Shakespeare

Dame Judi Dench, an internationally known actor, turns to the playwright whose work has shaped much of her career. Over seven decades on stage she has played a long list of Shakespeare's roles, including Lady Macbeth, Titania, Ophelia and Cleopatra, and this book collects her reflections on each of them. Its title, Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent, is a nod to the playwright's enduring place in the theatre.

The book grows out of a series of conversations between Dench and actor and director Brendan O'Hea. Working through the plays with him, she explains how she prepares for rehearsals and recounts stage triumphs, mishaps and behind-the-scenes episodes, many of which she has never shared publicly. Among them, she once took a curtain call with a live snake in her wig, ran naked through the Warwickshire countryside with her body painted green, and performed opposite a child wearing a pumpkin on his head.

Beyond her own productions, she discusses how audiences and critics respond to Shakespeare, the spirit of a theatre company, and the unwritten rules of the rehearsal room. She also addresses the craft of speaking Shakespeare's verse and offers her own interpretations of several of his best-known scenes. Her tone is frank, funny and direct, and the book will appeal to theatre lovers, aspiring actors and anyone curious about how these plays come alive on stage.