Reviews for Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays The Rent
by Judi Dench with Brendan O'Hea
Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
A literary demonstration of how the iconic actor has lost none of her energy, flair, and fiery intelligence. These days, Dench (b. 1934) is often thought of as the flinty M of several James Bond movies, but she spent the bulk of her career on the stage, mainly performing Shakespeare plays. In this follow-up to And Furthermore, the author looks back at her experiences via conversations with her fellow actor and close friend Brendan O’Hea. This was necessary because Dench’s eyesight is failing, but her memory is razor-sharp and her knowledge of Shakespeare’s plays is encyclopedic. Her starting point was Macbeth, which remains one of her favorite plays. She also has a liking for A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night, and King Lear, but she has mixed feelings about The Merchant of Venice and Coriolanus. Her first professional role was as Ophelia in Hamlet; later, she played Gertrude. Even at the age of 89, Dench retains an impish sense of humor, and she has plenty of stories about mischief and mayhem behind the scenes. Impressively, she quotes large chunks of various plays from memory. She insists that none of her performances are definitive, and she believes that there are as many interpretations of Shakespearean roles as there are actors. This view underscores her appreciation of the wide-ranging work of the Bard, which she sees as entirely relevant to our era: “Everything you have felt or are yet to feel is all in there in his plays: oppression, ambition, loneliness, remorse, everything….Shakespeare has examined every single emotion….His writing has the capacity to make us feel less alone.” Through these lively conversations, Dench creates a highly satisfying mix of fun, insight, and art. Dench’s memoir of the roles she has loved is a witty, thoroughly entertaining romp through the Shakespearean world. Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Library Journal
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According to Oscar-winning actress Dench (Behind the Scenes), Shakespeare is for everyone; readers can bring their own life experiences to his works and interpret them accordingly. Plus, his plays speak to the universal human condition. Both Dench and her late husband, Michael Williams, revered the playwright. For them, Shakespeare was "the man who paid the rent." This book contains a series of interviews between Dench and renowned Shakespearean actor and director O'Hea, whom she has known and worked with for many years. Each interview is a concise gem that brings together Dench's insights, personal experiences, and knowledge about Shakespeare's plays, including Macbeth and Hamlet. Her memory of each role she has played is astounding. Dispersed throughout the interviews are musings on audiences, language, critics, and the future of Shakespeare. Serious and thoughtful without being stuffy, this work shows Dench's terrific sense of fun as she relates hilarious anecdotes that will make readers laugh out loud. VERDICT A compendium of great wit and wisdom with universal appeal. Both Shakespeare fans and novices, especially students who might find his language difficult to understand, will be delighted.—Penelope J.M. Klein
Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.
Over the span of her seven-decade career, Dame Judi Dench has acted in 20 of Shakespeare’s plays. She made her theater debut as Ophelia in Hamlet, and since then has played all manner of heroines, queens, and even Time itself. In these transcribed interviews between Dench and her longtime friend and colleague O’Hea— initially intended as an audio project for the Globe Theater's archives—it quickly becomes clear how deep Dench's knowledge runs. Her phenomenal memory is key as she breaks the plays down scene by scene, offering sharp character analyses as well as vivid portrayals of old productions. Readers are invited to the communal world of theater and made to understand the logistics, creativity, and even failures required to bring art to life. The familiarity between Dench and O’Hea makes for an easy rhythm; their insights ping off each other, and they bring out one another’s sense of curiosity. As delightful as this book will be to fans of Shakespeare, it also serves as a compelling, accessible introduction for those unfamiliar with his work.
Publishers Weekly
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For this exuberant collection, O’Hea, an actor at Shakespeare’s Globe theater, brings together his interviews with Dench (Behind the Scenes) about the many Shakespearean roles and productions in her seven-decade career. Conducted over four years and originally intended for the Globe’s archives, the lively conversations bounce from backstage reminiscences (“I wouldn’t know how to get ready unless there were jokes and pants flying through the air”) to irreverent commentary on the plays (“Oh my God, I loathed it,” Dench says about The Merchant of Venice, objecting to its irredeemable characters and antisemitism). Dench’s accessible musings feel like learning about Shakespeare from a favorite teacher, as when she notes how the contrast between Romeo’s metaphor-rich language and Juliet’s “straight to the point” responses in the balcony scene reveal how “she has no guile about her. And there’s no time to be flowery—she’s too anxious about Romeo’s safety.” Of particular value are Dench’s lucid insights on her craft: “Acting is learning how to edit. It’s not just about what you put in, but probably more importantly what you choose to chuck out.” The breezy discussions make up in energy and passion for what they lack in rigor. It’s a refreshingly loose exploration of the Bard’s oeuvre. Illus. (Apr.)
