the play's the thing
Usually I start my reviews by talking about the book and then I end with my personal thoughts and feelings, as best I can put them into words at that point in the day (usually late, so they’re generally far from perfect). But I’m going to do this differently and I will tell you why.
It’s a trap. Like the part of Hamlet I borrowed for my title, where Hamlet is trying to trap a killer into giving himself away, listening to Dame Judi Dench talk about her time with Shakespeare is a trap. Because you’re sitting, reading, as she describes being feral as a child, running and singing and riding bikes, or things that went wrong onstage during a production, like fainting during Twelfth Night because she had malaria, and then suddenly you’re knee deep in the Shakespeare. And it’s like no other conversation you’ve had about the man.
We all studied some of the plays in high school or college, and we all know what they’re like. They’re dense with words and poetry, and some of the language is archaic, and trying to understand what is going on makes your head swim a little. But when Dame Dench talks about the plays, she wipes all that away and describes them in modern terms that makes them seem so clear, so accessible. I mean, you signed up for juicy backstage stories, and you get sucked into the stories about the plays themselves. Just like that, you’re stuck wanting to know more about the Shakespeare. As I said, it’s a trap.
The book itself is written as a series of conversations, because it is. She sat down with her friend, director and actor Brendan O’Hea, and she talks about her seven decades of time on the stage, and they go character by character, play by play, talking through the plots, the key lines, the relationships. And Dame Dench shows her intelligence, her amazing memory, her wit, and her incisive understanding of these works as she talks about all the things she loves about Shakespeare and his women.
You may think this book would only be interesting to theater nerds, and sure, anyone interested in the theater will devour Dame Dench’s insights. But it would also be an amazing help to anyone studying the plays of Shakespeare. It offers insight to those studying acting, directing, or theater design. And of course, anyone who is a fan of Dame Judi Dench will love her stories, memories, anecdotes, advice, and, as she is British, all the tea.
I loved this book so much. It’s a gift that keeps giving, as se goes through play after play. Being a party to the conversation of two veteran actors is fun enough, but with Dame Dench and her smart and surprisingly edgy style of talking about Shakespeare, I just wanted to pull up a chair and listen all day. Like I said, I got sucked into this book, and I have a feeling I’ll keep going back to it, because it’s just that much fun. I have an English degree, and I have never heard anyone talk about Shakespeare the way Dame Dench does. It’s eye-opening and entertaining, and all word nerds should buy themselves a copy of Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent, as soon as you can.
Egalleys for Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent were provided by St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley, with many thanks.
