Alan Baragona

This book assumes a fairly extensive knowledge of not just Shakespeare's plays, but the various early editions of his works, as well as a familiarity with Shakespearean staging (the layout of the stage at the Globe and the Blackfriars, contemporary theories of how that stage was utilized by the company, etc.) and Shakespeare's contemporaries. That's not to say that the interested amateur can't get much out of this book, but I imagine it might be slow going. The authors group props thematically, and often the discussion spills over into costume and set dressing as well. They look at each piece and speculate: was the tomb in Romeo and Juliet a constructed edifice, or was it merely suggested by words of the text? Was the dog in Two Gentlemen of Verona a live dog, or a stuffed one? To scholars, particularly those interested in how Shakespeare's plays were originally staged, this will be an excellent resource. I can also see it being of interest to those who are putting on a play and are interested in authentic methods of staging. For myself, I must admit to giving up after a few chapters, but I will keep the book with my other Shakespeare reference books.… (meer)