These two distinguished scholars, Arthur Colby Sprague and J.C. Trewin, trace the development of Shakespearian production both here and in America throughout the twentieth century. They discuss the differing attitudes of the theatre towards the plays themselves and, looking back over more than fifty years of theatre-going, describe the changing fashions and conventions of visual presentation, actors' costumes, and interpretation of characters. When you see a Shakespearian play you may be surprised by such things as Don John wearing black; The Merry Wives of Windsor taking place in winter, and Audrey going barefoot. This book is about such customs and conventions, their origins and prevalence.

Author Biography

J.C.Trewin was a British journalist, drama critic and theatrical historian. His parents were Cornish, but he was born in Plymouth in 1908 and brought up in Cornwall. Educated at Plymouth College, his first job was as a cub reporter on the city's Sunday newspaper, the Western Independent, in 1926. After six years he left for London and joined the Morning Post as a reporter and drama critic. On the paper's closure in 1937 he moved to The Observer, doubling as a drama critic and later as literary editor. From the early 1950s he concentrated on the theatre, working for a number of publications including Punch, the Listener, the Birmingham Post, the Illustrated London News and The Lady. He wrote some forty books of theatre history and was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1981. He died in 1990. He is memorialised by the British Critics' Circle in an award that bears his name (and that of his wife, Wendy) for the best Shakespearean performance of the year.