Brendan O'Hea

I’ve always admired Judi Dench, and her acting, in whatever role she is in. I am a retired high school English teacher who taught Shakespeare for many years. For most of those 40 years I taught “Romeo and Juliet” to 9th graders, and it often surprised people I talked to about this that R&J was really an easy sell to 15-year-olds. The connections to their own lives were many and the bard’s language was not a problem after the first few scenes. Dench’s book is filled with stories about her acting experiences in the plays, both those well known as well as the more obscure ones. She is obviously a scholar of Shakespeare’s works, and her insight into her interpretations of those plays is fascinating. I have to admit that I jumped around in the book, reading about the titles I was more familiar with first and then reading about the less known plays. The structure of the book allows for that. I think “Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent” will appeal to a wide audience, not just those who have read Shakespeare’s plays. Anyone who saw the Academy Award-winning film “Shakespeare in Love” and enjoyed it and Judi Dench’s portrayal of Queen Elizabeth will undoubtedly enjoy her book. Those who decide to try it need to keep in mind that they don’t have to read every word of the book. It’s a smorgasbord that, as I said, can be picked chapter by chapter as one sees fit. I highly recommend it.… (meer)

This is a memoir written by Brendan O'Hea from hours and hours of notes and tape recordings of interviews with Judi Dench. It's what you would expect in such a book but because Ms Dench is so very special and because she's known Mr. O'Hea for a long time the reader is drawn to visualize them sitting together over snacks talking about playing Shakespeare.

Now I'm a fan of Shakespeare (not a scholar, just a fan) and so this book is full of interesting stuff. Don't give it to someone who doesn't like Shakespeare, regardless of how much they might like Judi Dench.

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.com.… (meer)

laugh-riot, laugh-out-loud, situational-humor, verbal-humor, historic-theatres, interviews, actors, family, famous-persons, commentary, memories, stage-plays, unputdownable*****

William Shakespeare is the unseen protagonist in this fun and fascinating book of the memories of this very well-known, energetic, and talented actress. The book is chaptered by Shakespeare's plays and the characters she portrayed. Expect insights, bloopers, and general hilarity amongst the historical facts relating to the time in which the plays were written.
The goal of the writer "had been to record her talking about all the Shakespeare parts she had played and offer it to the archive department at Shakespeare's globe." "The title is derived from the name that Judi and her husband gave to Shakespeare when they were working for the Royal Shakespeare Company." "The interviews were conducted over four years."
A wonderful book to be enjoyed again and again!
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley. Thank you!
Available 23 Apr 2024… (meer)