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Shakespeare

The instant Sunday Times Bestseller from our most beloved stage and screen actress

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Shakespeare

By: Judi Dench
Narrated by: Brendan O’Hea, Barbara Flynn, Judi Dench
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Brought to you by Penguin.

Discover the work of the greatest writer in the English language as you've never encountered it before by listening to internationally renowned actor Dame Judi Dench's SHAKESPEARE: The Man Who Pays The Rent - a witty, insightful journey through the plays and tales of our beloved Shakespeare

Read by Barbara Flynn (Open All Hours, The Durrels) and the book’s co-author Brendan O’Hea. Also featuring a warm and witty exclusive bonus conversation between Dame Judi Dench and Brendan O’Hea about the making of the book.

Taking a curtain call with a live snake in her wig...

Cavorting naked through the Warwickshire countryside painted green...

Acting opposite a child with a pumpkin on his head...

These are just a few of the things Dame Judi Dench has done in the name of Shakespeare.

For the very first time, Judi opens up about every Shakespearean role she has played throughout her seven-decade career, from Lady Macbeth and Titania to Ophelia and Cleopatra. In a series of intimate conversations with actor & director Brendan O'Hea, she guides us through Shakespeare's plays with incisive clarity, revealing the secrets of her rehearsal process and inviting us to share in her triumphs, disasters, and backstage shenanigans.

Interspersed with vignettes on audiences, critics, company spirit and rehearsal room etiquette, she serves up priceless revelations on everything from the craft of speaking in verse to her personal interpretations of some of Shakespeare's most famous scenes, all brightened by her mischievous sense of humour, striking level of honesty and a peppering of hilarious anecdotes, many of which have remained under lock and key until now.

Instructive and witty, provocative and inspiring, this is ultimately Judi's love letter to Shakespeare, or rather, The Man Who Pays The Rent.

'A MAGICAL LOVE LETTER TO SHAKESPEARE' Sir Kenneth Branagh

©2023 Judi Dench (P)2023 Penguin Audio

 Drama & Plays Entertainment & Celebrities Entertainment & Performing Arts Shakespeare Celebrity Entertainment Funny Witty Theatre Feel-Good Heartfelt Thought-Provoking Inspiring
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Critic reviews

Wonderfully inspiring. A delightful spell in the company of one of our greatest and most thoughtful actresses
A magical love letter to Shakespeare
A wonderful mixture of appreciation and anecdote
It’s a mark of Dench’s impish genius and O’Hea’s deftness that it genuinely feels like you’re sitting at her kitchen table with her. It’s companionable and compelling – if you love Judi Dench or Shakespeare (and most of us do), look no further
Gorgeous flows of recollection
An utterly delightful book…there can be few higher pleasures in civilised life than hearing Judi Dench recite the poetry of Shakespeare. What emerges is a wealth of unpretentious horse sense – Shakespeare from a great actor’s perspective – that repeatedly strikes to the heart of the matter with a sharp instinctive intelligence that puts fancy-pants literary critics to shame
This is a gloriously entertaining tour through the canon in the company of perhaps the most experienced living Shakespearean actor; reading it feels like a chat with an old friend.
The book is pure enchantment. It swirls and dances with brilliance and mischief, so forget traditional Shakespearean criticism and analysis. Sack the Eng. Lit. professors. As never before, this book brings the subject to wild, authentic life.
A wonderful ode to the bard
Riveting, revealing and witty
All stars
Most relevant
An absolute treat from start to end.

Should be on school curriculum.

Am about to listen through again.

Wonderful.

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In many ways this book is exactly what it says on the tin but in others it is so much more. It has given me new insights into Shakespeare's plays, plenty to consider and makes you want to see more. It's also very funny and full of joy in places.

A genuine treat

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Dame Judi made her professional debut in 1957 at the Old Vic theatre, quickly establishing herself in formidable roles like Ophelia in Hamlet and Desdemona in Othello. In seven decades of playing roles on stage and screen she speaks of Shakespeare’s characters like lifetime friends. And her acting anecdotes are touching, witty and laced with deep love for her craft. I can’t recommend this book enough.

This is a lovely book

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I was filled with trepidation at the prospect of listening to this rather than reading it - but I am so glad that I did. Barbara Flynn absolutely encapsulates Dame Judi whom I saw on stage in many of the performances remembered in this book. It is a masterful performance - I completely forgot that I was not listening to Dame Judi herself, her irrepressible humour, energy, love of language, love of theatre, respect for her fellow actors and the producers she's worked with, her friendships, her passion for theatre - and especially for Shakespeare, all immaculately brought to life. Flynn does not mimic nor copy, she inhabits - perfectly. Her pace, pitch, inflection, and her rendition of Shakespeare's lines within the chapters are just brilliant. It is also a paen of praise for the golden age of British Theatre - and the luminaries of theatre of the time from Peter Hall to Franco Zefferelli, from Peter Brook to Kenneth Branagh, and what is important about the Arts - and theatre, how Shakespeare illuminates and enhances all our lives - when it is done well! And Dame Judi certainly does it well. As others have commented, I wish the swearing had not been edited out ... part of who she is - other than that little gripe, congratulations to PRH and Barbara Flynn, Brendan O'Hea and producer Roy MacMillan for bringing Dame Judi's words to life so beautifully.

Superb - an absolute joy.

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It's brilliant on all ways. The most important thing is it's fun whilst being full.

Oh for goodness sake just listen to it.

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