York, and the whole assembly of London's finest and best. The lamps flicker and the house goes silent expecting him to begin. His mouth dries, his brain swims and panic seizes his chest and throat.
by Greg Doran
| No comments yet
|
Read this entry
January 12, 2011
Many of Moseley's dramatic manuscripts were sold, and eventually came into the possession of one John Warburton. Warburton was the Somerset Herald of Arms in Ordinary at the College of Arms and also a collector of old plays. But he made the mistake of leaving a pile of fifty or so of these manuscript copies in his kitchen one day. A year later he came looking for his collection, only to discover that Betsy Baker, his cook, had used them all as either fire lighters or as linings to the pie dishes...
by Greg Doran
| No comments yet
|
Read this entry
January 12, 2011
I can't help wondering: was the manuscript of Cardenio destroyed in the fire in St Faith's?
by Greg Doran
| 1 comment
|
Read this entry
January 12, 2011
The secretary's hand is light and efficient. I wonder if Moseley himself was dictating his list, while the clerk copied down the titles. It strikes me that paying over a pound to secure the right to publish these plays is quite an investment. It also makes me wonder if the reason he wants to make sure that he has the right to publish The History of Cardenio is that there are other copies around and someone else might decide to publish theirs.
by Greg Doran
| No comments yet
|
Read this entry
January 12, 2011
There is no record of a revival performance of Cardenio after the Globe burned down in 1613. Records for any performances are scarce. But I suspect any revival in the plays fortunes would have been directly linked with England's political relations with Spain.
by Greg Doran
| No comments yet
|
Read this entry
January 10, 2011
Hannah Young continues her behind-the-scenes video diary in a week where Katy Stephens steps up to the mark to understudy Cleopatra, Jimmy Tucker gets a special treatment from Wigs & Make-up, and Sophie Russell introduces us to the little-known Shakespearean character Biscuit.
by The Ensemble
| No comments yet
|
Read this entry
January 10, 2011
Hannah Young takes over the video blog reins for the second week of the Newcastle residency, as King Lear comes to town. We meet Company Manager Michael Dembowicz, get a glimpse into the wonderful world of Wigs & Make-up, Samantha Young explains Cordelia's side of the story and Lear himself goes, well, mad.
by The Ensemble
| No comments yet
|
Read this entry